Time, Talents, and Treasure: One Man Proves Missions Doesn’t Stop at Retirement

Longtime MTW supporter, Ambassador, and member of the Committee on Mission to the World (CMTW), Frank Finfrock retired from CMTW (Committee on Mission to the World) last year, following decades of faithful service. It is difficult to overstate just how much of an impact Frank has had on the organization. His story is a testimony to the remarkable ways in which God equips and uses His people’s time, talents, and treasure for His glory and to build His kingdom.

After graduating from university in 1951, Frank began a 31-year career with an integrated oil corporation, with a break for an active duty tour with the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War. He began his career as a project engineer, but ultimately moved up to executive management, and also served for 11 years on the board of a national bank.

Rethinking retirement
Upon retirement, Frank and his wife, Mary Alice, moved from Texas to South Florida. There, they joined a PCA church and Frank served as a ruling elder and session member. Frank had had a great career and financial success, but he wasn’t satisfied.

“As I reflected on life in retirement I knew that I wanted more than a life of leisure,” said Frank. “I wanted a purpose in life, but the corporate world had lost its appeal.”

One day, the Finfrocks’ pastor invited them to a Christian financial planning weekend conference in Atlanta. At that point, Frank had little involvement in foreign missions and had not even heard of MTW. But during the conference, MTW’s then-coordinator, Paul McKaughan, spoke on church planting internationally.

“His message piqued my interest,” Frank said.

Within a few weeks, the Finfrocks had made an appointment to meet with Paul. Frank wanted to know whether he, as a ruling elder, could be of service to MTW, despite not having a seminary education. Rather than answering the question directly, Paul suggested that they visit an active mission field and see for themselves what life on the field was like. He arranged for Frank and Mary Alice to visit a church-planting team in Mexico.

It was a moment that changed Frank’s life forever.

Sharing business expertise
After that first visit to Mexico, Frank realized that his business experience could be of use to missionary teams, helping them sharpen the steps required to execute their long-term objectives. Frank volunteered to be available three weeks per calendar quarter to return to Mexico or anywhere else he might be of help. Trips to Kenya, Ecuador, and Japan soon followed, allowing Frank to meet more missionaries and teams. On a follow-up trip to Japan, Frank worked with team leaders to create a financial plan needed to execute the ministry plan they had developed. Today, that same ministry in Japan is a robust, remarkable success story through which many have come to know the Lord.

As MTW grew, Frank’s assignments changed accordingly, becoming more and more related to his broad corporate experience. He helped develop MTW’s organizational infrastructure, chaired a group that solved a problem concerning tracking the designation of donated funds, and helped evaluate a change to MTW’s employee retirement benefits plan. Most importantly, Frank also participated with staff and professional investment advisors in developing MTW’s Center for Estate and Gift Planning. He was able to contribute his experience from industry and banking as MTW set up internal processes, and helped consult as they established instruments like annuities, charitable trusts, endowments, and donor-advised funds to work with churches and individuals that provide funds to support MTW’s kingdom-building ministry.

“Speaking as one who has served MTW in a variety of roles for more than 30 years, and with direct knowledge of how these systems function, I can attest to the value afforded the individual donor from the services of the Center for Estate and Gift Planning,” Frank said. “Awareness of long-term giving options is so valuable. It allows those interested in giving from their assets at death, to do so, as Mary Alice and I are doing.”

Looking back, Frank could scarcely have known what would come of his 31 years managing engineering projects, oil companies, and banks in the corporate world. His professional career earned him financial security and the esteem of his peers, but more importantly, God took the skills and experiences Frank had gained in the corporate world and applied them through MTW for the sake of the gospel.

Connect with us at [email protected] or visit www.mtw.org/serve and learn how you can use your expertise to serve in missions. Learn more about estate planning through MTW’s Estate and Gift Design.