Movement Story Booklet

STEPHEN PHELAN

LOVING God GOD, Loving LOVING People PEOPLE Loving

THE MOVEMENT STORY

“I am going to expose what Movement Mortgage is doing all over America.

Movement Mortgage is going to become a business model for thousands of other companies who are just waiting for somebody to show the way.”

- John Maxwell

A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE We recognize that we are one small voice in God’s great song of redemption. We want to harmonize with you and others to become a melody of change for the future. We welcome your voice alongside ours to make this song of hope more full and robust. Please contact us, and let’s join together to become a movement of change that fills the world with love for God and love for people.

CONTENTS

TABLE OF

SECTION 1

A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE BEGINS ..........................................3 Loving Teammates Loving Customers Loving Communities

SECTION 2

A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE IN BANKING ................................ 15 Our History Our Future

SECTION 3

A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE IN GIVING .................................... 19 Building Movement Communities Sustainability Scalability Focused Giving

SECTION 4

A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE IN CORPORATE CULTURES ...... 23

INTRODUCTION W

e’re excited to share the Movement Story with you because it’s about a great God who does great things through ordinary people.

Our story begins at Movement Mortgage back in 2007, when greed in the financial industry created a global recession. Banking institutions – the bedrock of the global economy – betrayed the trust society had in them. Rather than serving people, they preyed upon and marginalized the most vulnerable among us, fostering a culture of cynicism and distrust toward the financial services industry. Financial institutions failed to love their neighbors as they loved themselves. Things had to change. And we believed that followers of Jesus needed to lead this movement of change.

The Church, in the business community, needed to be, look and act differently. We could no longer accept the self-serving approach expected of the industry, that accumulated wealth for shareholders and owners at the expense of employees.

In the financial services industry, followers of Jesus needed to live out the redemptive purposes for which they were created by shifting the focus in lending from greed to love – love for God and love for people. In short, the Church needed to be this movement of change in the lending industry.

HOW TO START A MORTGAGE COMPANY

So it began with a small act – a seemingly simple Google search by cofounder Casey Crawford: “how to start a mortgage company.” This small act connected Casey to his partner, Movement co-founder Toby Harris. Toby was not only a veteran in the mortgage industry but a man committed to loving God and loving people in a new way. So, a small but mighty army of four began working towards a future they believed in. In twelve short years, Movement hit many milestones, including:

1.

The sixth-largest retail mortgage lender, funding approximately $30 billion in residential mortgages..

2.

A workplace of 4,000+ teammates.

3.

Investing over $260 million into the Movement Foundation that exists to bring light, life and hope to marginalized communities.

4.

A redemptive model of community transformation that consists of three Movement Schools, a Movement Center, 185 affordable housing units, a wellness center, and other projects.

5.

A partnership with John Maxwell to seek the transformation of multiple Latin American countries.

6.

Two or more vision trips a month with International Cooperative Ministries and other partners to help develop churches and hope centers throughout the world.

7.

A Christ-centered mentoring model for the workplace for nearly 700 team members and scores of other companies and churches.

8.

A Love Works program funded entirely by employees and has helped 1,750+ teammates in crisis with over $3.6 million.

9.

Social worker and Christ-centered counselors to serve our teammates in crisis.

4

SECTION 1

A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE BEGINS A

s Movement grew, we searched for other redemptive, Christ-centered businesses that had modeled how to love God and love people. We

wanted to see how others had developed systems that could scale across our growing organization and, sadly, there weren’t many models. The common refrain was, “Well, there is Chick-Fil-A.” Praise God for Chick-Fil-A, but we wanted to see a movement of change sweeping across every sphere of influence in the business community, which meant thousands upon thousands of new models were needed. So we began to build a new model for the mortgage industry. We anchored our model in one guiding principle:

LOVING GOD & LOVING PEOPLE. SIMPLE. BUILD IT ALL AROUND LOVE.

