UA-99832515-1 Ministry Policies – Artists in Christian Testimony International
 

Mobilizing & Equipping Artistic & Innovative Ministries & Missionaries for Christ Worldwide

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Ministry Policies

A.C.T. Intl Policies

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Donated Funds

  1. A.C.T. Intl will be the only USA non-profit organization through which I will receive any and all my USA-donated funds. I understand that A.C.T. Intl expects that all funds donated to or generated by my A.C.T. Intl ministry efforts and programs to be turned in and processed through the A.C.T. Intl Home Office.  I understand clearly that this policy most specifically has to do with keeping clear lines of legal and financial accountability for the sake of the integrity of myself (as a ministry staff); and for the sake of clear communication to donors.  Specifically that means being clear about which one specific organization stands responsible for my ministry’s financial, legal, and spiritual oversight. That specific organization is A.C.T. Intl.
  2. Any and all revenue generated from product created or purchased with donated funds must be run through your ministry department of A.C.T. Intl.
  3. Other forms of revenue may be designated as revenue for your ministry department of A.C.T. Intl as long as that revenue stream is clear and consistent.  For instance, you may teach private music lessons and choose to designate that revenue as a part of your ministry department as long as you run all of that revenue through A.C.T. Intl or you may choose to keep that  revenue as private taxable income as long as it is a substantially different activity than your primary ministry expression.
  4. All missionary & ministry staff & projects agree to have 11% of all funds raised for their ministry efforts go into the A.C.T. Intl Home Office general fund to help cover costs of the general Home Office administration of the A.C.T. Intl ministry.  The 11% administrative contribution will be on the first $120,000 that comes in for any particular associated missionary, minister, ministry or project —after which—in that calendar year—the administrative contribution will drop to 7% for the remainder of that calendar year.
  5. The Kingdom value of all of our Departments is not dependent upon the amount of revenue generated; however, a non-profit structure and Home Office is not required if contributions are not being received to support the efforts of the Department. The Policy is stated in terms of the required Administrative Assessment because it is the most objective, consistent means of evaluating the need for non-profit status and a Home Office and setting the standards for receiving these benefits.
    • Every A.C.T. Intl Department is required to contribute a minimum of $25 per month to the Home Office Administrative General Fund for a total of $300 per year as part of your regular 11% assessment, not above and beyond it.
    • Any Department generating $250 per month or $3000 per year of revenue (donor support and/or other forms of revenue) for the Department meets the minimum Administrative Assessment requirement
    • If a Department has more than one Fund in their Department, it is a minimum of  $25/$3000 for their Department, not each Fund in the Department.
    • If a Department is not generating at least $3000 in a year, that Department can be classified as an Ongoing Ministry Project.
    • Ministry Project staff are authorized to continue generating revenue for his/her Project Fund.  All services related to donor care and communication will continue throughout the year.
    • Up to six Administrative months per year can be declared for the Ongoing Project, at which time(s) disbursement of Project Funds will be processed.  Project Staff can (and are encouraged to) submit disbursement requests and proper paperwork throughout the year, but disbursements will only be processed during Administrative months.
    • The Administrative Assessment Policy only applies during these Administrative Months, plus an additional $50 to support the ongoing administrative services provided for the Project.
    • Compensation paid to Project Staff is considered contract labor and will reported as 1099 income.
  6. The 11% administrative contribution covers Home Office administrative expenses pertaining to all of our Ministry Departments.  Expenses that vary from Department to Department, like “employer’s portion” of Social Security taxes or any other government required taxes related to the ministry worker’s compensation are not covered by the administrative assessment. Each department employee is required to pay both  the Employer and Employee portion of  the FICA (Social Security) Tax from their ministry fund, currently 7.65% each, for a total of 15.3% on taxable compensation.
  7. Any missionary & ministry staff & projects involved with ministry outside the US and Canada, will contribute an additional 0.5% (i.e. one-half of one percent) directed into the missionary emergency fund to be used by the A.C.T. Intl Home Office to take proper action in the event their being taken hostage, being arrested, or their death on the field.
  8. Funds that are contributed to a specific minister, missionary, or project are considered Designated Contributions
  9. All donated funds will be distributed in line with the donor’s designation; or, if a donation is made for a non-approved ministry project or person, the donation will be returned.
  10. First Residuals Policy: Contributions received by A.C.T. Intl that are not specifically designated for a particular missionary, ministry, or project will be designated to the fund of the minister or missionary who first contacted that donor.
  11. Concerning the funding of overseas projects:  A.C.T. Intl commits to steward its involvement in only those overseas projects where accountability from those international leaders, partners, associates and/or branches has been established with A.C.T. Intl

Affiliation Recognition

  1. Identity and branding are important for the growth and integrity of any organization, plus it brings a validation to your own ministry department, therefore, we ask that you abide by the following guidelines as you communicate your affiliation with Artists in Christian Testimony Intl.
  2. Upon acceptance with A.C.T. Intl, your ministry efforts become a Ministry Department or Ministry Project of A.C.T. Intl. You are therefore a Staff Minister or Missionary of A.C.T. Intl.
  3. You agree to state your affiliation with Artists in Christian Testimony Intl on all ministry materials, brochures, and publications, etc., that you produce and at all ministry events in which you participate.
  4. It is important that you include the full name, Artists in Christian Testimony Intl at least once on any given form of communication, because A.C.T. alone does not inform anyone of who you are if they do not know what the acronym stands for.
  5. Also, when speaking or writing our acronym, do not say or write “ACT,” instead say each letter and include a period after each letter when writing it – A.C.T. Intl.
  6. A few examples of how to communicate your affiliation:
    • A Ministry of Artists in Christian Testimony Intl
    • A Department of Artists in Christian Testimony Intl
    • A Minister (or Missionary) of Artists in Christian Testimony Intl

