If BRI has a grandfather, his name is Art Ally and his firm is Timothy Plan. He launched the first Timothy Plan fund in 1994, which makes Timothy Plan older than Inspire, older than Eventide, older than essentially every Christian mutual fund family you've heard of. The firm is based in Maitland, Florida, and has been quietly building a multi-fund family for three decades now.

The Aggressive Growth Fund (TAAGX) is one of Timothy Plan's longest-running offerings. Let's take a look at what 30-plus years of BRI performance actually looks like.

The Timothy Plan Origin Story

Art Ally founded Timothy Plan in 1994 specifically to offer Christian investors a way to opt out of companies involved in abortion, pornography, alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and anti-family entertainment. The fund family took its name from the biblical book of 1 Timothy 6:10, "For the love of money is the root of all evil".

Timothy Plan was ahead of its time. In 1994, the concept of socially responsible investing existed but was mostly focused on environmental and anti-apartheid issues. Screening based on explicitly Christian values was niche at best. Art Ally spent years building a Christian investor base one seminar at a time, and slowly grew Timothy Plan into a viable specialty shop.

The Screening Methodology

Timothy Plan uses a "biblical moral screen" that excludes companies involved in:
- Abortion (any corporate involvement, including funding Planned Parenthood or similar)
- Pornography and adult entertainment
- Alcohol production
- Tobacco production
- Gambling
- Anti-family entertainment (defined broadly)
- Anti-biblical lifestyle advocacy
- Human rights violations

The screens are applied by Timothy Partners, the advisory arm, using publicly available data, news coverage, and advocacy reports. The firm publishes a "Hall of Shame" list of companies they exclude, which some investors find useful as a reference even if they don't buy Timothy Plan funds directly.

The screening is notably stricter than some mainstream BRI approaches. Timothy Plan tends to exclude more companies than Inspire does because the thresholds for various categories are tighter.

What TAAGX Actually Holds

Timothy Plan Aggressive Growth (TAAGX is the Class A share) is the firm's high-growth equity option. It's actively managed and generally holds 50 to 80 mid-cap and small-cap growth stocks.

Top holdings typically include names in technology, healthcare, and specialty consumer. You'll see companies like Synopsys, Cadence Design, Intuit, ServiceNow, Paycom Software, Veeva Systems, and various biotech and medical device names. The fund tends to skew mid-cap growth with some small-cap exposure.

The portfolio generally excludes mega-cap tech names that Timothy Plan has determined fail their screening criteria (for example, companies that have publicly funded causes Timothy Plan considers anti-biblical). This is similar to the Inspire BIBL approach but applied through active management rather than a passive index.

Sector exposure is roughly: 30 to 38 percent technology, 18 to 24 percent healthcare, 12 to 18 percent industrials, 8 to 14 percent consumer discretionary, with smaller slices elsewhere.

Expense Ratio: 1.38 Percent (Class A)

TAAGX Class A charges 1.38 percent per year plus a 5.5 percent front-end load for direct investors. The front-end load is mostly waived in fee-based advisory accounts, but if you buy the fund directly at par, you're paying 5.5 percent up front.

Class C shares have no front-end load but carry a 12b-1 fee that pushes total expenses higher (typically around 2.10 percent). Institutional shares (TPAGX) are cheaper (around 1.10 percent) but require larger minimums.

The high expense ratio and the load structure are the biggest marks against Timothy Plan funds. They were established when mutual fund distribution through commissioned brokers was standard, and the firm has been slow to eliminate load share classes. Compared to modern no-load funds (including many newer BRI options), Timothy Plan can feel expensive.

AUM

TAAGX manages approximately 150 to 200 million dollars across share classes. The broader Timothy Plan family manages around 1 billion dollars total. That's modest compared to Eventide or Amana, and the AUM has grown slowly over the decades.

Performance History

Here's where a 30-year track record gets interesting.

One-year total return: approximately 16 to 22 percent.

Three-year annualized: approximately 9 to 12 percent.

Five-year annualized: approximately 9 to 11 percent.

Ten-year annualized: approximately 10 to 12 percent.

Since inception (mid-1990s for the firm, varies by specific fund launch date): approximately 7 to 9 percent annualized for TAAGX.

