“It is not our role to decide the direction for the churches we serve. Instead, we come alongside them, sharing a biblical model to help them find answers from within the church itself.”
In our daily tasks at CIF, if there was one word that influences and guides us at our core, that word is stewardship.
We’re always asking if something is necessary, if an expense is truly needed and will help us advance our mission. It’s an informal “best practice,” and one we recommend that churches also do.
Any ministry needs ways to establish what is most important and then go from there. Mission and vision statements help in this regard.
It all comes down to people
But church services and programs, such as prayer meetings, activities, community outreach, weddings, or funerals – really most anything a church does – also involve what some might call a ‘stewardship of people.’ Whether they are Christians, or their door is simply open to hear about Christ, to steward or care for a person’s spiritual well-being is a high calling indeed.
At CIF, we don’t merely acknowledge this as some secular organizations might do. We actually believe and value the same things. Rather than being across the table from your church leaders in a “negotiation,” we are on their side of the table, as a partner looking for solutions together.
Gauging the impacts
Another way we keep this kind of stewardship in mind is knowing that financial decisions always affect people. Not everyone at church will be happy or agree with every decision, but through God’s grace and His Spirit, people can stay unified.
We know that church leaders wrestle at times with choosing a path, always trying to gauge the congregation’s direction and response. This is natural in a congregationally led church.
It’s not our role to decide the direction for the churches we serve. Instead, we come alongside them, sharing a biblical model to help them find the answers from within the church itself. Our calling is to be an advisor as well as a financial resource.
We might describe ourselves as caring for those who care, sharing financial analysis, possibilities and options so that ministries can focus on what they do best, ministering to their flocks, their people.
Staying in our lane
You may have heard this phrase for success from the late management consultant Peter Drucker – “Do what you do best and outsource out the rest.” Many churches have lived this out and the Lord has blessed their ministries.
It might sound kind of funny – but with our major focus on building finance, CIF currently does not own a building.
Why? Because being a landlord, managing a building and all of the details that go along with it are not a part of our mission or vision. It could even detract from our focus on serving churches and individuals.
A trusted advisor
An executive pastor once said that his job was mostly invisible when done well, as he made sure that material needs were met for individual church ministries.
We are kind of like that too, with the added advantage of being on the outside looking in, and bringing financial wisdom and knowledge gleaned from hundreds of other churches and decades of experience.
The people in your churches are the hands and feet of Jesus. We are there to hold them up, to prepare the solid ground underneath, to help make the property-related ministry tools possible.
“It takes money to do ministry” is a phrase often quoted by Christian charities. It also takes God’s love to be used by Him and love our neighbor in the process. That is the church’s job, and we are behind them wholeheartedly.
We are so appreciative that churches and individuals choose us and understand our mission to serve in this way. There is truly a difference in how we approach our work from the other options out there.
So, if you are a CIF customer, please stay in touch. If you’re new or just hearing about us, we hope you will contact us to learn more about how you can be part of what God is doing through CIF and through churches just like yours.
Scott Achterling
President and CEO
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