5

LOVING GOD, LOVING PEOPLE

We defined love as acting in the long

Meet Frank.

term best interest of others, so we

Like many long-

needed to think about how we

time employees

applied that in terms of our

of Movement

teammates, our customers and the

Mortgage,

communities we serve.

Frank Thomas, a Loan Officer

LOVING TEAMMATES

from California, always contributed to Love Works. He found it an easy

At Movement, we exist to love and

concept to get behind – the idea that

value people. It’s our mission. So we

we should lock arms with one another

plastered the words love and value

and provide a safety net when one of

on every wall and t-shirt and logo we

our own is going through something

could find. But we didn’t want to just

hard instantly resonated.

talk about it and put it on t-shirts— we wanted to activate love. We’re

Frank is a gregarious and charming

convinced love is a verb, so we began

man with an easy warmth that people

taking action to love our teammates in

are drawn to. As you peel back the

the following ways:

layers, you learn of his rise as a young black man from Baltimore who

Love Works

found a path in the reggae world,

During a crisis, we need to be loved

out to sunny California and into the

and supported in real, tangible ways.

mortgage business. Frank experienced

At Movement, we create that support

much success in his career, and never

with Love Works. Love Works provides

anticipated how drastically things

financial assistance, like a church

could change, but a divorce and the

benevolence fund, only in a company.

onset of epilepsy turned his life upside down. Faced with crippling medical

Initially, our founders seeded Love

bills and a future he hadn’t envisioned,

Works, but Movement teammates

Frank was grappling with how to move

became so passionate about

forward. His market leader and good

Love Works that it is now entirely

friend RJ reminded him that he’d been

funded through voluntary payroll

contributing to Love Works for years

deductions (70% of Movement

and that he should reach out and see if

employees contribute).

they can help.

A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE BEGINS

The same week Frank reached out

6

million.

for help from the Love Works team.

He went to discuss his rent with his

If you are interested in implementing a

landlord who told him, “You’re good.

Love Works program in your company,

Your rent is paid.” When Frank heard

we would love to help you. Thankfully,

those words, it hit him, “Love Works.

our friend Joel Manby helped us get

I felt valued, and I knew that people

started and provided the title (he

at Movement cared about me. I never

wrote the book, Love Works!), and we

thought I would need Love Works,

would be happy to help you in any way

and I certainly didn’t realize how big

we can to love your teammates.

.

of an impact it would make in my life.”

Such is the way of love – love works, love does.

What Movement did organically to love teammates like Frank when we were a small company now requires systems to love a larger company of over 4,500 teammates. As we have grown, we saw

INTERESTED IN IMPLEMENTING A LOVE WORKS PROGRAM?

the need to add a social worker and a Christian counselor on staff to help us

Contact us:

love our teammates. Why? Because

loveworks@movement.com

the aim of Love Works is to pour out love and grace, avoiding expressions of toxic charity. We know that helping can hurt at times, and we want to love in ways that help, not hurt.

Before we ever extended love to marginalized communities, we prioritized love for our teammates.

We will show up in times of crisis.

It will happen. In our 12 years of existence, we have had the privilege of loving 1,750 people with $3.6

7

LOVING GOD, LOVING PEOPLE

Mentoring

Meet Kelly

Love is acting in the long-term best

Rogers, a

interest of someone, and there is no

regional

interest longer than eternity. While

director from

we are committed to loving people in

Texas and

tangible and temporal ways (like Love

one of the

Works), we also want to love people

top sales leaders at Movement. She’s

in eternal ways. Movement Mentoring

also mother to 5 young adults, most

is a process for a small group of

of whom she raised solo amid really

men or women to receive God’s love

challenging circumstances. She’s a

(which is eternal) and build intentional

hard worker and leader who rarely cuts

friendships (which we all need).

herself ANY slack. In 2019, Kelly joined a Movement Mentoring Group with

The workplace is uniquely set up to

four other like-minded believers who

leverage the power of mentoring in

met each week via Zoom to deepen

small groups because many of the

their relationships with God and one

logistical and relational challenges

another.

