Beginnings

In early 1987 an intercessor was praying about the plight of families with mortgages and she received a series of instructions from God. God told her that:

And so she did, and left her pastor Bruce McDonald very puzzled. But Bruce respected the nurse highly as a fearless worker among under-privileged youth. Indeed he was praying about the plight of mortgaged families in the church, who had seen their interest rate doubled to 18% or more in a matter of months. How could these people freely give to God as they desired? Bruce was convinced that debt and interest were not in accordance with God's Word. [Read Bruce's story]

Pastor Bruce shared the instructions with the elders of his church, Whakatane Christian Fellowship (now named Liberty Church). At their suggestion a survey was conducted of mortgages within the church. They found that the average mortgage was $35,500 and together the church members owed $2 million in home mortgages. However they would pay a further $7 million in mortgage interest over the remaining life of their mortgages! Bruce was astounded. "Imagine if those mortgages could be replaced by a system of interest-free loans" he reasoned, "That's $7 million that could be given to serve God's Kingdom, but was being taken by banks to prop up the world's system!".

But how could they "pool resources" when money was so tight?

They decided to assume that each family would contribute $20 per week into a fund. As soon as there was enough money they would conduct a ballot and re-finance the first with an interest-free mortgage. That family would then re-pay their mortgage interest-free to the fund while continuing their contributions [no longer required], until their loan was re-paid. The repayments would increase the cash flow into the fund enabling the next loan to be balloted sooner.

Working through the figures they found that the last contributor would receive their interest-free mortgage in twelve years [See model]* and millions of dollars in interest would be saved. Best of all, the contributions would remain in the fund as foundation capital, enabling countless others following in their footsteps to receive their interest-free loan sooner. Could this be God's plan to release Christians from the bondage of mortgages and interest, in order to release them to give in financial freedom? Could this be the answer to such conditional Bible promises as Malachi 3 verse 10, resulting in a great outpouring of financial blessing on God's Kingdom in the last days?

And so began a year of research into the biblical, financial, and legal aspects of establishing such a fund. Finally in July 1989 Liberty Trust opened with 120 applicants and five trustees. The rest is history.

Our original research has proved correct. Within twelve years each of the contributing pioneers were offered their interest-free mortgages. We have continued to grow and by 2024 $90 million had been lent interest-free and $29 million was in interest-free circulation.  The original vision and the truth of those simple instructions have become a reality as God has continued to bring greater clarity and purpose to His Word, and new meaning and fulfilment to Bible principles [See Bible Study on Finance].

Christians should "pool their resources".

This is not an invitation to communism but a simple instruction founded on the Old Testament system of community storehouses. This will bring a glorious release of finance and the promised blessing to His Church - His Kingdom in the last days. The vision is immense and faith challenging. Is the Church ready?

* To analyse a Excel spreadsheet of the possible growth of Liberty Trust Download Model