Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
"Building Home Base" Campaign

What is a campaign anyway?

Campaigns are intentional periods of intense biblical focus (congregation-wide) for a biblical purpose. Campaigns create alignment and momentum towards a specific biblical goal. For example, Calvary has done several campaigns over the years, such as the 40 Days of Purpose and Community Campaigns, the ‘Get Connected’ small group campaign, etc…

What kind of campaign are we doing now and why?

The elders of the church want to lead our church through a Capital Stewardship Campaign which is designed to ‘heat up’ the biblical values of sacrificial giving, participation, and prayer. We are doing this campaign now because we believe God has given Calvary Bible Church a vision to grow and to multiply as we establish and utilize our “Home Base” strategy.

What is the “Home Base” strategy and how does it tie to the campaign?

We believe that God has placed Calvary Bible Church in Somers Point to be a witness to our city and to the surrounding communities. As such, we want to introduce as many people to Christ in our community as we can. The campaign will help us raise needed resources to expand and update our facility so that the “Home Base” facility is in good order and is a useful, welcoming, and effective place for our growing ministry.

But, as much as we believe God wants us to reach Somers Point (our Jerusalem), we also believe He is calling us to multiply our ministry (and our missionaries) as we establish “Home Bases” in other surrounding communities (Judea/Samaria) and in the international community (the uttermost parts of the world).

The campaign will help us raise the necessary capital to resource those biblical goals and values. Listen. It would be easier to not do a campaign, not expand our facilities, not establish multi-site church plants, or not resource the international church, but we don’t have that choice. God is calling us to reach and equip ever increasing numbers of people for His Kingdom’s sake. “Building Home Base” is a part of how we believe God wants to do that at Calvary!

How does a capital campaign work?

A capital stewardship campaign is a three year process that involves four phases.

Phase 1: In January, we began the team-building/information phase of the campaign. Many leaders at Calvary were asked to participate in this season of training and education.

Phase 2: In February, we entered into phase two – the preparation phase. Lasting about one month, this phase was a time of continued prayer, training, and work as each of these teams enlisted helpers, prepared for various events and gatherings, and produced various pieces of informational literature and videos.

Phase 3: The third phase, began in March, is the active phase of the campaign. It is during the month of March that we will be communicating the biblical values and goals that have been established. We will do that through sermons, small group and Sunday school lessons, brochures and literature, videos, various vision gatherings and ‘Town Hall’ Meetings, and a couple of special events (such as a children’s art festival and a special combined worship service/brunch at the Flander’s Hotel). It is during this time that we will ask each Calvary attendee to prayerfully consider what God would have them to do/give with regard to the Campaign and our ministry goals. Not everyone will be able to do/give the same amount in this campaign, but that is not what God is asking for. God is asking for obedience with regard to “Equal Sacrifice, Not Equal Gifts!”
Phase 4: At the Grand Slam event on April 1st at the Flanders, each brother and sister at Calvary, will be asked to commit to giving sacrificially (over and above our regular tithes) to our “Building Home Base” campaign. We will then enter phase four, which will be a 3 year period of giving, follow up, and further biblical education. Lord willing, during that period of time, our new facilities and our “Home Base” vision will begin to take specific shape.

Is this process Biblical?

Yes. We know that God called his people (even commanded them) to give, regularly and sacrificially, towards many building/missions projects in both the Old and New Testaments. In each of those biblical projects there is prayerful preparation on the part of leaders, specific communication about what is needed and what people can do to participate, and wide-scale participation on the part of believers (and even some unbelievers!) in response to God’s prompting and their faithful obedience to His Word. In addition, we know that the general values of joyful sacrifice, faithful stewardship, and the utilization of God’s Spiritual gifts (time, talent, and treasures) are very much a biblical calling for every Christian. Each believer will be asked to prayerfully consider their particular role in God’s Kingdom work at Calvary.

Why do we need to use a Capital Stewardship consultant?

The simple and short answer is, because we don’t know how to do it on our own!