that churches face are overcome in a work environment. Spending

Despite being flung to all corners of

forty-plus hours a week in a work

the country, these women built trust,

environment creates relational

community, and vulnerability with one

connectivity, shared experiences, and

another. In the midst of the mortgage

logistical connectedness that can be

boom of 2020, Kelly’s competitive

leveraged for eternal purposes to help

nature wouldn’t allow her to miss

people experience the love of God

any opportunity to capture as much

and build intentional friendships. The

business as she could. That resulted

reality is that all of us need intentional

in her working herself nearly to death.

friendships that are authentic and

Literally. In a company-wide Friday

vulnerable to sustain us in the work

morning meeting, Kelly shared how

we’re called to do.

bad things had gotten, “My body started shutting down. I wound up in the hospital, and if it weren’t for the ladies in my mentoring group, I wouldn’t have made it. They helped me

A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE BEGINS

put boundaries in my life and walked with me as we began to think through living priorities. These women even went so far as to fly in and surprise me for my birthday as a way of saying,

didn’t know Jesus.

When Steve was invited to join a mentoring group, he quipped, “I know nothing about the Bible. I mean, I see

“We love you, and we are with you.”

two testaments here. Which one is

One hundred fifty different employees

joined a group of others for a weekly

heard those words and said, “I need that.” They saw themselves in Kelly, and they yearned for intentional friends that would help them stay grounded and focused on what was important.

Jesus in?” Always a team player, Steve time to learn and grow. He began to realize he actually had met Jesus many times over the nine years he’s been here – in the form of relationships with believers who’ve been pointing the way. In fact, Jesus had been pursuing him. As Steve puts it, “through the

Now, let me introduce you to Steve Barker, who can highlight another important aspect of the mentoring process: creating a safe space to explore life’s big questions (like faith).

Few people embody the Golden Rule quite like Steve Barker. A loveable man with a quick wit and a startling memory, honed as an actor and standup comic, Steve makes a point to remember people’s names and stories and goes out of his way to serve others. He’s generous with his time and his money, and after decades in the mortgage business, he knows how to get things done. All that, but he

8

mentoring process, I found Jesus. Or maybe I should say, “He found me.”

This is what Movement Mentoring does for people – no matter where they find themselves in their spiritual journey, it creates a safe space and a clear pathway to experience the Love of God. The process we’ve created isn’t industry-specific, and it is free. We have over fifteen companies in a wide variety of industries using the Movement Mentoring process, as well as several churches. Over 700 of our teammates at Movement have experienced the power of friendships developed through Movement Mentoring, and we would love to help you launch Movement Mentoring in your office or church.

9

LOVING GOD, LOVING PEOPLE

Vision Trips

accent, tattooed sleeves, and rapid-

One of the very best ways to love

fire speech suggest a personality very

people is to expand their vision of

different than the reality of who he is.

God and His redeeming work in the world, which is why Movement sends

Much of this paradox originates from

out teammates all over the world on

his accepting the invitation from

vision trips. Like many companies, we

Movement co-founder Toby Harris

have invested heavily in team building

to go to Guatemala, on what Mike

and leadership development for our

“thought” was a fishing trip. He was

teammates, but vision trips eclipse

blown away by what he experienced

our other efforts. These trips are the

on this vision trip to a country battling

highest impact investment you can

statistically high poverty rates, infant

make in your teammates. From a

mortality, and crime. As he visited

business perspective, these trips make

churches built by our mission partner,

great business sense because you

International Cooperating Ministries, he

get three years of relational, personal,

was overwhelmed by the joy and love

spiritual, and leadership development

he felt from a beautiful community of

in three days.

people who lacked so much of what we take for granted in the United States.