Properties Purchased

  1. Any property I purchased with ministry funds is irrevocably dedicated to religious purposes, and no part of the net revenue or assets of ministry funds donated to my ministry efforts shall ever inure to the benefit of a director, officer, or associate of this ministry corporation, or to the benefit of any private individual;
  2. Upon the winding up and dissolution of my affiliation with this ministry corporation, after paying or adequately providing for the debts and obligations of my ministry’s activities and projects out of my ministry fund(s), the remaining assets shall be distributed, as I and my Ministry Accountability Team recommend to the A.C.T. Intl Board;
    • to a nonprofit fund, foundation, or corporation organized and operated exclusively for charitable and/or religious purposes and that has established its tax-exempt status under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3)
    • to yourself or another individual resulting in the value of the those assets being considered and reported as taxable compensation or income to you or that person

Ownership of Creative (Intellectual) Properties

Concerning any creative (intellectual) product I develop with donated funds given to the A.C.T. Intl ministry department(s) I oversee while in association with A.C.T. Intl:

  1. I will own the copyright of that creative (intellectual) property, but have the option to lease the ownership of that property to A.C.T. Intl [specifically to the A.C.T. Intl department(s) I oversee] for $1.00 per year as long as I am in association with A.C.T. Intl
  2. All revenue derived from creative (intellectual) property “products” I develop with my department funds will go through the A.C.T. Intl ministry department(s) I oversee, as long as I am in association with A.C.T. Intl
  3. If & when I leave association with A.C.T. Intl, A.C.T. Intl will disburse the assets of the A.C.T. Intl ministry department(s) and product(s) I oversee in line with it’s regular policies and procedures
  4. A.C.T. Intl will terminate and release back to & return to me the copyright ownership of any creative materials I produced while on staff with A.C.T. Intl, and where there is clear value to those properties, A.C.T. Intl will issue at the years end to me and to the US Government a proper 1099 declaration of that value as “in kind” compensation given me by A.C.T. Intl

Liability Insurance

I am required to carry sufficient liability insurance and accident insurance to cover all staff and volunteers leading the project, those participating in the project, and whatever may be required by any facilities being used or any organization with which I am partnering.

Ministry Department Funding

  1. The A.C.T. Intl minister, ministry or missionary is hired under the agreement that they will open and oversee a “ministry department” for A.C.T. Intl, and will raise all the costs required to operate that ministry department.
  2. The specific needs of individual A.C.T. Intl  missionaries and ministries may be divided generally into four categories:
    • Basic compensation:  salary (and housing allowance, if the staff is an ordained, licensed, or commissioned minister of the Christian Gospel).  This is what would cover a household’s food, housing, utilities, personal transportation, income taxes and such.  What most call ‘take-home’ pay.
    • Benefits:  funds that will adequately cover the staff’s household health insurance, disability insurance, life insurance, & retirement costs.  Full-time Staff Ministers and Missionaries are required to obtain or have a specific plan to make provision for all of these essential benefits.
    • Ministry expenses:  all expenses associated with the operation of your particular ministry department, such as travel to and within the country or ministry assignment area where the missionary is working, costs of communicating with financial and prayer partners, the “employer portion” of Social Security tax, expenses for employing administrative workers to help in ministry work, training, work, supplies, equipment and study/research resources required in the ministry.
    • Supplemental living expenses include things like extra housing costs or extra transportation costs, unusual medical expenses and/or educational expenses for children (e.g. boarding school for those living outside the USA).
  3. Staff and projects that do not receive adequate monthly contributions (equaling their projected compensation and ministry spending plans) can only receive those funds available in their ministry fund.

Resignation or Removal from the A.C.T. Intl Ministry & Missionary organization

  1. Any Ministry or Missionary staff person may resign effective on giving notice written to the ministry President, or the Staff Development Director, or any other Home Office representative, unless the notice specifies a later time for the effectiveness of such a resignation.
  2. Removal for Cause.  The President/CEO of the Ministry shall declare vacant the office of a Director on the occurrence of any of the following events:
    • A finding by the President, in conjunction with a Senior Staff care team of at least two other senior staff, that  the Director is guilty of moral turpitude as defined by the Bible; or
    • The initiation of a judicial separation or divorce  proceeding by the staff person or their spouse; or
    • A finding by the President, in conjunction with a Senior Staff care team of at least two other senior staff, that  the Director has materially and substantially departed from the doctrinal position of the corporation as such as specifically defined by the Bylaws of the corporation; or
    • A finding by the President, in conjunction with a Senior Staff care team of at least two other senior staff, that the Staff person or team is permanently and substantially incapacitated from carrying out his/her/their duties due to either physical or mental impairment—confirmed in writing from two medical doctors.
  3. Removal Without Cause.  Any ministry or missionary staff—volunteer, bi-vocational, or full-time, may be removed without cause if such removal, by the ministry’s President/CEO, or the international Staff Development Director in conjunction and approval of the President/CEO.