Debt Elimination Proposal

“The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.” (Proverbs 22:7, ESV)

At our April 25 members’ meeting, the elders presented a debt elimination proposal. For those who are newer members of High Pointe, it may help to review a little history before explaining the actual plan.

The beautiful building we enjoy was completed in April of 2001. When I became your senior pastor in August of 2005, the church had $4,500,000.00 of remaining debt. At that point, there were only about 300 active church members, and they could not afford to service the debt. For me, coming into this situation was like a marriage. When you enter a marriage, you inherit the debt of your partner. So, when I joined High Pointe, the debt became mine as well.

But God! Those are two wonderful words that highlight the grace of God. But God sustained us and saw us through that difficult season. And from 2005 to 2019, the Lord allowed us to pay off $3,500,000.00 of that debt. How? The elders humbled themselves, sought the Lord, and applied wise practices. We sought to set an example for the congregation of sacrificial giving out of the depth of our poverty (2 Corinthians 8:1-2).

• So by faith, in 2006 we committed to set aside 10% of all giving for the spread of the gospel outside of High Pointe. This commitment is reflected in our annual budget. Additionally, whenever we have had extra income as a church, we have maintained our commitment to send 10% outside of High Pointe to support strategic gospel partners. The Lord has honored that commitment and has blessed our giving since that time.
  
• By faith, we committed to planting churches even though on paper we could not afford it. From 2011 to 2016, the Lord has allowed us to send over 100 members, four elders, and about $200,000 in regular giving to newly planted churches.
• By faith, we sought to manage the debt outside of regular giving as much as possible. We prioritize our regular giving for supporting gospel work and workers, not debt elimination. So, you may wonder, how has the Lord allowed us to pay down so much debt? The Lord has allowed us to eliminate debt through the sale of land and giving that is above and beyond our regular giving (Whole-Hearted Commitment three-year capital campaign).

As we look back on this history, it is clear the Lord has blessed our faith and answered our prayers. Consequently, we have only $980,000.00 of remaining debt. Join us in thanking God for the faith and faithfulness of our financial elders in leading us in this effort and for the congregation in your faith and faithfulness in generous giving.

PROPOSAL: A Special Offering (above & beyond regular giving)–September 2021, 2022, 2023.

We believe High Pointe can pay off the remaining debt if we all give sacrificially, above and beyond our regular giving. So, we propose we take up a special offering each September for the next three years to attack the remaining debt. Think of it this way. We have 512 members. If you divide the current debt of $980,000.00 between our membership, that comes to $1,914.00 per member. To be sure, that’s a lot of money per member. But when we break this figure down over three years, that’s $638.00 per member each year, for the next three years. At first it might seem we don’t have that kind of money just lying around, but let’s break it down even further. If you buy two $5.00 Starbucks coffee each week, that’s $520.00 you will spend that year on coffee. Here’s my point. If we’re serious about eliminating this debt, can’t we sacrifice two coffees a week (or manicures or massages or whatever we spend $10.00 to $15.00 a week on) to eliminate our debt?

By simply putting away $10.00 to $15.00 per week over a year, each member will contribute enough over three years to eliminate the debt. Even children can join in by collecting spare change in a jar over a year. So, the elders ask you to pray with us about this proposal for the next two months. Then, at our next members’ meeting on June 27, we will vote together on whether or not to eliminate the remaining debt.

Love,

Pastor Juan