Our goal is to raise $250,000 from outside support for the first year 1 of our church plant. For each of the successive 5-years we are looking to have outside funding scale down by $50,000 each year. This provides time for the new church to grow and mature into its own self-sustaining community.

The funds raised will primarily be used to provide enough funds for 2-3 pastors/staff, facilities to rent, costs to run ministries both within the church and to serve the community around us. The largest of these expenses will be our human resource cost. We are aiming to have 2-3 pastors/staff because we have found in our church planting experience at the Terra Network that planting teams of core leaders at the onset is more successful at planting a new church and sustainable in the long-term.

Additionally, while we are looking for outside partners to support our work for the first 5-years, we also plan to give back from our beginning. As a member of the Terra Network, we will contribute 10% of our general giving towards other church planting efforts and our goal is to use an additional 10% of our general giving to bless and serve the communities we live in.

Yes, when you give to Terra Nova in our checkout process, you can designate your gift to the Terra Berkshire church planting fund. At this point, donations to the Terra Berkshire fund will be used to gear up for the full public launch and build reserves.

As we get closer to a launch date we may have more specific needs that will require funding and we will be sure to share those as they arise. Once the church is launched and running, you can designate a gift for a specific ministry or use at any time in accordance with IRS 501(c)3 regulations.

As we receive funding prior to our public launch, or before we begin incurring the full costs of running the church, donations will be used to cover preliminary church planting costs and build reserves. Even in these early days, there are costs such as fundraising costs, printing, web building, assessment training and travel.

For 2016, the Terra Nova Network has committed to pay the salary of Pastor Paul and in 2017 personnel costs will shift to Terra Nova Berkshires.

Yes, Terra Nova Church holds its own IRS 501(C)3 approval letter.

The finances of Terra Berkshires are managed by our Financial Administrator, Odette Klass, who also serves the Terra Nova Network in a similar capacity.

The elders of the Terra Nova Network & our Advisory & Accountability Council currently oversee the finances of Terra Nova Berkshires until we can identify and raise up local elders to oversee this piece of the new church.

The elders of Terra Nova receive quarterly financial reports and Terra Nova produces annual reports for the church. We will be updating the fundraising status of Terra Berkshires here on our website through the interactive graphic above.

If you have any questions please email Odette and she can assist you.

In 2016, while we prepare to plant a church in the Berkshires, the Terra Nova Network will be providing a salary and compensation to Pastor Paul, the Lead Church Pastor. The salary was approved and set aside by the elders of the Network at the onset of 2016. This investment, or seed money towards the Berkshires, is allowing Pastor Paul to focus on building community and planting the church.

Beginning in January 2017, the Network will provide $24,000 per year, for three years, to Terra Nova Berkshires to help invest into its future. This funding is included in our fundraising totals shown above.

In return, as a member church of the Network, Terra Nova Berkshires will contribute 10% of general giving back to the Network as we will be participating with the other Terra Nova churches in our vision and strategy for planting churches. Terra Nova Berkshires will start giving 10% back to the Network immediately when we launch and we will continue to give 10% per year as we grow and mature.