Melvin McCullough, pastor of Bethany, Oklahoma First Church of the Nazarene, was elected president of the newly created Nazarene Foundation in February. Here, he shares his take on this new ministry and his role in the process.

Q. Describe the purpose of the Church of the Nazarene Foundation.

A. The Church of the Nazarene Foundation is a new legal entity designed to connect people with the broad ministries of the church. This will enable them to use the material blessings that God has given to them to make a difference in the world. Thus, the foundation is the gift-planning arm of the denomination. The Foundation serves all areas of the Church of the Nazarene within the U.S."individuals, churches, districts, regional educational institutions, and all General Board related ministries.

Q. How does the Foundation connect with the mission of the church?

A. The Foundation has been created to assist Nazarene entities in achieving their stated missions. It does not exist to raise money or to have an agenda of its own. It exists simply to assist the church entities with their gift planning needs.

Q. What is the relationship of the Foundation to the World Evangelism Fund (WEF)?

A. We have found within the church and in the U.S. in general that donors desire to become more involved as partners in ministry. Generally, we have two types of giving: unified, as best seen by the WEF, and directed, as seen with Ten Percent Mission Specials. The Foundation is not in competition with the traditional, unified giving of our denomination.

Q. Explain some of the Foundations strategies for attracting gifts.

A. The gift planning process starts with one very startling statistic. Of all the wealth in the U.S., only 9 percent is held in cash. The remaining 91 percent is held in various types of assets such as stocks, bonds, and real estate. Yet 96 percent of all charitable giving is done from the 9 percent cash assets. Opening the door to direct some of the 91 percent of non-cash assets towards ministry is part of the gift planning process. This provides great potential for the ministries of the Church of the Nazarene.

Q. What do you consider your role to be as founding president, after 40 years in the ministry?

A. Hopefully, I bring to this assignment a perspective from the grassroots of the church. After these years of ministry, mostly in a pastorate role, I know the heartbeat of the people in terms of ministry opportunities and the desire to have a hands-on involvement in seeing their gifts used to change lives—to care for the sick, the hungry, and the poor of our needy world. My role is that of casting and matching the vision with the mission of the Foundation's potential partners.

Additional information about the Church of the Nazarene Foundation is available on-line at www.nazarenefoundation.org.

Holiness Today, July/August 2004

Please note: This article was originally published in 2004. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.