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 My wife, Vicki, and I are taking the stewardship journey together. We pray that our story will be a blessing and challenge to friends of EQUIP who are still growing as Biblical givers in response to their faith. I would like to share our story in sections which will give you an overall picture…
Cheerfulness Discovered
The end of 1983 marked my fifth year as a Christian and the first full year of my ownership of an architectural/engineering company. We were in debt but surviving! It was Christmastime, so in recognition of the Lord’s blessings, we gave to three ministries in our community. Our gifts totaled only $3,000, but as I delivered those checks, I am sure I had never felt more cheerfulness. My heart overflowed with gratitude toward God. Over the next few years our company of about ten employees steadily grew in business, people, profits, giving, and joy!
More Chores, Less Cheer
Because our fiscal year ended with the calendar year, our year-end business obligations began to collide with our year-end giving decisions. When we began our giving journey, it was easy to select a few local ministries to support, but now as we were giving away larger amounts, it seemed more difficult to allocate those gifts to the various ministries. In addition, Vicki and I were growing in our understanding of Biblical stewardship, and our personal giving was also growing. Ultimately, we reached the point that our capacity for giving seemed to exceed our ability to discern just how much and to whom the money should be allocated. While giving was still a joyous event, the responsibility for investing it to make the maximum Kingdom impact became a little more of a chore, with less cheerfulness.
Cheerfulness Returns
About this time we began discussions with a financial planner with the Ron Blue Company. He saw our problem, understood that our company was still expanding, and affirmed our need to continue growing in our desire and commitment to give generously, as well as wisely and strategically. To accommodate all these concerns he suggested we consider using a donor advised trust and recommended the National Christian Foundation.
We opened two trust fund accounts: one personal, and one for the businesses. We were then able to give to the trust what we felt God wanted us to give, receive a tax credit for the current year, while having the flexibility to wait on the Lord to speak to our hearts as we requested the distribution of funds to specific Kingdom projects at a later time. In short, NCF allowed us to easily and cheerfully make tactical financial gifts that could be invested more strategically later on.
Blessings Increase
At this point the giving from the company was about 2% of income, and I was feeling pretty good about that…until I read the book “Business by the Book” by Larry Burkett. Larry wrote that the Biblical principle of tithing applies to the owner’s business as well as to the owner. That’s because Biblically the two (owner and business) are one entity. Think about it, shopkeeper…woodworker…architect… “Gulp”!
While the concept made sense, I must confess that I thought long and hard about a full tithe from the gross revenues of the business. That’s a lot! Can it be done? I didn’t know and wasn’t really sure I wanted to give that much, but I continued to increase our giving to the level I was still joyful about.
In the fall of 1991, I made a one-day, 28 mile, round trip hike into the north side of the Grand Canyon. Even though I had prepared, the hike took its toll. In fact, I barely made it back to safety. As I lay in bed that night in the wilderness, almost 1,500 miles from my home, I thought I was having a heart attack. On my back, I added up the meaning of my life – would the sum add much toward Kingdom work? Then I thought about the things I was holding back from God.
I’d like to say it was a spiritual decision, but it was more like a “foxhole conversion”! I exclaimed, “Lord, if I get out of this mess, I promise a 10% tithe from the income of the business!”
Our industry began a difficult two-year period where design projects were scarce and fees low, but we continued to increase our giving toward reaching the 10% goal as I had promised God. We lost money that year, but miraculously for the following two years, we had the highest profit margins in the history of my firm!
Tough times still sometimes followed, but when it looked impossible to meet our business commitments and giving goals, God provided, honoring our trust and faith! I tend to smile a lot anyway, but I still remember at those times, reviewing the year-end business financial statements, chuckling out loud, while shaking my head in awe of what He had just performed in the life of our company!
During this time Ron Blue Company recommended an additional tax saving strategy utilizing NCF: Instead of giving cash, they recommended we give highly appreciated securities to NCF, then use the cash to acquire replacement securities at a stepped up value basis, making the transaction a long term tax benefit. Using this approach, Vicki and I have also transferred real estate. While this added tax benefit was never the intended purpose for beginning our 13 year partnership with NCF, it certainly has demonstrated to Vicki and me the way God’s economy works!
Thankfulness Throughout
The Lord took a little company, grew its capacity to accumulate wealth, and used NCF to allow for later strategic investments in ministries like EQUIP who trains leaders around the world in Biblical stewardship and leadership principles! You just have to love how God works in all of this to accomplish His purpose of completing the Great Commission. How exciting that we can have a part!
This article was written by Mr. George Clinton who is an EQUIP Associate Trainer and generous financial partner. He has faithfully and effectively taught EQUIP curriculum in several nations.
(Note: Our ministry partner, Mr Ray Lyne, is one of America's foremost experts on wholistic Biblical stewardship, including estate planning and creative giving. He is available to friends of EQUIP for private consultations as well as for church seminars. For more information, please contact Doug.Carter@iequip.org or 678-225-3310.)
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