Probably the best way to see the business case for these trips is by

Mike’s fractured religious background

sharing a story of impact.

and non-traditional rise to corporate leadership didn’t leave much space

So many

for church or God, but encountering

teammates in

the love of Jesus in a remote village in

our company

the mountains of Guatemala opened a

have had

chasm in his heart that would soon be

powerful,

filled. He initially focused the yearning

life-altering

in his heart on “solving” problems.

experiences

He was determined to provide more

on vision trips, but none more so

churches, safe havens from crime

than Mike Brennan, the President of

and violence, and a place to gather in

Movement Mortgage. As President of

community with one another. So Mike

Movement Mortgage, Mike Brennan is

rallied his “not fishing” compatriots, and

an unexpected character. His Jersey

before they left the country, they had

A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE BEGINS

funded the build of the very next church.

10

that is both a win for the receiving mission organization and a win

Since that time, Mike has led a

for our teammates. International

personal crusade to bring others to

Cooperative Ministries and the John

Guatemala and build more churches

Maxwell Leadership Foundation are

and Hope Centers to serve the people

our principal partners, among a host of

there. Mike has returned over a dozen

others. We are profoundly thankful for

times, and we have now funded over

our partners who are doing such great

31 churches (and hope centers) who

work. While you may choose to set this

have, in turn, birthed 1,188 daughter

up through your church or any number

churches. In 2019, Mike was baptized

of mission organizations, we would

at the same church where he met

also be happy to help your team go on

Jesus on the remote mountainside

a trip with us. We are in the process

three years earlier. Each teammate

of setting up an organization to help

who’s had the opportunity to take

shoulder some of the logistical burdens

a vision trip comes back with a new

for you, and as the world opens back

perspective on everything in their lives

up after COVID, we look forward to

and a renewed (or new) commitment

serving you.

to servant leadership.

Just Compensation Because we believe so strongly in

Love led us to act in the long-term best

vision trips, we support our teammates

interest of our employees by paying

financially to make them happen. First,

them just wages based on industry

we subsidize the trip by paying the initial

standards. We desire to pay them at

$500 of the cost. Second, we provide

or above a living wage that honors the

an additional two days of Paid-Time-Off

work they do and, at the same time,

(PTO) for their first mission trip. Third, we

enables the business to be scalable

shoulder as much of the logistical burden

and sustainable. For example, the

as possible to help with pre- and post-

Movement School pays teachers one

trip details through staffing.

year above their seniority level.

Logistically, we have a number of

Thrive

mission partners who host teams

Loving our teammates means

in countries around the world. Our

equipping them to thrive holistically.

goal is to create a win-win situation

Physically, we emphasize and model

11

LOVING GOD, LOVING PEOPLE

a healthy culture through fitness challenges, clean eating options in our operations centers, gyms, CrossFit boxes in our operations centers, medical screenings for team members, in-house dieticians, and more. Financially, we want our teammates to thrive, so we offer budget counseling through Financial Finesse. In 2016, we issued a “debt challenge,” whereby our teammates paid off $2.8 million in debt (mostly credit cards and student loans) and saved $1.4 million for emergencies.

In 2017, love looked like a “401(k) challenge” that helped us go from 25% of our teammates saving for the future to 70%, which we match. Professionally and spiritually, we’ve hosted many events and one-time programs to invest in our people, but we are most excited about Movement Mentoring, which bears the most long-term fruit.

The bottom line is that humans thrive in small groups that provide relational connectivity and accountability.

LOVING CUSTOMERS When Jesus called us to love God and love neighbors, we knew, as a mortgage company, how important it was to love our neighbors who were purchasing homes. Here are some quick stats:

• #1 indicator of financial security: homeownership.

• The #1 cause of divorce: financial stress.

• #1 debt that most families have: their mortgage.

Add all this up, and it means we have a unique opportunity to love our neighbors at one of the most pivotal moments of their lives. As we enter into this sacred moment, our goal is to minimize their stress and debt and maximize their security, financial stability, and happiness—for love’s sake.

