Frequently Asked Questions

The One Fund (which we have titled “Next Step”) is a unified generosity approach that invites our entire church to take a next step of faith together over a two-year journey. Instead of separating giving into multiple campaigns or designated buckets, we are coming together around one shared vision, one shared fund, and one shared mission, trusting God to work through our collective generosity in powerful ways. At its heart, the Next Step Fund is about participation, discipleship, and alignment, not just dollars raised.

1. What is the One Fund?

In past seasons, you’ve probably noticed that our church (or another church you were part of) often ran multiple efforts at once, such as annual giving, capital campaigns, special offerings, and ministry appeals. While well-intentioned, that approach can unintentionally create confusion, competition, or fatigue.

The Next Step Fund allows us to:

2. Why move to a One Fund concept instead of separate funds or campaigns?

  • Simplify giving into a single, prayerful decision

  • Align ministry, mission, and facilities under one vision

  • Focus on spiritual formation, not constant fundraising

  • Move forward together, rather than in parallel tracks

This approach reflects what we see throughout Scripture, where God’s people responded to His invitation together, not in silos.

3. Where do Next Step gifts actually go?

All gifts given to Next Step support three integrated priorities, working together to move PLC forward in this next season.

1. Sustaining the Mission

Supporting worship, pastoral care, staff, programs, and the day-to-day ministry life of the church, establishing a healthy and stable foundation for everything we do.

2. Strengthening the Mission

Investing in discipleship pathways, leadership development, digital engagement, and strategic outreach, while ensuring we can attract, develop, and retain excellent staff who are called and equipped to lead well. This also includes refreshing our children’s and youth ministry spaces, creating welcoming environments where families are supported and the next generation can grow in faith.

3. Finishing the Mission

Retiring any loan we secure to complete the Rooted Campaign construction. This frees up future resources for ministry, mission, and positioning the church with greater flexibility for the future.

4. Who decides how the funds are allocated?

Detailed financial reports are reviewed by the Church Council monthly and presented to the Congregation annually.

No new or unaccountable structure is being created. The Next Step Fund simplifies how we give, not how decisions are made.

Quarterly special updates will be given on progress toward Next Step commitments and the allocation of funds.

  • Staff develops a draft budget for the Church Council

  • The Church Council reviews and makes a recommendation to the Congregation

  • The Congregation approves the budget at the Annual Meeting

The allocation of resources to Next Step follows the same governance, accountability, and oversight PLC has always practiced through the General Fund.

Spending decisions continue as they have in the past:

5. Does this mean I can no longer give to specific ministries?

Next Step represents our primary generosity pathway for this season. It reflects a shared trust that God works powerfully through unified generosity.

At the same time:

  • Existing designated giving (such as memorials or special mission opportunities) will still be honored when appropriate.

  • Special offerings may still occur when pastorally and missionally necessary.

The goal is not restriction, but alignment and clarity.

No. This is intentionally more than a capital campaign.

While debt reduction is one component, Next Step is a discipleship-driven, mission-focused generosity journey that integrates:

6. Is this just a capital campaign?

  • Spiritual formation

  • Ministry growth

  • Community impact

  • Long-term sustainability

This is about who we are becoming as a church, not just what we are finishing.

7. How long is my Next Step commitment?

Our Next Step commitments are for two years beginning April 26, 2026, through April 30, 2028.

That timeline allows:

  • A measured pace for prayer, planning, and participation

  • Commitments spread over time rather than concentrated in a single season

  • Ministry, mission, and debt reduction to move forward together in a healthy way

8. Are the ministry goals tied to how much money is raised?

No. Goals such as 300 acts of service, 200 Alpha guests, and 100 new people engaging in a discipleship pathway are not financial targets. Instead, they are missional indicators, helping us measure how faithfully we are living into our calling to love, serve, and invite others into life with Jesus.

Generosity fuels mission, but faithfulness is not measured by dollars alone.

9. What if I’m unsure about participating?

The invitation is not to have everything figured out, but to ask, “What is my next step?” We are starting this two-year journey inviting PLC families to consider their next step of generosity.

This includes:

  • Honest prayer

  • Careful listening

  • A next step of faith you sense God placing before you

Participation looks different for each household. Our hope is for equal sacrifice, not equal giving. Faithfulness is never compared, ranked, or pressured.

10. What is the ultimate goal of Next Step?

  • Give themselves first to the Lord

  • Take a leap of faith in trust before everything is perfectly clear

  • Step forward together in unity

The primary goal is 100 percent participation for everyone who calls PLC their church home.

We believe defining moments in the life of the church begin when God’s people:

This is about shaping ourselves to become more like Christ as well as the future of PLC so that the next generation inherits a church that is healthy, focused, and ready for whatever God invites next.