In an effort to cultivate a more hands-on approach to missions, Colorado Community Church has come up with a new take on tithing. Instead of giving a full 10 percent to the church, members of CCC are encouraged to give half their tithe to the church and half to missions. They are further encouraged to volunteer five hours a month (or one hour a week) with a missions organization or strategic partner of the church.
To make the process simple, CCC provides a vetted list of suggested missionaries and organizations to which congregants can give. "It's a way to get more than just dollars to missionaries. We want our people's hearts there too," said executive pastor Doug Carlsen.
The program has been in place since the founding of the church and has seen the start-up of at least five to ten 501(c)3 ministries birthed from congregants using their 5 percent to seed new ministries. Congregants who responded to an anonymous church-wide survey self-reported giving $1.5 million total to missions compared to the church's $3 million in receipts.
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