Recently, the Brethren in Christ Foundation sent surveys to all of the BIC U.S. congregations. We were blessed to receive a significant number of responses and have compiled an interesting set of results, some of which we wanted to share with you. We received 198 individual responses from representatives of 135 churches. You will find a summary of select results below:
There appears to be a significant need for new buildings and/or major building renovations. We expect this is due at least in part to pent-up demand now that we are on the other side of the pandemic. Congregations are moving forward with plans that had been on hold. In the past few months, we have received a significant number of new loan applications.
The two charts above indicate that technology upgrades and large maintenance expenses are likely to be significant needs of many of our congregations in the coming years. Although the cost of these types of projects can certainly strain a congregation’s finances, we encourage congregations to address their infrastructure needs before they cause larger issues.
While the Foundation has a total of almost 90 loans outstanding throughout our denomination, and total funds loaned are more than $38.6 million, we continue to have funds available to assist with all your congregation’s projects.
To learn more about the services we offer, visit bicfoundation.org or email John Burns at jburns@bicfoundation.org.