For example, I don’t know how to fix my car, so while I could learn (at potentially great expense and with great frustration) there is no guarantee that I would be successful or that my car would survive! Therefore, most of the time, it is wiser for me to ask someone (even hire someone) who does know how to fix cars (or do the many other things I do not know how to do, have the experience to do, or the resources/tools to do) to help me.

We believe the stakes of this “Home Base” vision are much higher than ‘fixing a car’ and that we are called to be careful stewards of this entire process. As a result, we have prayerfully and carefully asked some pastors who have much more experience in these matters to come and help us. Bill, Kwame, and the IMPAC team have a positive track record, biblical hearts, and valuable expertise that will save us much money/time in the end of the day, will help our staff and volunteers to have a more healthy experience, and will exponentially improve our chances of success in reaching our goals. We think that our stewardship investment is worth the cost.

How much money are we seeking to raise through this capital campaign?

Only God knows how much will be raised, but our early estimates suggest that we will need to raise around $1.2 million dollars in order to resource this “Building Home Base” vision. Experts tell us that typical efforts from a campaign like ours raise 2-3 times the church’s annual budget. Calvary’s annual budget is currently around $450,000.

“In the end of the day, isn’t this all just about raising money to build a building? Don’t you just want my money?”

It is true. One of the end results of this campaign (prayerfully) will involve your money and the building of a building. But, let me remind each of us of two very important things. A) It is not our money – we are simply stewards of God’s resources – we, and all of our money, belongs to Him! B) We really do believe that this campaign is about much, much more than writing checks or tossing up brick and mortar.

By “Building Home Base” we believe God is going to establish “Home Bases” in the hearts of countless numbers of people both here and abroad! Your friends and family (and a bunch of other people we don’t know yet) are going to meet Christ and get saved!

By expanding our “Home Base” (which is ultimately our hearts, but will also include our facilities) as he teaches us the discipleship values of prayer, faith, sacrifice, stewardship, etc… we believe this campaign will grow and stretch each of us more than any of us could possibly imagine. Ultimately, this campaign is about building Christ-like disciples who are willing to make the sacrifices, carry the cross, and serve Christ and His purposes with all that they are and have.

What can I/Should I do?

We’ve said it before…and we really mean it – PRAY!! Ask God to bless this campaign, His vision, and our leaders. STUDY - search the Scriptures and ask God to speak to you, biblically, regarding His will. Let His Word be your guide, not your fears, not your emotions, not your opinions. Only His Word. GIVE - You are not responsible for anyone else’s actions, but you are responsible for your response to God and His commands. Do whatever (and only) He tells you to do!! Give yourself first…and then…give whatever else He demands.

In the end of the day, we believe, if you do those things, you will find great joy, fulfillment, and even reward. And, we believe, God’s purposes will take another step forward in your life and in the lives of many others!

Why are we spending money on campaign publications, videos, consultants, and special banquets when that money could simply go toward the future building costs?

We believe that this Building Home Base campaign is special and that the wise investments (which should be less than 3% of the total campaign goal) we are making towards training and the communication of our vision and campaign goals require a quality investment for a quality return.

We believe that this investment at the front of the campaign will help us now (and throughout the rest of the next three years) to communicate the Home Base vision and to create greater levels of understanding and participation for new and existing Calvary members for years to come.

What is the ‘Early Commitment Dinner’ all about and who is being invited to come?

The purpose of the Early Commitment Dinner (March 24th) is to invite our leadership core, campaign workers, and a reasonably small percentage of our congregation to make their campaign commitments early – thus the title. Anyone who is interested is welcome to come, but the reason this group has been invited is because most of them have been praying and participating in the campaign process since the beginning of the year and have had a little more time to consider what it is that God is asking them to do. By revealing their commitments early, we hope to encourage the rest of the congregation to prayerfully prepare themselves for their opportunity to commit, beginning on the “Grand Slam” Sunday, April 1st and culminating on Celebration Sunday on April 22nd! Individuals and families will be asked to submit a commitment card sharing what it is that God is calling them to contribute towards this campaign.