To accomplish our goal, we need to be excellent at what we do and approach the loan process with the heart and mindset of a servant-leader. When it comes to loving our customers, these are the two pillars of our company: work with excellence and add value through servant leadership.

Excellence Excellence means you exceed the norm. God does everything with excellence, and so should we. When it comes to excellence in the home buying process, co-founder and CEO Casey Crawford challenged us to think about our family members and how we

A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE BEGINS

would want them to be treated.

12

ready to make an offer on a house.

Houses often sell quickly, and you can

He said, “I think about how I would

lose out on a great house because the

want my little sister treated if she was

seller doesn’t feel confident about the

buying a home. You always want your

financing behind the buyer’s offer.”

family to be treated with excellence,

So we created a seven-day approval

so why not use family as a model for

process, where our customers would

how we treat everyone. If my little sister

have the confidence of knowing

were my customer, I’d tell her to gather

exactly what amount they are

together all of her financial information

approved to borrow when they make

first to help her see what she could

an offer.

afford before she started shopping.”

But there is a third leg of the stool for So that’s what we do at Movement, for

us when we think about excellence

everyone, for free. We call it Upfront

in the homebuying process. We all

Underwriting, and we strive to get it

want our family members to have a

done in 6 hours or less. Sure, we end

speedy closing process that doesn’t

up underwriting quite a few loans

drag out. So we committed to pulling

(50,000+ a year) for people who

off the closing process in one business

might not end up purchasing a home

day. We want our customers to

or becoming customers at Movement,

remember their closing day as a joyful

but hopefully those people feel loved

celebration, not a stressful, never-

in the process. On top of that, we can

ending saga. Thanks to a fantastic

rest at night knowing we treated our

team, excellence at Movement means

customers how we would like our

6-7-1: six hours to underwrite; seven

family members treated.

days to process; and clear-to-close in one business day.*

Casey’s challenge to treat customers the way we would treat our family

Movement team members are

members didn’t just shape our

accomplishing what few in the industry

underwriting process. It also shaped

are even attempting — and doing

our approval process. Casey said, “The

so at an astonishing rate. Movement

second thing I would want for my little

processed 85% of loans in seven days

sister is the peace of mind of having

or less in 2019, and we averaged 6.64

her financing in place when she’s

hours of upfront underwriting on

*While it is Movement Mortgage’s goal to provide underwriting results within six hours of receiving an application, process loans in seven days, and close in one day, extenuating circumstances may cause delays outside of this window.

13

LOVING GOD, LOVING PEOPLE

all loans in 2018. For us, this is one

customers more.

measuring stick of excellence, and we’re constantly striving to meet the

John Maxwell has poured into us

6-7-1 standard of excellence with every

and taught us the power of humbly

customer so that they feel loved and

adding value to other’s lives, especially

valued in the process.

our teammates, customers, and local communities. His books were

Servant Leadership

instrumental to us in our earliest days,

We believe that excellence should

and recently he has been mentoring

always be married with a posture

and investing in our senior leaders.

of servant leadership. The typical

John Maxwell’s vision is to serve the

workplace culture is a top-down,

most marginalized countries in the

hierarchical pyramid with the leaders

world, and we’re excited to lock arms

at the top and the customers at the

with his organization to see nations

bottom. All the focus and energy

around the globe transformed through

is on moving up the pyramid to be

principles of servant leadership.

responsive to your leaders, not your customers. A culture built on loving

LOVING COMMUNITIES

God and loving people inverts the pyramid and places the customers at

Profit with a Purpose:

the top and the leaders at the bottom.

