Audio Transcript:

Welcome to Missions on Point, the Propempo perspective on church and missions. Come on in and have a seat. We are on episode 221 of Missions on Point. This is the series From Here To There and this topic is Get a Support Team. You probably have already begun this process and have people rallying around you to be part of your financial support partners team. This is where you present your vision and raise up partners for prayer and financial support. At one Mission Agency's candidate orientation, a more mature couple that had been in their sending church for many years arrived with their support completely raised. It had taken a mere two months to complete the process. Others were amazed and asked them how they had been able to raise their support in such a short timeframe. They replied, "Actually, it took 20 years." They were referring to the fact that the relationships had been unknowingly cultivated long before it was time to begin support raising.

In contrast, a young woman missionary candidate was surprised by the strong reaction of her Christian parents to the process of "begging for money." They had strong family and cultural values of independence, self-respect, and receiving good pay for good work. They were totally unfamiliar with the partnership development model, which funds most missions work. It was a huge shock to think that their precious daughter would be expected to raise her own support. Both believing and unbelieving parents may raise objections to your desire to serve the Lord in challenging places so far away. Yet, the prospect of fundraising is a lightning rod for resistance even in your own heart. Be encouraged, missionaries through the ages from the Apostle Paul to the present have cultivated financially supporting relationships. You can too. Most likely you'll be serving with a missions agency that requires you to raise both prayer and financial support.

Even if you're with a denominational missions agency that underwrites your salary, you'll still need relationships of people that support you in tangible ways through the course of your missionary career. Some view this process as an unsavory task at first, but most look back at the process as a time when they discovered faith stretching blessings and invaluable relationships along the way. Support raising has been a time-tested means of grace and supply for missionaries since the 19th century. In our own experience, we have made great friends with people that became financial supporters that we would not have predicted before the financial support started happening. They felt more dear to us than many who we thought were good friends but never really committed to pray or give for our ministry. Those who serve with an agency that does not require personal support raising can still learn from the principles of communication and partnership in this episode.

Even when your salary, expenses, and benefits are underwritten through your agency, you still need to maintain a relationship of accountability and partnership with those who have invested in your life and ministry and those that you are partnering with, particularly in your local sending church. We've already noted how many of the activities and skills involved in church planting are involved in fundraising or partnership development. It's not too much to say that if you can't do the one then you can't do the other. 40 years ago when times were simpler and overseas costs were much lower, many missionaries raised their needed support in six months or less. Over the years, that length of time has expanded. Though a long period of fundraising is not anyone's intention, it is not unusual to hear of missionary appointees taking 24 to 36 months in the partnership development phase. The time of transition between regular employment or school and full-time field missionary work is often difficult.

Mission agencies are less willing to endure appointees raising support over some indefinite extended period of time. They tend more toward tighter accountability and deadlines for support raising. Failure to meet specific activity goals and major deadlines may result in loss of membership in the missions agency. Three major figures in missions history represent three distinct approaches to the fundraising process. First, D.L Moody prayed and informed people of needs and asked for funds directly. Second, J. Hudson Taylor prayed and informed people of needs. Third, George Mueller prayed. God has historically supplied the needs of people who have used each of these methods. Perhaps you are inclined to one of these approaches. You may need to ask God how he would have you approach the process.

Regardless of the method, let's examine important principles to remember in the fundraising process. Here are four key thoughts. Partnership development or support raising is a part of your ministry. Second, God is your ultimate source of support. Third, relationships are foundational in support raising. And fourth, communication is key. Let's go back to the first one. Partnership development or support raising is a part of your ministry rather than a necessary evil that precedes your ministry.

You have an important discipleship relationship with your supporters. They exercise generous stewardship of spiritual and material resources to enable your ministry. You exercise visionary spiritual leadership toward them. They become world Christian participants in the great commission through you. This was true even in the first century. I've referred to these passages before. Philippians chapter four, verses 15 through 17, "And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving except you only. Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once and again. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit."

