RMCC Is Debt Free!
RMCC Is Debt Free!
I’m finally free to share the news, RMCC is debt free!
Matt Cote looked like he had just swallowed a banana sideways. One month ago, when we met for lunch, he wanted me to be among the very first to hear anonymous donors had just paid off the entire building debt of the church.
All 13.5 million dollars of our building debt has now been paid in full! This is certainly one of the largest gifts ever given to a local church. But then, radical generosity has always marked this ministry. In fact, when decades ago we celebrated a cash offering of over one million dollars, it made national news. The NY Times even reported it as the largest one-day offering ever known at the time.
With this latest illustration of extreme generosity, I was not only speechless but so deeply moved I lost my appetite. Matt knew that this heavy debt weighed especially heavy on my heart for many years. Truthfully, I had at points wondered whether I had over inspired the church. As you may recall, in the midst of a multimillion-dollar legal battle with Boulder County, we also dared to launch a 20-million-dollar expansion campus in Weld County.
In the dark of the night, I wondered how we could have missed the memo that the economy was about to crash in September of 2008. The ministry was in jeopardy. We were forced to lay off 40% of our staff in 2009. Then in 2010 we needed to lay off another 25%. My faith was tested, and my confidence was shaken.
I’ll never forget the moment when one key leader came to me privately with sobering news. He said, “I would be remiss in my fiduciary responsibility if I didn’t tell you that within six months the church could be defunct.”
Gulp!
Well, by God’s grace, we survived. We never missed a single loan payment, and the ministry endured.
Endurance is way underrated. We all love the stories of victory; we just forget that they rarely happen without also going through some awful times of misery. Now, only those closest can truly understand the “Awe-Full” time of celebration.
During the deep valley times God brought many to hold up my arms. I remember receiving a message from someone I didn’t know saying: “Tell Alan he should trust God and have the faith he is telling us to have.” How did she know?
Well, that was then, and this is now. Forty years after we launched the church in faith, we are finally free of building debt. But guess what? This isn’t the first time.
Linda just pointed out, “We were free of building debt when we began, so now we’re beginning again.” She’s right . . . again. Many times, she quietly reminded me that we just had to endure. Now, she has reminded me to anticipate what is yet to come.
I keep quoting the wisdom of one of our elders who said, “God must have greater plans for us than we can now envision.” John is now in heaven, but his wise words continue to reverberate in my heart. Whenever amazing resources arrive, we must always give God the praise and then ask, “Why?”
In the early days of our ministry, we repeatedly challenged the church to generosity. During one of those campaigns, a well-resourced man met with me. He said he would participate if I agreed to only move forward debt-free.
I couldn’t do that. I said, “The purpose of our ministry has never been to be debt free. Our purpose is to bring people to Christ . . . build them up in the faith . . . and send them out to make a difference in their world.”
It’s still the same. I can hardly wait to see what God will do as the leaders of this generation, and the generations to come, continue to trust and to endure through the unknown.
We all live in uncertain times. We live between the now and the not yet; therefore, everyone spends time in God’s waiting room. Everyone is tested. That’s why everyone needs heartfelt encouragement during especially difficult and daunting times. We take turns being strong.
I don’t know where I would have been without the elders and others who helped carry the weight of leadership challenges with me. If you have any kind of leadership role, I’m sure you understand.
Feeling alone is a very dangerous place to be. Isolation is the devil’s playground. We all need to be alert to the allies God has surrounded us with.
I am exceedingly grateful for the allies God gifted me with in the past, as I’m now exceedingly grateful for those of the present. The elders and staff of RMCC are a great encouragement to me and to many as they continue to lean into the future with great confidence that some of our best days are yet to come.
In 2008 the elders all affirmed this plea from Psalm 90:17. “May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands.”
By God’s grace His provision continues to be our reality. This is not the time to shrink back or stay stuck in our giving. Instead, may we all step up.
May we all be inspired by the generosity of those who desire that the church will thrive into the future. May we all keep on moving forward with faith and not with fear, believing that by God’s grace the best is yet to be!
Grace and Peace,
Alan
