Christian Life Center | Between Sermons | Heart To Heart Ministries International

FAQ's

How much are we growing now?
In every area – attendance, volunteers, children, small groups, etc. – we are experiencing a sustained level of growth. In this past year, our attendance has grown by almost 20% - and is actually trending upward.

Why are we doing three things (move/missions/multiply) and not just one?
We want GO! to advance our entire purpose as a church and not just a part of it. It’s in our DNA to want to serve more people here, as well as to reach nations and we know God has called us to reproduce through the multi-site model. To not do any of the three would mean that we were just doing a fraction of who we are.

With all the emphasis on GO!, what will happen to our annual ministry budgets?
We expect them to continue growing as well. Historically, a capital campaign helps to raise an awareness of needs, deepens an understanding of stewardship, and ignites a greater passion for a church’s mission. These factors help to increase giving in all areas.

How did we decide on the 90%/10% allocation of the funds?
Years ago, our Trustees unanimously voted to tithe our income to missions, and we’ve seen God’s blessing on that decision. Since we knew we couldn’t do a capital campaign and a faith-promise commitment to missions at the same time, it just made sense to allocate 10% of the GO! monies to fulfill our missions projects in Senegal, Turkey and Venezuela, as well as our plan to add more campuses.

How is the GO! campaign itself being paid for?
We have an established budget that is roughly 1% of the estimated cost to move, do missions, and multiply. This money has been loaned out from our healthy cash reserves – which we established for such a time as this.

Move

How will a new home help us grow as a church?
Simple: it will create more seats (in our services), spots (in our parking lot) and space (in our building), for the million+ unchurched people in our area. It will also enable us to more effectively serve people, as Jesus intends. We envision having a wide-open atrium in the new facility where we can hang out with friends and make new ones. We plan to design smaller venues for discipleship, leadership trainings and family seminars. We also hope to create more intimate settings for counseling, mentoring, Bible studies, etc.

When do we hope to move?
We intend to move into our new home by the end of 2010. The identification, design and construction of our new home could take up to three years to complete. In the meantime, we will continue to love God, serve people and reach Nations right here!

Are we in a position to buy a property right now?
Yes. Based on our existing equity in 6363 W. 183rd Street and our long-standing relationship with the bank, we are positioned to buy when the right property is identified, not only for Tinley Park, but also for the Shorewood campus.

Does the $15 million include the sale of our current facility?
No. Our current location is appraised at well over $5 Million (we currently carry a $2.5 million debt). Provided that it makes the most sense to sell, our net cost would then be roughly $12 Million.

Is the $15 Million our goal?
No. It is simply the approximated cost. Our financial GOAL is simple: (1) that EVERYONE participates sacrificially and that (2) we raise as much toward that cost as we can. While we believe that God is preparing to do something special among us, our starting point is to remember that we have never raised large sums of cash at CLC and that raising $5-8 million, the consultants say, would be a home run. So we’re gonna get after it and will celebrate WHATEVER amount God chooses to raise among us.

What if we only raise a portion of the $15 million?
We would prayerfully proceed as planned. If we raise $5 million, for example, we would still purchase the property for Tinley Park and Shorewood and then consider when to begin construction with borrowed funds. Next, we would immediately begin a second campaign and continue to pursue our value of minimized debt.

What will our new home look like?
Well, probably a lot like us. It will be inviting, functional, relaxed, creatively designed, and, umm, extremely good-looking. This will come from a combination of things – both from our existing home and from specific elements that we’ve researched from other churches around the country.

Missions

How can I find out more about CLC’s mission strategy?
Start with Acts 1:8 – we strive to reach both ‘Jerusalem’ (our community), ‘Judea’ (our region), ‘Samaria’ (cross-cultural groups among us) and ‘the ends of the earth’ (the Nations). We currently have 24 different ministry partnerships around the globe, from Chicago to China and most everywhere in between. We focus on developing relationships (our current ‘assignment’ is the nation of Turkey and it’s 99.8% Muslim population of 66 million people), sending resources, and training leaders, often in partnership with like-minded missions organizations.

How can I get more involved with the missions projects of GO! campaign?
We will be sending teams and resources to help with all 3 projects: a training center in Senegal, a church in the capital of Turkey, and a home for street children in Venezuela. We’ll need craftsmen, medical care professionals, painters, administrative geniuses, trip planners – you name it. More details will be forthcoming, but if you’re interested in being involved, you can let us know by contacting your campus pastor.

Multiply

What is CLC’s church-planting strategy?
We’re sold on the multi-site model of being “one church, multiple locations”. We will continue to open new locations because we believe that planting new churches (a) is the only way we can effectively reach the vast Chicagoland and Michiana area, by getting into the communities where people live, (b) provides a limitless path of growth for our developing leaders, and (c) provokes a domino-effect of GO!’s in the hearts of the many who will go with them!

How does this affect our Hispanic congregation, Centro de Vida Christiana?
As an intentional multi-cultural church, we see CVC as part of who we are! We also envision that one or more of the twelve campuses that we want to open will be predominantly Hispanic, to effectively reach this rapidly-growing portion of our population.

Giving Questions

How do I know that CLC handles its finances with 100% integrity?
By our track record. In our entire history, there has never been a hint of impropriety with church finances. We publish a detailed financial report for our members annually. Our constitution calls for oversight by the Trustee Board as well as our pastoral Board of Directors. We follow the best practices and generally accepted standards of accounting, under the oversight of a Certified Public Accountant. Finally, our books are open to any member who has a question regarding finances.

Should I transfer my regular giving amount over to GO!?
No. It’s extremely vital that we continue to support our mission on a day-to-day basis while, at the same time, we go ABOVE AND BEYOND in contributing to GO! So please continue to faithfully tithe to our regular ministry fund.

What about my current ‘steps of faith’ or other designed missions giving, or my offering towards the ‘knock out the note’ fund?
Ahh, the exception to the rule. Since the GO! campaign is funding our missions projects, there is no need for you to designate additional monies to missions – so whatever you currently give to missions can be transferred to your GO! commitment. The ‘knock out the note’ monies will also be going toward GO!, so you can also roll those offerings into your GO! commitment.

May I donate stock or an asset like my car, a baseball card collection, jewelry or some real estate property?
Yes. All stocks/bonds may be gifted directly to CLC. Any and all assets of proven value may also be donated.

After making my commitment on November 4, when do I bring my first actual gift?
Our 3-year commitment begins that same day, which is why we’re calling it a “OneFamily Celebration and First Fruits Sunday”. While we all have three years to fulfill our commitments, we do encourage you to bring as much of that as you can on 11.04.07 to help give us a huge boost toward our three GO! projects!

Can I use the online giving feature on CLC’s website for GO!?
Yes. In fact, that’s perhaps the best way to give, since it enables both you and us to budget accordingly and not worry about forgetfulness, vacations, or sickness. Please see the Online Giving brochure for more info, or go to go.clctoday.org