Mainline denominations such as the United Church of Canada currently provide seed support for creative ministries within recognized and accountable ministry units, such as congregations and charitable incorporated ministries. Church foundations are generally restricted from financing ministry outside such organizations both by policy and by applicable revenue codes. This means that most tent-type ministries—the imaginative, responsive and responsible experiments being born at the outer edge of denominational structures—are not eligible for support.

Post-Christendom Stewardship: Microfinance for Emerging Ministries will explore the feasibility of an individual or multi-denominational microfinance program designed to support and learn from the ministries emerging on the margins of accountable church structures. The study will evaluate the complexities and limitations of microfinance for the emerging ministry context, including a definition of the target market, strategy, borrowers, sources of funds, loan losses and other issues typically analyzed by microfinance entities. It will explore whether accountability can be ensured through a loan agreement rather than denominational policy; and it will investigate the interest and capacity of The United Church of Canada and The United Church of Christ to undertake such a program.

Post-Christendom Stewardship will be grounded in the systems analysis developed by Chris Corrigan of Harvest Moon Consultants, Ltd., which asks whether it is possible for old wine skins—institutional church structures—to be the compost that feeds and fashions new skins. Microfinance may be one approach.