The Movement Foundation

The leaders are there to serve and add

We knew early on in our story that

value to those in the organization who

the purpose of our profit was to love

are closest to the customers at the top

the marginalized in the communities

of the pyramid.

we were serving, so we established the Movement Foundation. The

The net effect of this means leaders

Movement Foundation exists to bring

should have a responsibility to, not

light, life, and hope to underserved

authority over, their teammates.

communities. Over the last decade,

Leaders are responsible for the

we’ve distributed earnings to the

success of their team and their

foundation and donated 53% of the

customers, not their own personal

company’s equity to the foundation,

success. Our attitude, then, is one of

enabling us to put over 260 million

humility, whereby we seek to think of

dollars toward loving and valuing the

ourselves less and our teammates and

marginalized in our local communities.

A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE BEGINS

We have a general discipline of trying

homeownership possible for all

to disburse over 10% of the company’s

Americans.

14

annual profits. We’re very grateful for Dan Glaze and the National Christian

One other area of redemptive

Foundation, who have helped us with

focus for us would be vulnerable

the gifting of our company into the

children. No one is more vulnerable

National Christian Foundation.

than a child. As we think about the redemptive purpose of profit in the

Redemptive Enterprise

communities we love and serve, we

God’s love is redemptive, so we

are directing the bulk of our giving

believe ours should be as well. He’s

toward loving vulnerable children with

always bringing dead things to life

things like the Movement School, the

and mending what’s broken and

Movement Center, affordable housing,

bringing light into darkness, and that’s

medical clinics, and more. We hope to

exactly what we want to be about

love the most vulnerable among us to

with business. Like every industry,

life, knowing that in the process, these

our industry touches so many broken

children will teach us and bless us.

people and broken places, offering us the opportunity for a redemptive enterprise that mirrors our redemptive God. For example, one current place of brokenness in our industry is the disparity between black and white homeownership, which is at its highest level since 1919. We recently launched a black homeownership initiative so that, as Martin Luther King Jr. said, we can “let justice roll down like waters in a mighty stream.”

We haven’t even begun to make a dent, but we want to swim in the current of redemption with a host of other businesses that are making

.

15

LOVING GOD, LOVING PEOPLE

16

SECTION 2

A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE IN BANKING W

hen God initially called us to begin a movement of change by starting a company committed to loving God and people, we thought it would start

with a bank, because banks sit at the center of local economies. Additionally, God warns us that money can creep its way into at the center of our hearts, so if we could create a redemptive enterprise that shapes the thing controlling our communities and our hearts, then the impact could be extraordinary.

The uphill climb to build a redemptive enterprise in the banking industry was significant. In 2008, the Great Recession robbed America of the hope and trust in lending institutions. When you don’t trust the institution holding your money, it fundamentally erodes trust in local communities. Making the climb even steeper, barriers to entry in the post-recession banking industry were (and still are!) extraordinarily high.

Yet, in 2018, God did what only God can do by opening doors that are far too heavy for us to open, enabling us to purchase 99% of First State Bank.

17

LOVING GOD, LOVING PEOPLE

OUR HISTORY First State Bank is a 100-year-old institution begun by a Black pastor, Rev. Samuel Moses, in a church basement.

Twenty-one Black doctors, teachers, farmers and preachers worked to provide the African-American community access to a banking institution in a time when others had shut them out. The bank became a symbol of economic independence and a beacon of Black economic resilience in the age of Jim Crow-enforced segregation.

loans to Black homeowners • Paying for the bonds of nearly two dozen civil rights demonstrators jailed in the Martin Luther King Jr. era The bank operated profitably and soundly for 100 years until it, like so many others in the 2008 Great Recession, encountered shaky financial footing and was unable to rebound.

OUR FUTURE Continuing Our Original Purpose In 2017, First State was headed toward

The name has changed over the years:

closure until God intervened. While

from the Savings Bank of Danville to

the bank is no longer black-owned,

First State Bank and now to Movement

the original purpose of loving and

Bank. But the bank’s mission remains

serving the marginalized carries on.

the same: to love and value people,

Today, Movement Bank is owned and

to serve those who have been

operated independently of Movement

marginalized and mistreated, and to

Mortgage, but the ethos is the same.

lead a Movement of Change in this

The Movement Bank team is honored

industry, corporate cultures and local

to carry its legacy into another century

communities. Movement Bank’s rich

of loving and serving marginalized

heritage includes:

people, not only in Danville but across the United States.

