The previous long-term financial plan was adopted by the Assembly of Representatives in 2019, and has governed the BCC Federation’s finances ever since. At the Assembly of Representatives meeting on December 2, 2023 , new long-term plans were adopted for 2024 to 2027. We’ll come back to that.
BCC’s finances have not always been substantial.
Historical figures show how the efforts of members, year after year, have contributed to strengthening the equity of the BCC Federation’s central organizations.
A place to gather
The motivation for building financial muscle has been to ensure that we will continue to be able to implement the Great Commission in the future, as set out in the BCC Federation’s Constitution.
An important part of this has been to have a place to gather around the Christian message, as a center for our missionary efforts. A place where children and young people from many countries and all continents can flourish, and where the church can hold sanctification conferences and fulfill the purpose of preaching the gospel.
Most of the equity in central operations is managed in BCC Fund STI, a foundation in the BCC Federation. At the end of 2023, well over NOK 500 million of this had been borrowed for investments in Oslofjord Convention Center.
Strong and independent finances
Organizing BCC as an international federation with business plans and clear goals for each organization will equip the church not only to fulfill its Christian objectives, but also to ensure financial and organizational sustainability.
The long-term financial plans as a whole show how BCC’s finances will be strong and independent. A key part of this is that new plans take into account that Oslofjord Convention Center, where BCC holds all its international conferences, should be able to have sustainable finances through the income they receive from BCC’s organizations and Samvirk, regardless of the venue’s other commercial income.
Tore Aslaksen is responsible for finances and strategy in the Secretariat. He expresses that unity in life and learning provides the necessary implementation capacity and is the key to success:
– We constantly find that the unity in the church provides an enormous capacity to achieve.
He also points out that being financially independent of others is important for BCC as a federation to ensure future operations in unpredictable periods.
– In total, the BCC Federation has minimal debt to third parties. By building capital in BCC Fund and planning for good liquidity, we have laid the foundation for independent, sustainable operations, says Aslaksen.
There is a direct correlation between the availability of resources and the ability to achieve the objectives. One of the BCC Federation’s strategic goals is therefore to have a strong and sustainable supply of resources. The resources in question include funds and volunteering.
The donation model
In recent years, the BCC Federation has introduced a donation model that is based on a percentage of the income of all BCC members. It is the Council that has collectively adopted this, and each local church has followed up with its own resolutions and budgeted the percentage amount at its annual meetings. The percentage amount shall never exceed 10%.
Accommodation at conferences
In order to be able to hold international conferences over several days, there is also a need for accommodation, and a significant part of the investment in Oslofjord has been linked to accommodation facilities.
Compared to the previous standard of sleeping in tents and caravans, the upgrade to hotel accommodation has given BCC the opportunity to organize international conferences all year round, even in winter. Since the same hotel room can be used by different people, BCC can have unlimited participants at its conferences by organizing recurring conferences.
– We have a long history at this place, says Peter Tischhauser, referring to the days of tents and caravans.
– Now that Oslofjord has built a fantastic hotel village, we are developing our conference model into the accommodation concept the venue is built for and which provides the very best experience. BCC Event has therefore decided that everyone who physically participates in the conferences must have accommodation on site.
The accommodation requirement is included in BCC Event’s business plan, which is supported by the Assembly of Representatives.
This is where Samvirk comes in.
Samvirk
The cooperative is not part of the BCC church itself, but ensures that members have accommodation at the conferences. Samvirk buys 100% of the hotel capacity during the conferences from Oslofjord, the commercial operator that manages the property. Samvirk resells this accommodation to its members, who are fellow believers with a tradition of attending the conferences. Most of them sign a 20-year hotel agreement that is largely paid in advance.
This is nothing new.
Ever since the 1990s, families have bought usage rights for cabins and apartments.
The more people who join, the lower the cost
What has now been clarified in the plan is that everyone who is a regular user of Brunstad during the conferences will bear their share of the costs through a hotel agreement with Samvirk. 80% of those who currently attend the annual conferences already have such agreements.
– The math is quite simple. The more people who pay, the lower the cost per participant, says Tore Aslaksen.
BCC also has a special missions program for participants who come from countries with low purchasing power, so that they receive financial support to buy accommodation during the conferences.
We are working on a solution for how financially disadvantaged people in Western countries can apply for support. Local church members who do not wish to attend the conferences physically can follow them online.
Samvirk UNG
Samvirk has a separate program for young people called Samvirk UNG, by which they can start paying into an agreement from the age of 18.
– When the youth participate in Samvirk UNG, and the adults participate in the donation model and have an agreement with Samvirk, and we all do our share of the volunteer work, this will be very successful, says Tore Aslaksen.
In summary, BCC has great visions for what we will achieve in the years to come. The organizational, physical, and digital frameworks around our core business are taking shape. For that to be possible, it is crucial to have robust finances. That is why all BCC members are doing their part, and we see that this provides great leverage for fulfilling the objectives.
Facts
- Long-term financial plans apply for 2024–2027
- The plans are revised no later than the penultimate year of the period covered by the plan
- The Assembly of Representatives receives quarterly reports where the businesses report accounts against budget and actual activities against plans
- The Assembly of Representatives has decided that all the churches should be united behind the assumptions and risks in the long-term financial plans
The purpose of the BCC Federation
- Promote the Christian faith among all people, as expressed in our basis of faith, and teach them to keep all of Jesus’ commandments
- Further the framework conditions for Christianity and its standing in society
- Provide children and young people with a positive and healthy Christian environment, and create good framework conditions for children and young people’s personal, spiritual, and social development