By ‘targeting’ donors in some of these campaign meetings, isn’t Calvary showing ‘favoritism’ and being unbiblical?

The Bible (in James 2) does speak negatively about giving ‘preferential treatment’ and/or ‘showing favoritism’ to the wealthy over the poor. We agree wholeheartedly with this (and all other) scriptures on the topic.

Therefore, without respecting persons, we are asking all people of Calvary to make sacrificial gifts to our campaign – whether they are ‘poor’ (like the Macedonians who literally begged to be a part of God’s work) or ‘rich’ (like those to whom the scriptures say ‘much has been given and much shall be required’)!

At Calvary, there are no ‘special seats’, no ‘special categories’, and no ‘special privileges’ for those who may have a greater capacity to give than others. However, Biblically, there may be a greater responsibility! We recognize that there are some to whom God has given the spiritual gift of giving (as often accompanied by the gift of earning). We believe that the gift of giving, along with the other spiritual gifts and abilities that God gives, are not to be neglected, but should be cultivated, matured, and stewarded well for His Kingdom.

In this campaign, we have asked those with the gifts of leadership and service to help us lead. We have asked those with gifts of faith and prayer to help us pray. We have asked those with the gifts of helps and the gifts of craftsmanship to join us in the ‘planning’ and ‘building’ stages as we renovate and expand our Home Base facility. We have asked each member of our congregation to consider their gifts and to serve God and others accordingly. And, as such, we have also asked some with the gift of giving to speak with us about how they too might be used of God to encourage and bless this early part of the campaign.

Doesn’t the Bible say that when giving we are not to let our ‘left hand know what our right hand is doing’? In other words, is it biblical to share the specific amount we are giving to the campaign?

The answer to this question is all wrapped up in the issue of “motive.”

For example, the Pharisees were condemned for their self-glorifying, hypocritical giving in Matthew 6:1-4. Rather than blow trumpets in the synagogue and call attention to themselves for their acts of charity and piety, Jesus instructs them to do both their giving and their praying in secret. He was not saying that this is how all giving and praying should be done (which is why we take public offerings and have public prayer gatherings today) but rather, was addressing an attitude of pride and the pharisaical desire to be recognized. In those cases where self-aggrandizement is the motive, the Word seems to suggest that we would be better off keeping our gift amounts between ourselves and God.

However, in I Chronicles 29, King David shows another side to this matter. David, evidently with pure and godly motives, announced his personal contributions to the building of God’s Temple. He did so to be an encouragement and an example to the people of God. In addition to all of the building materials that he had already collected for the building project, he announced publicly that he was going to give more than 112 tons of gold and over 262 tons of silver to the Lord’s work. His promised contribution was very specific and very public. He then asked, “who will follow my example? Who is willing to give offerings to the Lord today?”

In response to his example and his questions, the people gave willingly and most generously! And the scriptures record that this experience was cause for great praise!!

In our campaign, Pastor James has followed this second example so that his family’s specific commitment to Christ and Calvary would be an encouragement, an example, and a challenge to our congregation.

Will I be asked to make or share my commitment publicly?

No. Only Pastor James and Erin have been asked to share their specific contribution.

However, as a part of the campaign process, you will be asked to eventually communicate the specific dollar amount that you feel God has led you to give (through a confidential commitment card which will only be seen by the financial teams doing the accounting and follow up). We will begin collecting those commitment cards on Grand Slam Sunday, April 1st and will be able to announce our pledge totals on Celebration Sunday, April 22nd.

There will also be opportunities throughout the campaign for people to share written testimonies (anonymously or publicly) of how God has generally directed their heart to give. We are not asking people to share the exact dollar amount in these testimonies, but to share the process God led them through as they sought His face and the way they felt led to respond to His Spirit’s promptings.

What is a ‘First Fruits’ Offering?

