What If?
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In February 2020, we introduced the “What If?” campaign. Our official launch on March 22, 2020 marks the beginning of a three-year journey of dreaming, planning, serving, and giving together as a church family.
On this page, we highlight some of the key spiritual and financial goals of this season of asking “What If?” and share opportunities for you to get involved in this faith-building journey.
Overview
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In 2021, our church celebrates its 100th anniversary, and 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Aggies for Christ. These upcoming milestones have sparked some serious reflection on what God has done for, with, and through this church family. We can look back and see God’s faithfulness in so many ways in His work through this church both in the local area and around the world!
As the elders and ministry leaders considered our church’s history, they also prayed about the kind of impact the A&M Church of Christ could have in the future. Through prayerful discussion, several What If questions emerged, such as
What if this is only the beginning?
What if we could reach and serve more people?
Those questions sparked another:
What is holding us back?
In Hebrews 12:1, we are told to throw off all the things that prevent us from running full speed with God. As we looked at what holds us back, one major weight came to light. For the past several years, our church has been steadily paying down the debt incurred in the construction of our facility and purchase of the A&M Counseling Center.
But what if our church were debt free?
While no one regrets the cost of these well-used facilities, when we consider what holds us back from pressing into all the “what ifs,” that debt cannot
be ignored.
At the same time, asking what if stirred dreams of ways this church family could be even more effective for God’s Kingdom as a vibrant and growing community of believers. A number of possibilities have already come to light, and as we dream and pray together, we trust that God will reveal even more.
We invite you to pray with us during the coming weeks and months about the What If? dreams and goals that God has for us as a church family. Even as we set a goal to eliminate our facility debt and explore exciting new possibilities and opportunities to serve, our deepest desire as we move into this season is that we—individually and collectively—develop as disciples who are fully committed to relying on God for our biggest what ifs and for our everyday needs.
If you have questions or ideas to share, we invite you to connect with any of our elders. They are happy to talk with you or answer any questions you may have about this initiative.
Spiritual Goals
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More than anything else, the prayerful hope of this campaign is that we will grow in unity and faith in Christ as we seek to help people find hope and live with purpose. As we look at the ways God is calling us to grow individually and as a church body, we want to be intentional about the following goals:
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Each individual’s faith will increase
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Each individual’s prayer life will become stronger
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Each of us will commit to being good stewards of God’s blessings
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Our church family will work with purpose to build up one another and to expand our local and international mission outreach efforts
Financial Goals
The three-year financial goal for this campaign directly complements the spiritual goals listed above. The goal of $3.5 million allows our church to become debt free and bring exciting dreams to fruition without incurring additional debt. Ultimately, the goal is to give and serve God’s Kingdom in bigger ways, such as:
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Intensifying our mission efforts both locally and internationally.
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Being proactive rather than reactive in terms of caring for our local facilities (the church building and counseling center) which allows us to save money long-term on maintenance and repairs.
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Hiring a worship minister and other staff as needed to help meet the needs of our growing church family.
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Providing safe and reliable transportation for our youth.
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Establishing a space (e.g., a non-profit coffee shop) for outreach and everyday evangelism for those in the community who may never otherwise cross paths with our church family.
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Giving more money to people in times of personal, community, national, or international crisis.
How to Get Involved
While we do have financial goals for this campaign, it is far from being just about money. This effort is much more about “faith-raising” than “fund-raising.” Your investment of prayers, service, and trust are vital to positioning our church to help others find hope and live with purpose. Please take a few moments, click the link below, and sign-up to serve!
For Questions: elders@amchurch.net
Opportunities
Prayer
Prayer is an essential part of our Christian walk. Through prayer, we invite God to lead our hearts and direct our efforts. Scripture tells us to ask God for wisdom and to look to Him to supply our spiritual and physical needs. To that end, we ask that you:
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Be in prayer for both the spiritual and financial goals and dreams that are part of this initiative.
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Begin praying about what you will commit to give over and above your regular contribution to help reach these goals.
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Let us know how we can pray for you. Each week, clipboards are passed around during Sunday morning classes. A committed group of prayer warriors prays over these requests throughout the week. You can write your request on one of these boards, as for prayer during any service, class, or small group time, or email elders@amchurch.net.
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Stop by the Prayer Room during worship and class times on Sundays and Wednesdays to pray with others. All of these times of prayer are open to anyone for any need.
KEY Dates
March 22
Communication Sunday
March 25
40 Days of
Prayer Begins
April 18
24-Hour
Prayer Vigil
May 3
Commitment Sunday
May 17
Celebration Sunday
Leadership Team
Greg Anderson
Lead Minister
Erin Casey
Communications Team Lead
Jeff Sammons
Education
Team Leader
Ashley Skow
Invitation
Team Leader
James Hallmark
Campaign Director
Bob Dillman
Administrative
Team Leader
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Hayden Liebl
AFC Team Leader
Sheridan Leftwich
Celebration Event
Team Leader
Mark Hutchinson
Campaign Manager
Diane Martin
Prayer Team Leader
Monty McCulley
Student
Team Leader
Jerry Fox
Follow Up
Team Leader
Rachel Hutchinson
Campaign Manager
John Case
Education
Team Leader
Jenni Christian
Children's
Team Leader
Sid Walker
Early Commitment
Team Leader
Questions?
We've tried to answer some initial questions you may have below, but if you have further questions, thoughts, or ideas, please feel free to speak to any of the elders or email elders@amchurch.net.
What is this What If?
campaign/initiative?
We are praying, planning, and working together to eliminate debt and to serve our community and participate in bigger and more intentional ways in God’s Kingdom.
Why are we in debt?
The debt is the remainder of the costs incurred during construction of our building and the purchase of the A&M Counseling Center. The original debt was $8.4 million. We have already paid off $5.2 million (praise God!). The remaining debt of approximately $3.2 million equates to about $375,000 (or 21%) of our church’s annual budget.
At our current rate of payment, it will take 10 years to eliminate this debt. With the What If? initiative, we are hoping to eliminate the debt in as little as three years and, at the same time, serve God’s Kingdom in bigger ways without incurring new debt.
Is this campaign about building a new building?
The financial focus of this campaign is to eliminate debt and to free up our church budget to serve God’s Kingdom through giving, serving others, and participating in various outreach efforts.
What does this campaign mean for me?
Right now, we hope that you will join us in prayer and complete the participation survey (enclosed or online at am.church/plugin). On Commitment Sunday, May 3, we will ask each family or individual to pledge a financial gift above their regular contribution as God leads. This gift can be spread out over a 36-month period. We invite you to begin praying about that commitment now. We also invite you to pray about your role in helping others find hope and live with purpose.
Are we going to talk about money for the next few months?
Our intent with the What If? initiative is for us all to consider how we can live with purpose for Jesus. That includes the way we manage our money, our talents, and our time. Our focus will be on becoming better disciples in every aspect of life.
What about the existing building fund I’m already giving to?
Firstly, thank you for being faithful with this gift!
You are a huge part of the progress we’ve made in reducing the building debt as much as we have. On Commitment Sunday (May 3), we will invite you to shift any building fund contributions to the What If?
giving campaign.