Bible Money Matters

Christian personal finance

Menu
    • About
    • Archives
    • Contact
    • Close
  • Making Money
      • Popular Articles

        • 50 Ways To Make Money: Maximizing, Creating And Increasing Your Income
        • 10 Weird And Unconventional Ways To Make Money
        • Making Money With A Blog (e-Book)
        • 10 Places To Sell Or Trade Your Unused (Or Broken) Electronics
        • Ways To Make Extra Money Series: 20 More Income Generating Ideas From Our Readers
        • Making Side Income Can Help Blunt The Impact Of Becoming A One Income Family
        • Earn Cash Back With Discover it® Credit Card
      • Recent Articles – Making Money

        • Best Sites Like Fiverr To Make Money As A Freelancer
        • 13 Of The Best Independent Contractor Jobs
        • 25 Of The Best Gig Economy Jobs
        • How To Make Money Blogging: Turn A Blog Into A Business
      • Categories

        • Making Money
        • Investing
        • Retirement
        • Jobs & Work LIfe
        • Money
        • Income
    • Close
  • Saving Money
      • Popular Articles

        • 50 Easy Ways To Save Money Every Month
        • 10 Weird And Unconventional Ways To Save Money
        • 10 Practical Ways To Save Money And Increase Your Net Worth
        • How To Save Money On Just About All Of Your Regular Monthly Bills
        • Ways To Watch TV Without Paying An Arm And A Leg For Cable TV
        • Save Money On Your Hospital Bill - Just By Asking
      • Recent Articles – Saving Money

        • How To Save $100k In 7 Practical Steps
        • Stairs App Review: Save And Invest To Earn 4-6% Interest
        • Honey Review: Save Money Automatically When You Shop Online
        • 9 Convincing Reasons Why You Need An Emergency Fund
      • Categories

        • Saving Money
        • Frugality
        • Planning
        • Finance
        • Saving For Retirement
        • Savings Accounts
    • Close
  • Banking
      • Best Rates For 2019

        • Best Credit Cards
        • Best Savings Accounts
        • Best Mortgage Rates
        • Best CD Rates
        • Best Brokerages
        • Free Credit Scores
      • Recent Reviews

        • TradeStation Review: Commission Free Stock And ETF Trades
        • Firstrade Review: Commission Free Trades on Stocks, Crypto, And Options
        • Cadre Real Estate Investing Review: Commercial Real Estate Investing
        • Axos Self Directed Trading Review: Invest, Trade Stocks For Free
      • Categories

        • Bank & Software Reviews
        • Investing
        • Credit
        • Banking
        • Mortgage
        • Insurance
        • Family Budget
    • Close
  • Recommended
  • Video
    • Close

Developing Missionaries Into Deeper Ministry Partners

By Contributing Author Leave a Comment - The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited June 4, 2012.

Share5
Pin
Tweet
Share
5 Shares

As the typical Sunday morning service comes, you take a seat in the usual place awaiting the singing and a sermon. As you anticipate the events ahead, your eyes catch the bulletin or PowerPoint announcements. On one corner of the page or on a passing slide, an update from one of the church’s missionaries comes to your attention. If you remember the name of the missionary, you may quickly take note of their prayer requests and think about their side of the world, but your interaction normally doesn’t go beyond this.

The gospel spreading to make disciples of all nations is at the heart of Jesus’ last words to His disciples (Matthew 28:16-20), but it is often at the fringe of local church life. One remedy may be expanding the church’s mission budget to include a larger percentage of the whole or stimulating giving to the church in general.

While this may be needed, another practical catalyst to missions funding and missions interest may be making those missionaries already supported within the budget into greater partners. Making missionaries into closer ministry partners means developing these aspects of the relationship:

  • Financial relationship
  • Communicative relationship
  • Prayer relationship

Quick Navigation

  • Financial Relationship of the Typical Model
  • Financial Relationship of the Partnership Model
  • Communicative Relationship
  • Prayer Relationship

Financial Relationship of the Typical Model

If you want to stimulate a heart for missions at a time when missions giving is declining in your personal giving and your church (this doesn’t just have to be pastors!), you may find yourself contemplating personally or in a conversation about the idea of supporting a new missionary or organization. This is a great option, but one that should be reached after careful evaluation of current partnerships.

One popular model of missionary support has a myriad of missionaries supported by the church each receiving an equal small percentage of the missions budget with a periodic check sent to them. These same missionaries are most likely supported by a myriad of churches that each send them a similar check.

Before going to the field, these missionaries may have spent significant time traveling to each of these churches in order to raise support. Each church that helps them represents a small amount of their budget quota being met, therefore the missionary must make sales pitches to churches for months and even years before gaining enough support to make it to the field and sustain a family and church ministry there.

Financial Relationship of the Partnership Model

The alternative to these scattered financial relationships with many missionaries is the possibility of narrowing your focus to a just a few missionaries that each receive a significant amount of the budget. Adding another name to a list of twenty may stimulate missions interest in the church some, but try giving a third of the entire missions budget to supporting one of three missionaries. Givers to missions in your church will start asking questions about each one and want to know who they are. This is exactly what this model seeks to accomplish in a church/missionary relationship!

Though never demanding financial support (1 Corinthians 9:11-18, 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, 9:1-15), Paul explained that he wished to be encouraged and supported by the church in Rome on his way as a missionary to Spain (Romans 1:8-15, 15:22-33).