On Celebration Sunday, April 22nd, we will be asking the members of our congregation to bring a special offering (connected to our campaign pledges as the Lord allows) that will give us some of the money we need to begin the next phases of our Building Home Base project. The money we have already saved and raise, in addition to this First Fruits offering, will allow us to pay for the rest of our start up costs and early construction needs. The remainder of our pledges will likely be paid over the next three years.

How can I give to the campaign if my finances are a wreck?

The answer is probably, “you shouldn’t!” At least, not yet!! God may be prompting your heart to give sacrificially toward the campaign, but if your extra giving will cause you to be a ‘poor steward’ in terms of the financial care of your family or your responsibility to pay your basic bills, then it might be unwise for you to give at this time. However, before you make that call, let me suggest the following:

a) Do an honest ‘gut check.’ As you pray, talk to family members and trusted counselors, and seek God’s will, you may discover that it is not your finances that are in disrepair, but your heart instead. Be honest with God and yourself regarding the reasons you may not be able (or willing) to give. It might not be money that is ultimately keeping you from participating in the Lord’s work at Calvary. However, if having done that work, you find that you really would like to give to the Lord, but just feel like it is financially impossible at this time, then move on to step ‘b.’

b) If you aren’t doing it yet, begin tithing! I know that sounds like strange advice – “in order to solve my financial problems, I should give money away?” Yes!! The Bible teaches that the first step to financial freedom and financial faithfulness is to give God (through your local church) the first 10% of your income as a tithe. By being faithful in this step, God will not only show himself faithful (if you give him the first 10% he will do more with the remaining 90% than if you kept the whole 100% for yourself), but you will begin to learn to live on less than you make (which is always good) and you will begin to feel the joy of serving the Lord and His purposes with His resources. To help you with that we suggest that you…

c) Take our Financial Peace University course this June or go see a financial counselor. Again, this will require an investment of time, effort, and probably even money (scholarships are usually available for FPU) but, the end result is that by making this investment into yourself, you will begin to understand some of the reasons why your finances may have become such a challenge in the first place. You will learn biblical principles for stewarding God’s resources better and get the help, encouragement, and accountability you need so that money will no longer be your master and you will no longer be its slave! And then…

d) As a result of these other steps you may actually get your financial house in better order and begin to discover resources you can give (over and above your tithe) to the campaign sometime during these next three years. So when you can, give! Many people discover lots of ways to give once they start getting a better handle on how they spend what God has already given to them. This process may take some time, but the resultant financial peace will be worth the effort!

We can refer you to some counselors (in and outside of Calvary) who would be more than willing to help you sit down and sort some of this out. Give us a call or an email and we will help you get started!


Why have you suggested that the Building Home Base commitments need to be ‘over and above’ our regular tithes?

Our tithes finance the operating budget for all of our church programs, staff salaries, missionary support, and outreach efforts. If we stop (or reduce) our tithing in order to support our building fund, our church’s budget, staff/missionaries, and programs will suffer terribly. That’s why we encourage the people of Calvary to continue bringing their full tithe to the church and to (as God leads) give sacrificial offerings and love gifts over and above their regular tithes to the Building Home Base fund.


What are some creative ways that others have found to give to the Campaign?

Giving money, over and above your tithe during these next three years, is the primary way that many families will give. However, there are dozens of ways that people have found to contribute to a campaign when cash is limited. Prayerfully check out some of the following suggestions:

a) Take a temporary/PT job or find other healthy ways (babysitting, childcare, side work, piece work, yard work, consulting, home businesses, etc…) to earn extra income that will allow you to contribute more to the campaign without damaging your primary income strain.

b) Delay vacations or other major (non-essential) purchases during the campaign so that you can give more to the Lord’s work.

c) Make changes to your savings or investment strategies (as long as some emergency resources are in place) that will allow you to give more to the Kingdom.
d) Given up a luxury or limit your participation in some activity for a season (like a gym membership, golf/sporting club memberships, sporting/theater events or season tickets, etc.) in order to free up available resources.

