Blog / Leadership

Maybe you ran into one of our dedicated staff women at the Urbana Missions Conference in St. Louis this past December. Anna Webb and Megan Corbett were there representing The BodyBuilders Ministry, but also spent several days diligently surveying over 100 different mission agencies who were exhibiting there. Just as the ministry leaders they questioned did not claim to have all knowledge, we are not presenting ourselves as “research scholars!” We’re simply trying to come up with some “pretty close” figures as to how Christian workers are currently doing in support raising. The survey included three basic questions: 1. What […]

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I used to be a pastor, and I can still remember all the various demands and pressures put on me by so many. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of interacting with thousands of different pastors —from almost every stripe. My respect for the shepherds of local churches is off the charts. But as it relates to the topic of support raising, I have noticed some who fit into these “less than encouraging” categories: 1. The “High Control” Pastors They create strict rules that no one can approach their members for financial support. Or they make a support raiser […]

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I had to turn away from the horrific, gruesome, agonizingly drawn out execution scene of the ancient Scottish hero, William Wallace, in the movie Braveheart. Yes, I wanted my teenage sons to see this man’s courage and perseverance, but did Mel Gibson have to show five full minutes of indescribable anguish and torment? It may sound over dramatic, but I have seen numerous Christian workers over the years experience this kind of slow torturous death—not physically, but financially and emotionally. Their support team may have been strong and vigorous at one time, but for whatever reason, it began a long, […]

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The movie Gladiator opens with the Roman general Maximus leading his troops into battle against a horde of vicious barbarians. While most generals would simply sit on a distant hill observing, Maximus was leading the charge himself, all the while yelling at the top of his lungs, “Stay with me! Staaaay with meeee!” No wonder he never lost a battle—mainly because his men had incorporated the same loyalty and bravery their leader had modeled for years. The reason they respected Maximus so much? He never asked them to do anything he wasn’t willing to do himself. I’ve known a few […]

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