CMI Resource Development Philosophy
Purpose Statement
Developing resources to be used in
fulfillment of the Great Commission is a ministry –
not simply because of the outcomes it helps achieve.
The act of calling God’s people to give toward
activities that advance His Kingdom is a ministry in
its own right.
As part of CMI’s commitment to
strengthening this ministry and those ministries
that are made possible as a result, CMI has created
the following Resource Development Philosophy and
Principles to provide guidance in making wise,
effective and God-honoring decisions in its resource
development activities.
Resource Development Philosophy
CMI’s resource development efforts
are guided by three primary priorities. Our goal is
to be: 1) Centered on glorifying God; 2) Consistent
with Scripture; 3) Committed to our ministry
partners.
Centered on Glorifying God
God is Lord and owner of all (Ex.
19:5; Ps. 24:1). As such, He is ultimately
responsible for financial provisions for Church
Ministries International and its various ministry
projects. God prepares the work, issues the call and
provides the means. We believe that God is
responsible for prompting the hearts of ministry
financial partners to give in response to the needs
presented. As such, all CMI communications and
fundraising activities will strive to be honoring to
God, reflective of His character and in keeping with
His commandments. To this end, CMI seeks to be
fervent in prayer, trustworthy in its
communications, servant-like in its activities, and
faithful in its stewardship.
Consistent with Scripture
As part of CMI’s commitment to
glorifying God, CMI will be obedient to biblical
principles and models in its resource development
activities and the stewardship of the funds raised.
Among these are the following biblical principles
outlined by the Evangelical Council for Financial
Accountability (ECFA).
1. God,
the creator (Gen. 1) and sustainer of all things
(Col. 1:17) and the One “who works within us to
accomplish far more than we can ask or imagine”
(Eph. 3:20), is a God of infinite abundance (Ps.
50:10-11) and grace (2 Cor. 9:8). (Ps. 24:1; Phil.
4:19; Jn. 1:14)
2.
Acknowledging the primacy of the Gospel (Rom. 1:16)
as our chief treasure (Mt. 13:44) Christians are
called to lives of stewardship, as managers of all
that God has entrusted to them (1 Cor. 4:1-2). (1
Cor. 9:23; Phil. 3:8-11; Mt. 25:15-30, 1 Pet. 4:10)
3. A
Christian’s attitude toward possessions on earth is
important to God (Mt. 6:24), and there is a vital
link between how believers utilize earthly
possessions (as investments in God’s kingdom) and
the eternal rewards that believers receive (Phil.
4:17). (Mt. 22:37; 1 Tim. 6:10; Prov. 24:12; Mt.
19:27-30; Lk. 14:12-14; 1 Cor. 3; 2 Cor 5:10; Eph.
2:10; 1 Tim. 6:19)
4. God
entrusts possessions to Christians and holds them
accountable for their use, as a tool to grow God’s
eternal kingdom, as a test of the believer’s
faithfulness to God, and as a trademark that their
lives reflect Christ’s values (Lk. 16:1-9). (Mk.
12:41-44); Rom. 1:1; 2 Cor. 8-9; Gal. 6:10, Col.
3:17, 1 Tim. 6:18)
5. From
God’s abounding grace, Christians’ giving reflects
their gratitude for what God has provided and
involves growing in an intimate faith relationship
with Christ as Lord of their lives (Lk. 7:36-50).
(Gen. 14:20; Ezra 2:69; Mk. 12:41-44)
6.
Because giving is a worshipful, obedient act of
returning to God from what has been provided (1
Chron. 29:10-14), Christian fund-raisers should hold
a conviction that, in partnership with the church,
they have an important role in the spiritual
maturation of believers (Jas. 3:1). (Rom. 12:1)
7. The
primary role of Christian fund-raisers is to advance
and facilitate a believer’s faith in and worship of
God through a Christ-centered understanding of
stewardship that is solidly grounded on Scripture (2
Tim. 3:16). (Ex. 34:32, 35:21)
8.
Recognizing it is the work of the Holy Spirit that
prompts Christians to give (Jn. 15:4-5) (often
through fund-raising techniques) (2 Cor. 9:5-7, Neh.