e) Give up or limit your phone, internet, or cable services and donate those monthly costs to the campaign.

f) Commit to giving tax refunds, other financial win-falls, or any extra resources God may provide in these next three years towards our campaign goals.

g) Choose to eat out less, give up a vice (like smoking or drinking), or limit your entertainment budget and give the equivalent of those usual costs to the Lord.

h) Sell unused/un-needed belongings and donate the proceeds to the church. This could be something as small as used clothing, cd’s, toys, books, dvd’s (through private yard sales or on e-bay) to the sale of jewelry, antiques, furniture, art work, extra vehicles, unused recreational vehicles, stocks and bonds, and even second homes and properties. (There will be a committee as a part of the campaign to help evaluate and find the value of such tax-deductible gifts to Calvary Bible Church.)

i) Donate goods and services. God may have given you access to resources or to abilities that would be quite helpful to our project. So far, people have donated things like fencing, plumbing supplies, landscaping labor, sprinkler systems, and other forms of labor. Your donation of professional labor, materials, or knowledge can save the church tens of thousands of dollars!

j) Consider ‘planned giving’ in which proceeds from your estate or the estates of loved ones can include a gift for the work of Christ at Calvary.

Why doesn’t Calvary do “Fundraisers” as a part of this campaign?

It has been the policy of Calvary Bible Church to not do traditional fundraisers (ie., bake sales, car washes, selling candy or fruit, selling entertainment books, even promoting marketing campaigns that will allow a person to buy a product from a company who will donate a part of the proceeds to charitable organizations, etc…). We believe that all of these ways of raising funds can be helpful and are not antagonistic to the cause of Christ, but we still feel led to stay away from them so as not to continually approach our people or the people of our community with fundraisers, thereby giving the wrong (and possibly negative) impression of Christ and Calvary. Instead, we have felt led to finance our ministries by asking God’s people to give tithes, offerings, and love gifts to the Lord’s work and to do so not under compulsion, but joyfully, generously, and sacrificially as God commands.

Therefore, if you feel led to do things like sell candy or baked goods, do a car wash, or hold a garage sale in order to raise funds for the campaign, we ask three things.

a) Please don’t hold those events or sell those products at the church or on church properties.

b) Please don’t advertise them as fundraisers for Calvary Bible Church, but instead, do what you feel led to do and donate the proceeds privately.

c) Have fun doing them and be a positive witness for Christ in the process!


Now that we have received our approvals from the zoning, what are the next steps?

Besides saying a big thank you to God and sighing a major sigh of relief, we will be putting a lot of energy and prayer into the following over the next few months as we prepare to break ground and build.

a. Prayerfully completing the rest of this phase of the campaign so that we can see what God has moved the hearts of the Calvary family to give. As our goal is to raise in excess of $1,000,000 dollars, so that information that will help us know what next financial steps we have to take.

b. Moving our staff into the 721 9th street offices and into their new spaces in the Calvary facility (and cleaning/sprucing up this facility and grounds) as a part of our church work day on April 21st.

c. Developing a Building/Design Team to help us pursue bids from architects, builders, designers, etc. so that we can choose the best professionals to help us with the next steps of design and construction. This team will also help organize and mobilize our Calvary labor forces and helpers to help offset  some of our costs.

d. Creating a Finance Team to help us exploring banking options with regard to construction loans, mortgages, investments of funds, etc…. This team may also create a subset of their team to help the  campaign Follow- Up team with counting, recording, reporting, and following up with campaign  contributions over the next three years.

We expect this next phase of our project to take us from 4-6 months and that we may prayerfully begin breaking ground sometime this coming fall!

We are praying for you as you follow God’s heart & the promptings of His Spirit! Thanks for loving Christ so well…and for serving us, His lost sheep, and the world!

Any and all questions you may have are welcomed.
Please call our office, stop by, or e-mail

Allison Monroe (allisonmonroe@mycalvary.com) or
Pastor James (jamesmccartney@mycalvary.com)