God’s Word shows us both the responsibilities and the blessings of giving. The act of giving is our acknowledgement that all that we have is a gift to us, entrusted for our stewardship and intended for good. We are taught that our giving should be in proportion to what we have received through God’s goodness, and that it should come from a cheerful heart.
Our giving is an act of worship, a reflection of God’s kindness and provision. The proper use of those gifts is the solemn responsibility of those God places in the roles of leadership in His church. At Christ Covenant, that responsibility is carried out by our Elders and our Deacons.
They have prayerfully established a framework for giving that reflects careful stewardship and God’s call to the fields of ministry He has fitted us for as a congregation. That framework can be described as Five Levels of Giving:
1. Tithe
Scripture teaches that the tithe is a tenth of all that God has given us. The tithe is the gift of highest priority. It is 10% of our money, but it is also a tenth of the time we are allotted and a tenth of the “talents” or skills we have been given. Your financial tithe to our church, along with “unrestricted and undesignated” gifts, are used to support the general operations of the church.
2. Faith Promise
Faith Promise giving is the primary means by which CCC supports international missions outreach. Faith Promise also supports other local, regional and national outreach. This is our second highest priority of giving to the church, after the tithe.
3. Kingdom-Advancement Giving
Our congregation has been led to be a part of advancing Christ’s Kingdom through these five specific areas. They constitute our third level priority. You are encouraged to designate gifts to one or more of these uses:
- Pastoral Interns
A program to train and develop PCA ministers - Covenant Day School
The Christian Education Ministry and K-12 Christian Education School of Christ Covenant Church - Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS)
The Evangelical, Presbyterian and Reformed Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina - PCA Askings
Support payments to the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) at a level calculated to support the key focus areas of the denomination (to include MTW, MNA, Administration, etc.) - Church Planting
A strategy to plant or daughter a PCA congregation approximately every five years
4. Special Giving
Capital campaigns, Mercy Ministry and related special offerings, and Campus Outreach comprise the fourth level priority of our structure.
5. CCC Endowment
Christ Covenant Church Endowment is a strategic collection of foundations, funds and methodologies designed to provide supplemental sources of revenue to support the future needs of the church and its ministries. This is our fifth priority of giving to the church.
Members and friends of Christ Covenant are always invited to ask questions about these giving levels, our budget and possible special gifts including financial instruments or real property. You or your representative may speak to an Elder or Deacon, or contact our Senior Director of Administration, for detailed guidance in conveying special gifts. All giving information is handled in confidence.