Forward Resources

First and foremost, we are asking that you pray and seek God’s guidance on what He is asking of you. Prepare your heart to hear Him, and then listen to what He says. Join a small group. Talk with a trusted friend or, if you’re married and have children, talk together about what this commitment will mean for this next season. We are asking that you make a sacrificial commitment so we can move Forward together in Faith through our generosity.

Becoming a “One Fund” church many years ago, we made the conscious decision to no longer ask for two gifts in the form of “regular giving” and additional gifts toward capital campaigns. Instead, we simply ask that everyone bring their best gifts. Having said that, there are a few instances where a designated fund is most appropriate, which includes Cherish. Therefore, those that regularly support the incredible work that God is doing through Cherish Watoto Kenya should consider those gifts as separate from the Forward Initiative.

Generosity initiatives serve several important purposes:

They provide a high-profile focal point for stewardship education, reflection and commitment. This is valuable to all of us but especially important for the many hundreds of people who have come into the life of Good Shepherd since 2022. FORWARD will help many households move closer to Christ and His Kingdom’s purposes.

They help us raise monies over-and-above our annual budget to address special needs and opportunities. Our annual budget covers the cost of the routine operations of our church and its ministries of worship, growth and service. Our “normal” budget, however, doesn’t cover the major renovations or special projects that make for a truly thriving church.

In the course of a single year, we have welcomed a new senior pastor, a new associate pastor, multiple staff members, we have grown by 35%, and we have navigated the waters of leaving a denomination for another. We pray that this Generosity initiative has two outcomes: the first is a unified direction for a church that has been pulled in multiple directions and second, an increased capacity of hospitality and buy-in from those who call Good Shepherd their home church. This initiative will help bring us all together for the sole purpose of moving forward in faith to see the Kingdom come at 1310 as it is in heaven.  

Just like our regular giving, we are asking people to generously respond to the full FORWARD vision over the next two years through our FORWARD fund. Our leadership has been entrusted with the responsibility of prioritizing spending on the new initiatives and management of the funds and will do so with great care and stewardship of the resources that are given. Please reach out to Tom Anderson, Operations Executive Director, at tanderson@goodshepherd-naperville.org if you have additional questions or would like to discuss this further.

Be prayerful and creative as you explore ways you can give to the initiative. You might have stock, property, or other items of value. You may have stored resources that God has blessed you with in the past that He is calling you to give out of during this time. Please contact April Fecht at fecht@goodshepherd-naperville.org, or visit the Give page on our website to give or learn more about non-cash gifts.

We believe that God is calling us to move forward together in faith, and that this initiative will be a key season in the rich history of the life of this church. As a result, we have no plans to scale back the vision, and through intentional seasons of prayer and discernment we believe that the $9 million dollar goal reflects our current generosity and where God is calling us to. It also has become obvious to us that we need to address how our Worship Center has become overcrowded. Therefore, we are prayerfully considering options to address this challenge, which could include taking out a loan to make necessary changes to help those currently not connected to our community feel like they can belong on a Sunday morning and throughout the week.

We want everyone at Good Shepherd to engage on a transformative spiritual journey through FORWARD by praying, studying Scripture, participating in life groups and engaging others in the journey. Consider sharing your story with others. Join or lead a group. Serve faithfully or for the first time. Take the next step in your journey of discipleship and see what God does.