Joining Hearts & Hands is a five-year campaign to raise $40 million for international mission personnel and for new church development and church redevelopment in the United States. In this initial phase, approximately $20 million will fund church growth and $20 million will fund international mission personnel. Joining Hearts & Hands will reach prospective major donors and a small group of presbyteries and/or congregations in the early phase. The whole church will have the opportunity to support Joining Hearts & Hands in the final phase of the campaign.

What is the time frame?

Why does the PC(USA) need Joining Hearts & Hands at this time?

Several recent General Assemblies have called upon the whole church to support expanded efforts in international mission and domestic church growth. Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts & Hands is a response to those directives.

Why these two causes and not others?

Recent General Assemblies have focused on these two areas as mission priorities. Both ministries reflect growing levels of interest and activity at the grass roots level of the church. Joining Hearts & Hands must remain focused on these priorities in order to succeed. This experience and the cost-efficient infrastructure established to support it will benefit other ministries in the years ahead.

Have you studied this? What factors have you taken into account?

If Joining Hearts & Hands is successful, how will the PC(USA) be different in five years? How will the PC(USA) be different in two years?

Joining Hearts & Hands will result in more people helping to spread the gospel with church partners around the world. It will also develop more congregations in the United States for worship and for people to be nurtured in their faith.

Don't you know this is not a good time?

There is never a wrong time to do the church's work. The Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts & Hands focuses our attention on work we can all affirm.

I thought the money I give through the offering every week covers the church's needs. Why do you need to ask for more?

Funds raised through Joining Hearts & Hands are over and above the PC(USA)’s annual budget. Presbyterians have been generous in supporting the church at every level. The need for international mission and new church development is greater than current budgeted resources can handle.

In recent years, support of General Assembly mission has shifted away from undesignated giving, a traditional source of funds for mission personnel and new church development. Joining Hearts & Hands responds to Presbyterians’ desire to designate their contributions to the church’s mission.

Why are we spending $4 million to $5 million on this campaign when we are cutting personnel and mission?

The total cost of Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts & Hands will be between $4 million and $5 million over five years. This is a reasonable amount to invest in efforts to raise roughly eight times that amount. It is also a direct response to mandates from General Assembly elected commissioners throughout the 1990s.

How will partnerships with middle governing bodies and congregations going to work?

The specifics of these relationships will be worked out by the Mission Initiative Steering Committee, which will include representatives from governing bodies. The relationship may be different in each presbytery and congregation because relationships will be tailored to meet the needs of each situation. We know in today's world that one size doesn't fit all.

Will this effect local church support?

Joining Hearts & Hands will concentrate, in its first phase, on major donors. But we think it will also benefit congregations in a positive way. Experience has shown that support usually increases in congregations that have a strong mission component.

Are you raising endowment funds or annual funds?

Money raised through the first phase of Joining Hearts & Hands will become part of the General Assembly's annual mission budget. The Steering Committee will determine the time frame for spending these funds. Subsequent phases of the campaign may focus on endowment funds. In the meantime, the GAC will continue to seek money through traditional means, such as Extra Commitment Opportunities, for permanent funds that also support international mission and church development.

Why don't you just have an annual special offering for these ministries and forget the expense of this campaign?

A major donor campaign is the best way to "jump start" fund raising for these two important activities. A new special offering, which would require General Assembly approval, would take time to promote and to be embraced by the whole church. Special offerings have proven to be an effective way to support many ongoing ministries of the denomination. At some point we may decide to recommend a special offering to support this work.

Wouldn't it be better to simply ask every member to give $15 to $30 and save the cost of the campaign?

We hope that every member of the PC(USA) will want to support the work of international mission and new church development. That, however, is a longer-term proposition that will require ongoing education of church members about both mission and stewardship. A targeted campaign will have a more immediate financial impact.

How much will it cost to raise the dollars?

We plan to budget in the General Assembly Council's budget approximately $1 million each year for a fund raising staff and other cost related to the Mission Initiative.

Why are we focusing on only 1,000 wealthy individuals? Do we not need the resources of the entire denomination to further the work of church growth and missionaries?