Those long-term numbers are below the S&P 500 over most comparable periods. The expense ratio and the faith-based screening together have created a performance drag that compounds over time. Over 30 years, a 1.38 percent expense ratio on top of mandatory exclusions adds up to meaningful cumulative underperformance versus a cheap index fund.

The honest question: is that underperformance worth it for the BRI alignment? That's a personal decision. Some Christian investors would rather pay the performance price to avoid holding objectionable companies. Others would rather hold a cheap index fund and donate their saved fees to causes they care about.

Comparison to Other BRI Options

Timothy Plan vs Inspire BIBL: BIBL is cheaper (0.35 vs 1.38) and has more consistent recent performance. Timothy Plan has a longer track record but higher cost.

Timothy Plan vs Eventide ETGLX: Eventide is still expensive (1.27) but has shown stronger stock-picking results over the past decade. Timothy Plan has a more conservative, broader approach.

Timothy Plan vs Praxis (Mennonite): Praxis is lower cost and uses a different ethical framework. Timothy Plan is more explicitly evangelical in its positioning.

For most new BRI investors, the Inspire ETFs or Eventide mutual funds are likely better starting points on cost and transparency. Timothy Plan is worth considering if you specifically value the firm's long track record and explicit evangelical framework.

Tax and Distribution Details

TAAGX distributes annually, typically in December. Yield is approximately 0.2 to 0.5 percent, which is very low because the fund is focused on growth rather than income.

Because it's an actively managed mutual fund with meaningful turnover, capital gains distributions can be noticeable. In taxable accounts, this creates tax friction. In retirement accounts, it doesn't matter.

The Timothy Plan Fund Family

Timothy Plan offers around 12 funds across different strategies:
- Large Cap Growth
- Large Cap Value
- Mid Cap Growth
- Small Cap Value
- International Fund
- Aggressive Growth
- Fixed Income Fund
- High Yield Bond Fund
- Israel Common Values Fund (distinctive, US companies doing business in Israel)
- Several ETF versions launched more recently

Timothy Plan also launched ETF versions of some of their strategies to address the cost and load issues. The ETF family includes TPIF, TPLC, TPLE, TPSC, and TPHD among others. These have lower expense ratios (typically 0.50 to 0.90 percent) and no load. For cost-conscious BRI investors, the Timothy Plan ETFs are more competitive than the traditional mutual funds.

The Israel Common Values Fund

Worth mentioning as a distinctive Timothy Plan product. The Israel Common Values Fund invests in companies that support Israel, which is a meaningful factor for many evangelical Christian investors who view support for Israel as theologically important. This is a unique mandate you don't find in most faith-based funds and it's one reason Timothy Plan has loyal followers in certain segments of the evangelical community.

Who Timothy Plan Makes Sense For

Evangelical Christian investors who value explicit alignment with a conservative biblical worldview and are comfortable with the expense structure. Long-time Timothy Plan customers who have built positions over decades and see no reason to switch. Investors who specifically appreciate Art Ally's advocacy work and want to support the firm.

Who Should Look Elsewhere

Cost-sensitive investors who prefer the cheaper ETF alternatives from Inspire or Timothy Plan's own ETF range. Investors who want stronger recent performance track records (Eventide has better numbers). Anyone who can't stomach front-end loads on Class A shares.

The Legacy Argument

Here's the fair case for Timothy Plan despite its flaws. The firm was doing BRI before it was cool, when nobody else offered Christian-screened mutual funds. The fact that the firm still exists, still serves its investor base, and still provides funds in this category reflects decades of commitment. There's something to be said for rewarding that commitment even if the cost structure is higher than modern alternatives.

Whether that's enough to justify your investment dollars is a personal call.

Bottom Line

Timothy Plan Aggressive Growth is a legacy Christian mutual fund with a 30-year history and a firm that pioneered the BRI category. The expense ratio is high, the performance has been respectable but not stellar, and there are cheaper alternatives in 2026 than there were in 1994.

For committed Christian investors who want a long-standing fund family with explicit evangelical screening, Timothy Plan has a place. For most newer BRI investors, the Inspire ETFs or Eventide funds probably offer better value on cost and recent performance. And if you do want Timothy Plan exposure, the newer Timothy Plan ETFs are likely a better vehicle than the traditional loaded mutual funds.

Timothy Plan Aggressive Growth Fund: 30 Years of BRI Performance