• Stimulating the Black economy of Danville • Financing dozens of Black churches • Offering some of the first Federal Housing Administration (FHA)

God’s Asset: 100% of Profits Reinvested Like other banks, Movement Bank is operated with the best for-profit practices in the financial services industry. Unlike other banks, 100% of

A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE IN BANKING

the distributed profits of Movement Bank are reinvested into redemptive projects in marginalized communities across America that bring light, life, and hope. Imagine the redemptive work that could be possible if the top banking institutions in America redirected the massive profits from owners and shareholders to God’s redemptive purposes among marginalized communities. That’s the dream with Movement Bank!

Connector For Like-hearted Businesses The institution of the bank may be small now, but our hopes and dreams for it are big. We hope that Movement Bank will become a connector for

.

God-honoring businesses seeking to collaborate to see God’s redemptive purposes displayed in the world.

18

19

LOVING GOD, LOVING PEOPLE

20

SECTION 3

A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE IN GIVING W

e are guided by four areas of passion: building Movement communities, sustainability, scalability and focused giving.

BUILDING MOVEMENT COMMUNITIES

goal is to create amazing schools for the awesome people of neighborhoods that have been historically marginalized.

We believe God has placed us in the cities we are in by intention, not luck. As

As we seek to build great public, charter

such, we seek the city’s good and make

schools, the Movement Foundation

it prosper, especially among vulnerable

wants to provide Christ-centered

children who are the most marginalized.

wrap-around services before and after school to enable the Movement Schools’

For communities to thrive, we must join

families, teachers, and administrators

in partnership with the eight streams

to thrive in every area of life. Just as

of influence: business, government,

we want our teammates at Movement

education, the church, family, media,

Mortgage to thrive, we also want the

sports, and the arts.

same for our friends at the Movement School. This is why love leads us to offer

With that perspective, we’re building

mentoring, Love Works, Vision Trips and

Movement Communities to purchase real

virtually all of the things we do for our

estate in marginalized areas and bring

Movement Mortgage teammates.

world-class public charter schools. The

21

LOVING GOD, LOVING PEOPLE

We also recognize that we are one small

therefore, in our minds, is imperative

voice in God’s great song of redemption,

to create ongoing generational

so we want to harmonize with other

transformation. After we make the initial

partners to see the talented people

investment to purchase the real estate,

in these neighborhoods become the

the project needs to be self-sustaining

voice of change for the future. In our

with rent from the tenants occupying

first project in West Charlotte, there

the space. For instance, after we made

was a need for excellent health care,

the initial investment to buy the real

so we developed a partnership with

estate and perform the upfit for a school,

Novant Health Care to provide the

the Movement School operated at a

Movement Wellness Clinic. Moreover,

2% return in year one and is currently

we saw the need in West Charlotte to

running at a 4-6% return, not to

bring together local faith-based groups

mention the tax benefits and underlying

who are serving the marginalized under

appreciation of the property itself.

one roof in the Movement Center to create synergy and a greater level of collaboration. Additionally, Charlotte is facing an affordable housing crisis with a deficit of over 33,000 units. As a result, we have worked collaboratively with a host of state, federal, and faith-based partners to establish 185 affordable housing units adjacent to the

SCALABILITY As of this writing, we are in the process of scaling this redemptive model throughout Charlotte and beyond. Our second Movement School opened in East Charlotte in the Fall of 2020. Based on both the

Movement School.

assets and the needs of our partners

SUSTAINABILITY

determine the which components of

While many great ministries and private

we are committed to models that are

Christian schools are doing excellent

sustainable and scalable, meaning

work in marginalized communities,

that each project not only pays for

sustainability is often a challenge

itself (with rent) but also provides an

because of a need for ongoing funding.

attractive return for investors.