Actual numbers in an example may give a bad impression since some churches deal with giving in thousands and others in tens of thousands based on size of the congregation alone. Personal budgets may have similar disparities. Whatever the size of the church or wallet, the principle is that missions should be as much of a partnership as possible for the sake of the gospel (Philippians 4:10-18).

Communicative Relationship

From the missionaries’ perspective with the typical model, they only have time to send out a standardized, periodic update email to all of the churches who offer support. This is what you see in the church PowerPoint, and what many other churches see in theirs. But this communication only scratches the surface of the ministry needs facing the missionary.

They may have to keep a political tone or omit real ministry needs in an update message to make sure that support keeps coming and satisfy a large number of diverse churches. They may think of their letter as a formality or bargain for receiving the check contribution in the mail. Whatever the case, they are not pouring their heart out to their supporting church, letting them share in the burdens and victories of the advancing gospel of God’s love (Philippians 1:3-14).

Prayer Relationship

The overall tone of this proposal could sound harsh. Evaluating partnerships as suggested could result in cutting support for some missionaries, and how could that help? However, the focus of any church/missionary decision must be on developing closer relationships with the right partners. This closeness maximizes in prayer. This benefits missionaries in the long run as well who would rather concern themselves with finding a few financially-faithful, praying supporting churches rather than twenty halfway committed ones.

If you support an organization, make sure you know the organization as well as possible and evaluate where you stand with them. If you support missionaries, make your relationship go a little deeper.

If you don’t know the basics about the missionaries your church supports, it may be a good idea to find out and see how you can be actively engaging in the kind of spiritual relationship Paul had with his supporting churches (Ephesians 6:18-22, Philippians 4:1-3). A missionary will want to tell everything to a band of faithful supporters who he knows is persevering in prayer.

McKinley Hildebrand is a representative of a company that specializes in all things credit cards and a theology student currently pursuing a Masters of Divinity degree. He has a passion for church planting and seeing wise spending among fellow Christians. Follow him on Twitter: @MacHildebrand.

Related Posts

  • Dilbert and Personal Finance

    In his book Dilbert and the Way of the Weasel, author and cartoonist Scott Adams boils down all the advice that he has read from…

  • Personal Finance Bible Verse Of The Day

    Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct…

  • Personal Finance Bible Verse Of The Day: Contempt

    He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished. Proverbs 17:5

Share5
Pin
Tweet
Share
5 Shares
Last Edited: 4th June 2012 The content of biblemoneymatters.com is for general information purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Visitors to biblemoneymatters.com should not act upon the content or information without first seeking appropriate professional advice. In accordance with the latest FTC guidelines, we declare that we have a financial relationship with every company mentioned on this site.

This article is about: Christianity, finance

About Contributing Author

We love to mix it up from time to time here at Bible Money Matters. Would you like to write for us as well? Please email us via the contact page with your article idea.

Share Your Thoughts: Cancel reply

Previous Post: Why You Should Know The Operating Expenses Of Your Employer-Based 401(k) Plan
Next Post: 6 Bad Personal Finance Habits To Avoid Teaching Your Kids
Discover Investment Platforms

Popular Posts

  • 21 Easy Ways To Earn Free Amazon Gift Cards
  • 10 Best Free Tax Filing Services And Software Online
  • 21 Apps That Pay You Real Money Fast
  • 17 TV Apps And Live TV Streaming Services To Watch TV Free
  • 30 Legit Online Jobs That Pay Well
  • 37 Easy Ways To Get Free Gift Cards
  • How To Get Free Stock
  • 40 Easy Ways To Get Free Money Fast
  • 21 Places To Read Free Books Online
  • 24 Legit Online Jobs
  • 17 Best Work From Home Jobs: A List Of Legit Online Jobs That Pay Well

Recent Posts

  • How To Save $100k In 7 Practical Steps
  • How to Save Money When Remodeling A Home
  • How To Hire A Contractor For Your Remodeling Project
  • Remembering 9/11 Years Later: Where Were You On That Fateful Day?
  • TradeStation Review: Commission Free Stock And ETF Trades
  • Firstrade Review: Commission Free Trades on Stocks, Crypto, And Options
  • Cadre Real Estate Investing Review: Commercial Real Estate Investing
  • Best Sites Like Fiverr To Make Money As A Freelancer
  • Axos Self Directed Trading Review: Invest, Trade Stocks For Free
  • 30 Quotes About Easter And Resurrection: He Is Risen!

Disclaimer

The information contained in BibleMoneyMatters.com is for general information or entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional financial advice. Please contact an independent financial professional for advice regarding your specific situation.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, we state that we have a financial relationship with some of the companies mentioned in this website. This may include receiving access to free products and services for product and service reviews and giveaways.

Any references to third party products, rates, or websites are subject to change without notice. We do our best to maintain current information, but due to the rapidly changing environment, some information may have changed since it was published. Please do the appropriate research before participating in any third party offers.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

We respect your privacy: Privacy Policy.

Thanks for visiting!

Bible Money Matters - Seen On These Sites and more..
Bible Money Matters is a personal finance, entrepreneurship and investing community. Give more, save more and live more.

Copyright © 2023 · Bible Money Matters | Sitemap | Advertise | Privacy Policy