A Powerful Tool For Your Ministry

By Lester Ruiz

Pastors are dreamers.

You cannot help it. It is as if dreaming is a part of your DNA. This is one of the reasons why I love talking with pastors.

At StartCHURCH, we want to hear about the dreams and visions you have for your church and ministry. We want to listen to what God is doing through you and your ministry.

But one of the most common themes we often hear amongst pastors during these conversations is uncertainty. Many pastors are unsure of where to get the funding they need to reach their city.

Without funding, it can be hard to achieve the dreams you have for your community.

In this blog, I will present to you a solution that will allow the dreams you have in your heart for your ministry to become a reality.

Reach your city like never before

The solution is a community development corporation.

A community development corporation (CDC) is a secondary corporation that can be used to accomplish the dreams and vision that a church cannot always accomplish alone. A CDC is not an alternate funding source but a separate corporation, run by church members, to reach the needs of your city through the use of governmental grants. By establishing a separate outreach organization, like a CDC, you can apply for grants and seek partnerships that churches and ministries are not always able to receive.

Through the StartRIGHT Service you can establish your CDC. For almost two decades, StartCHURCH has been able to assist thousands of ministries in moving forward in the work they are called to carry out by giving them confidence in the content of their foundational documents, proving they are in compliance with regulations stipulated for non-profit organizations. 

I have seen the incredible results the StartRIGHT Service has provided to more than 900 community development corporations and over 17,000 churches and ministries that we have been able to serve as of today. Pastors have been able to establish community development corporations that have impacted communities in a way that churches are still yearning to reach, due to the religious nature of their activities. Such activities are often considered a conflict of interest in applying for grants or receiving any type of private or governmental funding. 

Benefits of a community development corporation

A community development corporation is a separate corporation, run by church members, to reach the needs of your city through governmental grants. Though the benefits seem endless, below are just a few that pastors have experienced in setting up this type of corporation:

• You will be able to reach and serve the community in a deeper, more meaningful way than most churches are able.
• You can apply for financial assistance from public or private organizations. More often than not, there are grants and funding available online for organizations that are not religious in nature.
• There is no limit for the grants a community development corporation can apply for! A community development corporation can solicit funding from the state and federal government to operate.
• You can directly involve the church members, leaders, and staff in community outreach.
• Pastors can receive a salary from the community development corporation, in addition to the salary from the church. 
• You do not have to have a separate building for your community development corporation. 
• The church and community development corporation can share the same building. 

An opportunity to reach those in need

Since 1966, there has been a 40% growth in nonprofit organizations, and to date, there exist around 96,000 community development corporations that serve the community with additional services like housing and have generated more than 75,000 jobs and over 50,000 food banks across the US. Though there has been an increase in these types of organizations, we can see there is still much work to be done. In California alone, the total population is 39.51 million, Texas 29 million, New York 19.45 million, Florida 21.48 million, Georgia 10.62 million. These are more than statistics; they are opportunities to reach someone in need. Imagine the endless possibilities! 

As I think about all this, I am reminded of Romans 10:14, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

The more I listen to pastors, it becomes abundantly clear that pastors and leaders are moving in a new direction and are more willing to try non-traditional methods than before. Impacting our communities has always been one of the greatest privileges and responsibilities. We must ask ourselves: What new and innovative strategies are we implementing to reach our community more effectively and efficiently?

Recently, I was reminded that non-profit leaders have benefits that we have yet to take advantage of, benefits that are going to change the way we do ministry, and how impactful we can be in our communities. I want to encourage you to welcome new strategies, such as a community development corporation, so that you and your leaders can reach and support your community more effectively, without exhausting the church’s funds. The harvest is plenty—will you be a faithful laborer? 

Now, more than ever, we must be a light in uncertain times. I want you to think about the dreams you have in your heart for your church or ministry in 2020 and allow the Lord to reveal to you how you can put a community development corporation (CDC) to work for your church so that your dreams can become a reality.

At StartCHURCH, we believe in you, your leaders, and your ministry. We are just one phone call away!

Give us a call at 877-494-4655 or schedule a call below to learn more about how you can start a community development corporation. God bless you. 

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