and the Movement community, we’ll the model will be required. Regardless,

At some point, donor fatigue settles in, and the great work done by the school

In the traditional philanthropic model,

or ministry is in danger. Sustainability,

donors give money to charity and

A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE IN GIVING

22

the charities then disburse the funds,

communities. We believe all of the

necessitating a perpetual need for

resources God has entrusted to us

ongoing donations. In our model, a

are His, and we are simply investing

donor invests in an appreciable asset

them on his behalf. We do not give to

(real estate), and the donor maintains

corporate sponsorships so that we can

ownership and control of the asset in

give with a focused intention and love

perpetuity. This creates flexibility for the

in three areas of passion:

future of the asset, allowing Movement to sell the asset and redeploy the capital towards other redemptive purposes, if needed.

1. Vision Trips 2. Matched Giving for our Teammates 3. Movement Schools and Wrap-

We receive a two-fold benefit in this

Around Services

philanthropic model.

1.

We have the privilege of investing in redemptive, kingdom work yielding fruit for generations to come in marginalized communities.

2. We receive a return (ROI) on our investment. Both philanthropic models—the investment model and the charitable giving model—are great. Both are needed. We are simply trying to provide a different model that is both sustainable and scalable and, therefore, offers different solutions to different problems.

Vision trips are a point of passion and have been discussed. When it comes to matching our teammates’ giving, we believe our team members are our best ambassadors of generosity.

If they believe in the work done by organizations, then we like to amplify their generosity. While our approach to giving largely focuses on marginalized communities in the United States, we have a small percentage of our giving going to marginalized areas globally.

For example, God led us to purchase a redemptive enterprise in Uganda (a farm called Elhanan) to create jobs with just compensation in a Christ-

.

FOCUSED GIVING

centered community. Additionally, we

We have a very focused approach to

to bring light, life, and hope to globally

giving that helps us love teammates,

marginalized communities.

customers, and marginalized

are working with John Maxwell and ICM

23

LOVING GOD, LOVING PEOPLE

24

SECTION 4

A MOVEMENT OF CHANGE IN CORPORATE CULTURES T

his was never just about Movement Mortgage. It was about God birthing a movement of change in other corporate cultures and local communities worldwide. For that to happen, we need a more vibrant, cohesive network. Such a network will collaboratively and synergistically share how God is leading each of us in the business community to love Him and love people.

It won’t be easy to create a network that yields a movement of change. The first challenge will be overcoming the fragmentation and siloing of business leaders in the Church. Unwittingly, many local churches are currently hindering a movement of the gospel by asking business leaders to greet or volunteer in children’s churches or help park cars.

While all of these are good and necessary ways to serve a local church on Sunday morning, many business leaders intuitively sense that more can be done with their gifts in the business world to advance the Church — with a capital “C”.

That’s the movement of change our world needs. It’s a movement that creates a slingshot effect of collaboration and celebration, whereby the Church awakens business leaders to the glorious work of God at work. Thankfully, God has gifted and entrusted some of the brightest, entrepreneurial minds to the business community. It is time for us to join together, united in Spirit and unyielding in resolve, so that the world feels the redemptive impact of God’s love in all of its

.

glorious fullness!

The Movement Story is one we’re excited to share because it’s about a great God who does great things through ordinary people. Our model is anchored in one guiding principle:

LOVING GOD AND LOVING PEOPLE Business, for us, is all about love.

We define love as acting in the long-term best interest of others.

So, for this book, we’ll share with you principles that have helped us act in the long-term best interest of our teammates, our customers and marginalized communities.

In doing so, we hope to leverage who we are for the sake of helping you love God and love people, right where you are.

Stephen Phelan is the Chief Pastoral Officer at Movement Mortgage – a unique position within a unique company.

He enjoys working alongside his good friend, Casey Crawford, and applying his over a decade of experience in urban ministry throughout the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, and all over the world.

For feedback and reviews, email stephen.phelan@movement.com