G.S. Growth Award

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General Superintendent's Growth Award

The purpose of the General Superintendent's Growth Award is to give prominence to those practices that are central to the local and worldwide advancement of the church; specifically, new Nazarenes, significant involvement in sponsoring a new church, and payment of all budgets.

The three criteria for the award, then, are the following:

1. New Nazarenes (see table below)
2. New Church Sponsorship (see explanation below)
3. Payment of all assigned apportionments in full this year (World Evangelism Fund, Pensions and Benefits Fund, Olivet Fund, and District Ministries Fund).

New Nazarenes
 

New Church Sponsorship

Church sponsorship is understood to be a local church taking the initiative in starting and at least partially supporting the formation of a congregation that has the goal of becoming a fully organized church. Also, a church may be granted sponsorship status by positively responding to the district's appeal for support. Sponsorship status will be conferred on churches meeting at least one of the following sets of criteria, and may be recorded on the Pastor's Report Form and on the Church Directory Sheet for the district journal.

1) Core group sponsorship
A number of lay people equal to at least 10% of the previous year's average worship attendance is "given" to the new church. (The minimum requirement would be 6 adults; the maximum requirement would be 100.) This confers sponsorship status for the assembly year in which the people are transferred to the new work and the following assembly year, and may be recorded on the Pastor's report form and on the Church Directory Sheet for the district journal.

2) Financial sponsorship
Actual cash is provided, either directly to the new congregation or as payment of the new group's obligations (including new church leadership), equal to 2% of the previous year's Raised for All Purposes. This confers sponsorship status for each year that these criteria are met, and may be recorded on the Pastor's Report form and on the Church Directory Sheet for the district journal.

3) Gifts in Kind sponsorship
Documentable support is provided to the new congregation equal to 3% of the previous year's Raised for All Purposes. This support may be the contribution and/or use of church equipment (chairs, vans, buses, hymnals) or church facilities (often done in multi-congregational settings) or any other means that provides tangible help to the new group or to the pastoral family (food pounding, clothing, etc.) This confers sponsorship status for each year that these criteria are met, and may be recorded on the Pastor's Report form and on the Church Directory Sheet for the district journal.

Pastor, if your church will meet all three criteria for the next assembly, please notify the District Secretary as quickly as possible. The District Secretary must order the awards three weeks prior to the district assembly.

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Last updated: July 25,  2007