Hill Country Bible Church Northpoint: Austin, TX

Visionary Investment FAQ

1. What is this "vision" everyone at Northpoint talks about?
2. What are Northpoint's goals for 2010?
3. How do these 2010 goals tie in to the Visionary Investment?
4. How can I / my family participate in the Visionary Investment?
5. Northpoint's sort of a small church, how can we raise $50,000?
6. Can I give to a specific area of the Visionary Investment?
7. Should I give to the Visionary Investment instead of the General Fund?

If you have additional questions not answered by this FAQ, please email Russ Haecker at .

What is this "vision" everyone at Northpoint talks about?

Austin is an exciting place to live.  With its key facets of arts, entertainment, technology, politics and education, the Greater Austin community is strategically poised to influence and perhaps even change the globe.  However, 83% of the 1.5 million people in the Greater Austin area today would classify themselves as “unchurched.”  As such, the vision of Hill Country Bible Church Northpoint hinges on reaching Greater Austin with the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that this city can change the world!  This vision is broken down into three major goals:

1. Create an irresistible church that “unchurched” people love to attend.
2. Reach every man, woman and child in the Greater Austin area with the Gospel of Jesus Christ by 2030.
3. Reduce the “unchurched” population in Northpoint’s target region by 20% by 2020.

What are Northpoint's goals for 2010?

The pastors, elders, and ministry leaders of Northpoint believe God has big plans for Austin and Northpoint in 2010.  And we believe the following objectives for this year are critical to keeping the momentum of Northpoint moving toward our visionary goals:

1. Double the size of Northpoint (i.e., growth in adult, child, and student attendance, number of people saved, giving, and staff; and move to two services).
2. Launch our first strategic world mission (Mosaic and Project Juja) to make a difference outside greater Austin.
3. Launch a leadership initiative (Gung Ho!) to equip and empower leaders and volunteers to go further, faster.
4. Launch a simple, personal tool that will further develop the Northpoint culture of declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
5. Establish a church planting fund with a goal to save/raise $10,000 toward starting another “irresistible” church in our area.

How do these 2010 goals tie in to the Visionary Investment?

Achieving these 2010 goals requires a God-sized resource investment above and beyond what is currently available to Northpoint.  As a result, from February 7th through June 1st, Northpoint is holding a Visionary Investment financial campaign to fund these 2010 goals through the following five strategic areas:

1. Mosaic (Global Missions), $12k: Mission trip to Nairobi to develop church partnership.
2. Student Ministries (The Point), $10k: Larger facilities, décor, audio/visual equipment, and event scholarships to improve the irresistible environment for this expanding ministry.
3. Irresistible Sundays, $10k: Stage expansion, additional lighting, updated décor, audio/visual improvements, and service team training to make Sundays even more irresistible.
4. Community Outreach, $10k: Inflatables and trailer maintenance/graphics to take our mission outside the walls of Northpoint into the community.
5. Strategic Development, $8k: Promotional media and resources for key events (e.g., Easter, Great Adventure, Fall Kickoff, Christmas, etc.) and leadership development.

How can I / my family participate in the Visionary Investment?

1. Get Ready (Pray) – Feb 7th to Feb 28th
   Begin praying (as couples and families) about participating in the Visionary Investment, for God’s provision, and for the work in these strategic areas to have an impact on Northpoint’s 2010 goals.
2. Get Involved (Give) – Feb 28th  to June 1st
   Begin to give (online or during Sunday offering) toward the 2010 Visionary Investment.  This is above and beyond what God has led you give on a regular basis.
3. Get Excited (Celebrate) – Early June (date to be announced)
   Gather as a church to celebrate what God did!

Northpoint's sort of a small church, how can we raise $50,000?

First, we serve a BIG God!, who is capable of accomplishing so much more than we can imagine.  That's why we're asking everyone to pray, and not just in the Get Ready phase; we're asking people and families to pray through the entire Visionary Investment campaign... to pray for our vision, our 2010 goals, the five strategic areas of the campaign, and that God performs miracles through it all.

Second, from a pragmatic perspetive, Northpoint currently has just over 100 regular attending and member households... here's how that might break down for the Visionary Investment:

Can I give to a specific area of the Visionary Investment?

Absolutely!  If you choose to give by check, please note the area of the Visionary Investment to which you are contributing (e.g., Mosaic, Students, Environment, Outreach, or Strategic).

Online giving to the Visionary Investment will be opened up on February 28th.  You'll be able to select "Visionary Investment"  and the specific area to which you'd like to contribute.

If you opt not to contribute to a particular area, the elders will vote how to distribute those funds across the five strategic areas based on need and progress toward targets.

Should I give to the Visionary Investment instead of the General Fund?

No.  The General Fund offering is considered to be regular and consistent giving, both modelled in the Bible and encouraged at Northpoint; you might have heard this referred to as a tithe.  The Visionary Invesment is giving above and beyond regular and consistent (or tithe) giving.

Since our General Fund covers weekly and monthly operating expenses, we do not want to encourage giving to the Visionary Investment in place of the General Fund.

Also, if you're taking your first steps at giving in a church, we'd encourage you to begin giving to the General Fund first. 

As always, we encourage everyone to seek wisdom and God's will in regard to giving through prayer.  God is ultimately the Provider for all we have, and He desires that we give back with a cheerful heart as opposed to giving reluctantly or under compulsion
(2 Corinthians 9:7),