For the last 2 months, Shannon and I have been meeting with several people each week to talk with them about the huge need for medical missions in Malawi, the great work Partners in Hope is doing, and how excited we are to be going and serving with them. In order to get there, we tell people, we need a team of people supporting us in prayer and financially. No one debates or questions the prayer support part. But, we’ve had lots of conversations with people who wonder about the financial part. So, I thought I’d write a little post to share some of my thoughts on the great questions many of you have asked about this process of fundraising (as well as throwing in a few of my own that you might be thinking but haven’t had the guts to ask)!
Is raising funds for missionary work actually Biblical? I think this is the most critical question to answer first. The Bible needs to be our standard for everything we do, and asking people for support for missions is no exception! I mean, Paul, who was the most prolific missionary of the early church, worked as a tentmaker, didn’t he? While it’s true that Paul did work as a tentmaker at a few specific points in his ministry for specific reasons, his preferred way to operate was to devote all his time to ministry and to have the support needed to enable him to do that. In 1 Corinthians 9, he makes a strong defense for why he and other Christian workers deserve to be supported. He gives examples like a soldier who has the right to have his expenses paid, a farmer who should get some of the fruit he produces, and a quote from the Old Testament about how an ox should get to eat some of the grain it is treading. He even says in verse 14 that, “The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.”
Several other Biblical examples to consider when thinking about full-time workers living off the support of others:
- God set up a system for the Levites in Israel to live off the support of the community so they could devote their full-time service to the sacrifices and the tabernacle or temple
- When Nehemiah set out to re-build Jerusalem, he had no problem making a very bold ask of the king he served to support him in his work
- Jesus chose to rely on the support of others during his earthly ministry (see Luke 8:1-3), and told his disciples to do the same when he sent them out
Do you feel bad asking people for money? I read a book at the start of this fundraising process that had a helpful illustration. It showed that in an interaction where a missionary is asking for support, there is actually a 3-way interaction that should be going on between the missionary, the person that may support them, and God. The missionary should actually be asking God to provide for their financial needs. He is the one who has called them, and He is the one who will enable them to go. Then, when the missionary invites a person to financially partner with them, that person should be asking God what He would like them to do. It is God who works to move money from one person to another, resourcing His kingdom work in different parts of the world. So, rather than directly asking people to give me money, I prefer to ask them to pray and talk to God about whether they should give.
I also don’t see this fundraising process as asking people to give money to us. Rather, I’m asking them to invest in bringing the people of Malawi the love of Jesus and better quality healthcare. We are just the vessel they are making that investment through.
Why can’t SIM raise the money for you and then just pay you? Although we sometimes feel like this would be nice, I think there are 3 main advantages to having each missionary personally develop a team of financial supporters. First of all, it engages many more people in the work God is doing in other parts of the world. If SIM was raising the funds centrally, they would never have the opportunity to present the work they are doing to the majority of the friends I know and am meeting with, because they don’t have a relationship with them. Second, it gives those who are supporting the work a much more personal and direct connection to the ministry happening on the field. They aren’t just supporting a project they saw on a website or heard described in a letter – they are partnering with a friend they know who is personally involved in the work. Third, it adds a new level of encouragement and accountability for the missionary. For me personally, I know that when I have a whole team of friends and family who are not only praying for me regularly, but sending their hard-earned money to support the ministry I’m involved with, it makes me want to work my best to ensure their money is well spent. And, I so often feel completely humbled and blessed that people believe that the work we are doing is worth investing in.
Do you have other questions you’d like us to answer about fundraising? Please contact us.