ECCU Blog

Every day ECCU is privileged to play a small role in the life-changing work of hundreds of ministries. One of those we are humbled to serve is Compassion International, a ministry focused on freeing children from spiritual, emotional, and physical poverty.

Think about that: Compassion’s entire purpose for existence is to save lives. Compare that to the world of banking—offering financial products and services—and it’s tempting to feel like this job is, well…insignificant. Until you see the connection.

I recently read Mulu’s story on Compassion’s blog that reminded me of how something as mundane as banking can help change lives.

Mulu is a 25-year-old Ethiopian woman who overcame unthinkable tragedy:

While walking to visit her parents, Mulu was abducted by a man who forced her to marry him. For fear of loosing her life or shaming her family, she agreed to become his wife. While caring for her sick husband, Mulu became pregnant with her first baby…who died at just one week old. Her second baby, a girl, died at one month old. When she found out she was pregnant again, Mulu wanted to take her own life; she could not bear the thought of burying another baby.

That’s when she heard about Compassion.

(Read here how Compassion’s Child Survival Program changed Mulu’s life forever.)

This is what we get to be a part of at ECCU. Not just banking services, but investing in ministry. Providing ministries like Compassion with the banking resources they need to ensure child survival and medical interventions in Ethiopia, bring hope to people like Mulu. What a privilege…what a reason to show up at work every day.

The beauty of working in ministry is that it’s never just work, there is always a higher purpose. So, what motivates you in your ministry work? What is the connection between your daily tasks and investing in changed lives?

Whether pastors should know what their members give is a touchy subject. In a past post, Doug Roller of Grace Church of Orange, Brian Kluth, former senior pastor of First Evangelical Free Church of Colorado Springs, CO, and Joe Ward of Walnut Ridge Baptist Church in Mansfield, TX weighed in.

To recap, Roller believed that the contributions made by a member is between them and God. Kluth believes a pastor shouldn’t be completely in the dark about giving patterns and suggests that a more appropriate question is, “What should a pastor know about people’s giving?” And Ward suggests periodically evaluating giving practices and notifying senior leadership when appropriate.

Recently, in a Your Church blog by North Coast Church Senior Pastor Larry Osborne, A Pastor’s Thoughts on Knowing What People Give, Osborne took a pretty strong position in favor of knowing what people give. He says it’s better to know instead of making assumptions about a person’s giving.

What are your thoughts about Osborne’s views?

Much is being written about how pastors lead and why many need to lead differently. The bold title of a recent blog by Ed Stetzer underscores the seriousness of this issue: “How Christian Consumers Ruin Pastors and Cheat the Mission of God.”

Stetzer lays much responsibility in the leader’s lap: “The pastor who insists on being the focus of local ministry trains the body of Christ to sin…God cannot receive glory in the church when pastors are always up front receiving the credit and doing the things that their consumerist congregants should be doing.”

A 2009 Leadership Journal article with a less incendiary title—“Open Source Activists”— offers a relevant alternative to the top-down leadership style. Of that model, Pastor J.R. Kerr writes: “This kind of organizational environment expects leaders to know and control virtually everything in the life of the community.”

His alternative? “My generation is hungry for something more than the 15 principles for building a better team…They are a generation that isn’t content receiving a vision; they want to be part of shaping and creating the vision. My generation believes in open source influence.”

Here’s a question: How might this different kind of leadership look for those who manage a ministry’s finances? What do you think?

Several months back, the California Credit Union League partnered with the Nevada Credit Union League to produce a series of commercials titled Credit Unions Work. The ad campaign highlighted the benefits of banking with credit unions instead of banks. Some of the benefits they articulated include:

Credit Unions = Nonprofit. Banks = For Profit.

While banks can do a great job serving customers, their overarching goal is to generate a profit for their shareholders. As nonprofit organizations, credit unions seek only to benefit their own members, because…

Members own the credit union.

Members who deposit money with credit unions are considered shareholders, so it really is about making transactions easier, building strong relationships, reducing costs, and putting their funds back into the community rather than increasing profits.                                                                          

ECCU is unique.

Here at ECCU, improving the member experience isn’t enough. It can’t be, because ECCU members are part of an exclusive group—Evangelical Christian ministries. That means that ECCU exists to make ministries more effective at pursuing their missions, which in one way or another is about advancing the kingdom. The ultimate goal isn’t building earthly treasures; it’s increasing eternal value.

This means ECCU offers financial services and expertise so that ministries can concentrate on building God’s kingdom. To see some of the ways we come alongside our member ministries, visit our stories of effective ministry videos page.

Member comments:

“One of the greatest things I can say about ECCU—it is a ministry. And it’s a business place, but it’s a place that’s led by the Lord.”

Philip Mensalvas, Church Administrator, Calvary Chapel Westgrove

“I would say to any other ministry, that before they take the Lord’s money to some secular bank, they really should give serious consideration to working with Evangelical Christian Credit Union. I know I can’t find another financial institution that would do what ECCU’s doing for ICR, because I’ve tried.”

Eileen Turner Spragins, CFO, Institute for Creation Research

“ECCU—the biggest thing—is that they believed in the mission God was calling us to. They haven’t just been this bank over there. They’ve been right here. I wouldn’t call them a bank. They’re a ministry partner.”

Susan Kennedy, Stewardship Director, The Rock Church

“…a common heart to serve people in the name of Christ. On a financial basis, ECCU is an extension of our ministry.”

Matthew Storer, President, Vision Trust

Have you experienced ECCU’s desire to help ministries be more effective so that kingdom work can thrive? Leave us a comment and let us know!