I keep bumping into people and circumstances that remind me of this greatly overlooked and misunderstood critical piece in the support raising “puzzle”. I’m talking about thankfulness. Without growing in our understanding and discipline of expressing thanks to donors, we will not have the support we need, both in prayer and finances. If we handle the little things well, Jesus will entrust to us more (Matthew 25). This applies to how we handle donations to our ministry. If we’re faithful with the little things, like a simple thank you to our donors, more will be given to us. If we […]
Keep Reading →Imagine being charged with leading a group of people who are spread far and wide geographically, each is focused on diverse aspects of work and ministry, and yet all must be unified to accomplish a common effort. Does that sound appealing, or simply impossible? In many ways, this is the very scenario in which every missionary who develops a team of ministry partners finds himself or herself. In his book, The God Ask, Steve Shadrach references Nehemiah in modeling for us the fact that he first turned to God – made the “God Ask” – before he turned to King […]
Keep Reading →Do you remember when you heard God’s call to serve Him full-time? You said, “I will follow and trust You to provide for me as I raise my support.” You gave God your irrevocable commitment to obey Him without any preconditions. Do you realize you are in the minority? Many flirted with serving the Lord, but their “yes” became a quivering “but” when they learned they had to raise their support. Among you is another group. You are in your legacy years, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, and you have been raising support for decades. I want to applaud you […]
Keep Reading →When people find out I have been up to budget for 30 years, they ask, “Do you still do fundraising even though you are up to budget?” The question is similar to, “Why fix the roof if it is not raining?” Yes, I still invite support even though I am fully funded—four reasons: My budget goes up every year. Our Board of Directors insists we have adequate living expenses. I identify special projects each year to advance my ministry even more. I don’t aim for a “low budget” just so I won’t have to raise new support. If I need […]
Keep Reading →A. Spiritually Healthy (Big God) Looks to God as owner and supplier of all things Believes they are called of God, worthy of support Understands biblical basis for raising support Thrives in their relationship with Jesus Balances support raising with life and ministry B. Vision Driven (Big Dreams) Honors God by the magnitude of their requests Pursues their greatest passion Views role as strategic, touching world for Christ Uses money as a tool to advance the Kingdom Embraces a wartime lifestyle C. Fully Funded (Big Investments) Appreciates supporters as true ministry partners Grasps the power of “the ask” Commits to […]
Keep Reading →One of our great passions is this: We want to flood the nations with spiritually healthy, vision driven, fully funded Great Commission workers. This type of worker is what we like to call a “God Asker”. My new book (entitled The God Ask) gives much more detail, but let’s try to break it down, and give some specifics to this first description—being “spiritually healthy.” 1. Looks to God as owner and supplier of all things To be a spiritually healthy “God Asker” you must have the spirit of Nehemiah. Certainly he was tempted to lean on wealthy King Artaxerxes to […]
Keep Reading →I’ve often wondered if advocacy and commendation occur so much in scripture because the context re ects near Eastern cultural values. Although self-advocacy is seen to express con dence and assertiveness in male majority (white) cultures, it can be disrespectful in communities of color. For example, most non-majority cultures are relational and group-oriented. Things get done through relationships and networks – folks support people they know. Without someone they trust making the introduction, you are an outsider. Because there is strong loyalty to the community, when someone vouches for you as one of the community, members of the group are more inclined […]
Keep Reading →A powerful scriptural principle linked to missionaries being “sent” is that of commendation: “Let other people praise you–even strangers; never do it yourself” (Prov. 27:2, Good News). “For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends” (2 Cor. 10:18). “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (2 Cor. 13:1). It can be a dilemma for us to describe our missionary service to others, often putting us in the uncomfortable position of “commending” ourselves. We may feel as though we must sell ourselves and our […]
Keep Reading →As the age-old cliché sounds unwise for medical doctors, it seems nonsensical for Christian missionaries who are on support. But then again, does it? Even before we consider the hard work on our part (preparation, phone calls, face-to-face appointments, etc.) needed for raising support, we should look at what creates a healthy environment for it. Our tendency is to think, “If only Christians would be more Kingdom-minded and generous in their stewardship, there would be plenty of support to go around!” I propose that fostering a healthy environment for raising support begins with us, and our generosity in stewardship. Amongst the […]
Keep Reading →My wife told me I need a hobby. But collecting sea shells, restoring cars, or painting landscapes don’t do much for me. She doesn’t think this counts as a legitimate hobby, but I love to use my discretionary time challenging people to embrace God’s calling on their life and launch out to raise their support. Occasionally, though, I actually catch myself telling someone not to raise support—at least not yet. In my opinion, you have no business raising your financial ministry support if: 1. You have a lot of credit card debt Having any consumer debt at all has a way of […]
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