1:4-11), fund-raisers and/or organizations must
never manipulate or violate their sacred trust with
ministry partners. (Is. 55:8-11; 1 Chron. 28:6,
29:9; Ps. 90:17; Prov. 21:1; 2 Cor. 3:5)
9. An
eternal, God-centered worldview promotes
cooperation, rather than competition among
organizations, and places the giver’s relationship
to God above the ministry’s agenda (2 Cor. 4:16-18).
(Ps. 90:1-12)
10. In our materialistic,
self-centered culture, Christian leaders should
acknowledge that there is a great deal of unclear
thinking about possessions, even among believers,
and that an eternal kingdom perspective will often
seem like foolish nonsense (1 Cor. 2:14) to those
who rely on earthly kingdom worldview techniques (1
Cor. 2:1-5). (1 Cor. 1:17-31)
When these principles are
implemented, that rely on God changing hearts more
than on human methods, the resulting joy-filled
generosity of believers will fully fund God’s work
here on earth (Ex. 36:6-7).
Committed to Ministry Partners
Christ stated that the second
greatest commandment is to “love your neighbor as
yourself” (Mark 12:31). CMI is committed to applying
this commandment in its resource development
activities. CMI will:
1. Be
ministry focused, recognizing that a primary
responsibility of resource development is to provide
opportunities to inspire and help believers practice
biblical stewardship.
2.
Respect donors, treating them as partners in
ministry and not simply sources of income.
3.
Emphasize relationships by seeking to minister to
the giver for their sake, not simply for the gift.
(Phil. 4:17)
CMI Resource Development Principles
In keeping with the above
philosophy, CMI will conduct its resource
development activities in accordance with the
following principles.
Accounting
1. We
recognize that God is the One who imparts vision and
the One who provides. As such, we will prayerfully
seek to balance faith and prudence. We will exercise
faith in trusting God to provide for the
accomplishment of vision even when resources may not
be apparent, but will not jeopardize the ministry by
making unreasonable projections that could
precipitate a financial crisis.
2. We
will exercise responsible stewardship of resources
in our spending practices, being vigilant to spend
conservatively and avoid excess, continually
striving to maximize the resources spent on direct
ministry.
3. We
will not operate at a deficit. However, from time to
time it may be necessary to borrow funds for large
capital expenditures. If so, we will seek to repay
the loan as soon as possible.
4. We
will be faithful in paying all invoices by the date
that they are due.
5. We
will provide timely acknowledgement, expression of
appreciation and receipting for all gifts received.
6. We
will honor specific designations of donations by
ministry partners, provided that the donation is
given to an approved CMI project. We will put the
funds to use for the specified project in a timely
manner – normally within twelve months. In the event
that a designated project is over funded, delayed or
cancelled, excess funds may be reassigned to a
ministry need most closely identifying with the
project for which the funds were originally
provided.
Accountability
1. We
will keep ministry partners well-informed about the
ministry and its specific projects through timely,
informative communications provided through a
variety of media.
2. CMI’s
Board of Directors will exercise proper governance
and oversight of the ministry, its finances and its
staff.
3. We
will maintain membership in the Evangelical Council
for Financial Accountability and will faithfully
adhere to the ECFA’s Seven Standards of Financial
Accountability.
4. We
will comply with all local, state and federal laws
related to charitable organizations.
Confidentiality and Donor Preferences
1. We
will not sell, rent, barter or exchange our mailing
and other lists to other organizations or
individuals for fund-raising purposes. CMI is
committed to donor privacy and will take appropriate
measures to ensure that personal information remains
confidential.
2. We
will honor all requests from anyone that wishes to
cease receiving communications from CMI.
Communications with Ministry Partners
1. We
will be truthful and accurate in all of our
communications.
2. We
will be diligent to present realistic expectations
for how donations will be used.
3. We
will not seek to manipulate or coerce people into
giving a donation.
4. We
will not impugn or speak negatively of other
ministries, but instead hold a “Kingdom-oriented”
mindset that recognizes that God calls different
people and different organizations to carry out
different roles in proclaiming His Gospel and
expanding His Kingdom.
5. We
recognize that from time to time, premiums and other
involvement devices can be useful in encouraging
ministry partners to give toward specific projects.
If such devices are used, the following factors
should be considered:
a. Does it have a recognizable
connection to our ministry?
b. Does it have value to the
ministry partner?
c. Is it cost effective?
d. Does it serve to draw the
ministry partner towards a closer relationship with CMI? |