We welcome financial support from the broader church and will work with any presbytery or congregation that wants to work with us to broaden the appeal. Most successful fund raising campaigns start with gifts from major donors as a way of jump-starting the campaigns. This helps to build momentum and increase the chance of success when the campaign is opened to a wider audience. We expect this to be the case with Joining Hearts & Hands as well. The denomination currently supports international mission and church growth through other means of giving.

Will persons be asked to fund specific projects? Or will the money go into a pool that projects can apply to receive?

Because the Mission Initiative is a long-term campaign, how the money gets used will depend on where the need is greatest when the money becomes available. The General Assembly Council and the Mission Initiative Steering Committee will develop the means by which the money will be disseminated. People will know when they are asked to contribute the types of work their contributions will enable.

Can a person donate to one of the two areas of Joining Hearts & Hands?

International mission and domestic church growth are equally important to the future of the PC(USA). For that reason, we hope contributors will support both parts of the campaign. However, if someone insists, we will allow the person to designate which part of the campaign will receive his or her contribution.

Why focus on major gifts? Why not the whole church?

An every member campaign is very expensive to develop. A focused campaign is a more efficient use of administrative dollars. Support from major donors is phase one. In time we will have a plan in place for opening Joining Hearts & Hands to the wider church. In the meantime, nothing prevents others who wish to be a part of this initiative from getting involved.

Why aren't you involving all congregations right from the start?

Because we do not have a full-time fund raising infrastructure in place, we can't successfully engage more than 11,000 congregations at the present time. After the initial phase of the campaign is concluded, we plan to broaden our efforts to include the whole church in subsequent phases.

How do you build in specificity and accountability?

Donors must be able to see where and how their money is being used and the difference it makes in the lives of the people affected. We are exploring the best ways of sharing that information, not only with contributors but with the wider church.

We don't have trust in where the dollars go. How can we trust that the dollars will be used for their intended purpose? How can we work together to build trust?

Trust comes when we work together in support of God's kingdom and our common ministries. International mission and church growth are two areas that have always had strong support throughout the denomination. Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts & Hands responds to requests of recent General Assemblies for greater effort in these important areas. Future Assemblies will hold us accountable for doing what we say we will do.

Are we going to get feedback?

The General Assembly Council will report annually to the General Assembly on the progress and accomplishments of Joining Hearts & Hands. Other means of communication and accountability will be used as well, including news and feature stories through a variety of media, and information on the denomination's Web site.

If these causes are so important, how about either giving them enough money from the budget, or creating a way to keep renewing the resources (like an offering or something)?

The General Assembly has given priority to these two important areas of work. The GAC has reallocated roughly a million dollars within its budget each year to cover the cost of Joining Hearts & Hands. Nevertheless, the work of the church is ongoing; needs always exceed resources. Stewardship demands that we be constantly challenged to do more in support of the church's mission. Also we recognize that the General Assembly Council cannot be all things to all people. Separate from the campaign, the GAC is engaged in a strategic visioning process designed to help us prioritize our work and it's funding.

Will this campaign be like the Bicentennial Campaign? How will it be different?

The Bicentennial Fund Campaign was a church-wide campaign with broad objectives. Joining Hearts & Hands, in its first phase, will concentrate on identified major donors and focus on two areas of ministry-international mission and church growth.

Who will oversee the Mission Initiative: Joining Hearts & Hands?

At the direction of the General Assembly Council, a Mission Initiative Steering Committee was appointed, and is currently comprised of twenty members.  The Rev. Joanna Adams, Atlanta, Ga., and the Rev. Dave Peterson, Houston, Tx., co-chair the Steering Committee. Two outstanding elders, Lucimarian Roberts of Biloxi, Mississippi, and Bill Saul, of Long Beach, California, previously co-chaired the Steering Committee through April 2006.

What about staff support?

The Joining Hearts & Hands staff consists of the interim director for funds development, campaign director, staff leadership team, associate for communications, and senior administrative assistant. The Staff is part of the Communications and Funds Development Office, which is a program area of the GAC under the direction of Karen Schmidt, deputy executive director for communications and funds development.