In 3rd John verses five through eight, the apostle John writes, "Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God, for they have gone out for the sake of the name accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore, we ought to support people like these that we may be fellow workers for the truth." The second key is God is your ultimate source of support. Inevitably, some people in churches whom you feel sure will support you will not, and individuals in churches you believe will not support you will. If you understand that all of your support comes from God, then you'll be free to communicate broadly, confidently, and passionately about his desire to be glorified in all nations.

Let God do his work in the hearts and bank accounts of your prospective supporters. You do your part in communicating your vision for your part of the great commission well. By God's grace, he will supply your support needs. The common key to each of those three support raising models is an abundant quantity and quality of communication. The third key is relationships are foundational in support raising as described in the opening stories in this episode. This need not mean that everyone you approach for support must be an intimate friend. It does mean that usually some level of a relationship must be present or develop in the fundraising process. The fourth, communication is key. Tailor your communication and appeal to your audience. Important to effective communication are clarity of vision and goals. The more personal, the better. Frequency and repetition of key points, warmth and rapport, real life testimonials and anecdotes, specific data and action points, visual elements complement and enhance verbal and written elements.

The next thing to do is just get started. How do you develop your initial mailing list while acknowledging that email and web-based media is becoming the standard? Consider these categories. Who are the friends and relatives to whom you would send a Christmas card? Do your parents have ministry contacts if applicable? What about fellow believers who are your classmates or friends from university and bible college? What about your church family if you're allowed to contact them through your church's policies? Surely you have a short list of ministry contacts and those who have been discipled by you or who have discipled you. Do you have a small group bible study or Christian business associates, whether through your church or through your employment? What about your past or present community teams or clubs, whether athletic or hobbies or whatever. You should consider contacting churches in your home sending churches network or fellowship or denomination. Those churches around you that are like you or people within that association that would take an interest in your ministry.

And then the mission agency may have contacts in your area that they could give to you. You may learn through some research of unreached people groups that there are already some local churches committed to reaching groups like yours. You may find churches that are already committed to reaching your target country or your target people group. Another interesting one is Christian nationals who are immigrants or first and second generation citizens that originate from your target country. Try to secure third party endorsements and participation in the process. For example, a letter from your pastor to other like-minded pastors or pastors fellowships in your area is usually very helpful. People in your small group can write and design elements of your presentation or assemble promotional packets for distribution.

This is where having a Barnabas team or a support team or a pastoral care and prayer team from your sending church comes in really handy. They have a lot of energy and interest to be able to help and come alongside you in this process. Certainly, you can have some of those people take a look at your newsletter before you send it out. You give them a chance to critique it and improve it before you actually launch it. You may have friends who can help you create or improve aspects of your media presentations, displays, graphic design, layout, video, photography, blogs, brochures, and even developing your contact list. How long should this support raising process take? Like many projects, your results tend to correlate with the amount of time and effort you invest. In God's providence, some people will be better resourced to raise support quickly. For example, your parents may have been involved in Christian ministry throughout your lifetime.

Their friends and colleagues in ministry will be more inclined to support you. On the other hand, if you become a believer during your college years and haven't been integrally involved in a solid local church, you can expect to take more time to achieve 100% support. If you are able to devote full-time to partnership development and have some tangible assistance from others for support raising, you should expect to spend six to 12 months in the process. This usually dovetails into becoming fully qualified in other areas as well. Putting thoughtful and creative work into developing excellent materials and presentations before you begin the fundraising process will help a lot.

Get to work. You absolutely should not expect bags of money to fall from heaven. Pray. You do the part for which you are responsible. God will do his work in ways exceedingly, abundantly, beyond all you could ask or think. Give God all the glory. Just a fun question at the end. Did you know that Jesus was financially supported?

Thanks for joining us today on Missions on Point. We trust that you'll find more help and resources on our websites at Propempo.com and Missioserve.org. We are so thankful for those who support us, enabling us to produce this podcast. Now to God, be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever. Amen.