by We often have conversations with our teens at church about their future. The discussions primarily centre around what kind of people they are to become and what work/career they would engage in their adulthood. In our forums, I am yet to meet a teen who says they want to be fundraisers when they grow up. Most want to be doctors, engineers, YouTubers, architects, teachers, police officers, entrepreneurs… but not fundraisers. Neither did I want to be a fundraiser when I was a teen. However, my present work requires me to seek financial support for causes and missional charity. Over the past few years I have made appeals for needy students scholarships, building funds, ministry expenditure among other entreprises, and I have developed a little bit of understanding about funding Christian mission.
First, I understand we are all missionaries of Christ. God’s plan of reconciling the world through Christ has been revealed to all of us (Ephesians 1:9-10). He therefore expects us to carry out the work of the ministry (2 Timothy 4:5). As disciples of Christ, we should always be prepared to give an answer for the hope that we have in our hearts. However, there are those within the church fellowship whose form of ministry requires financial support from other believers. How these believers fundraise varies depending on the nature of the ministry and their theological understanding.
There are those who follow Jesus’s model of fundraising in Matthew 10:9-13 where Jesus said, “Don’t take any money in your money belts—no gold, silver, or even copper coins. Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed. Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy person and stay in his home until you leave town.”
My wife got to experience this. Together with a few other missionaries, they were hosted in various homes in one of Kenya’s slums. For about a week, she ate what her host ate, went where her host went for evangelism, bathed where they bathed and slept where she was told to sleep. There was no guest bed or guest room. The family of three hosting her lived in a single room. She was given a 2kg Kasuku plastic container to pee in at night for it was insecure to go out in the dark to the shared toilets. These toilets overflowed with refuse as there were no exhauster services. She bathed next to these over flowing toilets in the morning. The makeshift bathrooms next to the toilet had no doors so one carried a leso for privacy. Like the disciples in Matthew 10, they did not carry any money or change of clothes but accepted hospitality from strangers as they preached.
Other believers follow Paul’s model of fundraising. They practice their profession and use their resources to finance ministry needs. This model is often called “tent-making” or “bi-vocational ministry” (Acts 18:1-3). You’ll find people like Tony, who is an English teacher in a predominantly Muslim nation, witnessing with his life. He does private tutoring apart from his 8-5 work. During these one-on-one sessions, Tony prays for his students in the name of Jesus that they understand what they are learning. He also answers their big life questions with a biblical perspective whenever an opportunity presents itself. Often he does these extra lessons at not charge. Tony goes for parties that he is invited to by his students, visits them when they are sick, and helps them with their career choices. He uses his resources to do life with them and they know he is a Christian.
However, Apostle Paul considered himself an exception in his “tent-making” fundraising model (1 Corinthians 9:12). The model he taught was that churches/Christians ought to support those in ministry. He said, “Don’t you realize that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings. In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it” (1 Corinthians 9:13-14). Here, missionaries present their needs to Christian friends and/or churches and ask for financial support.
In this model, when individual believers are asked to give they generally respond in three ways:
1)They can give a one time gift.
2)They can give a recurrent gift for a period of time e.g. a monthly gift for one year.
3)They can support as long as the need is present.
In view of the different models of fundraising, how then should Christian mission be funded?
Whichever model we practice, we are to remember that God is pleased when we give cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7). In his book, The Grace of Giving, John Stott highlights ten principles of how we can fund Christian mission. I comment on five below.
1).Christian giving is an expression of the grace of God.
Since God is generous, He is at work to make his children generous. We see this example in the commendation of the Macedonian church in 2 Corinthians 8:1-6. They gave out of their poverty. God was looking at their heart. A transformed heart is a a generous heart. Proverbs 23:6-8 warns us against stinginess by saying, ‘Don’t eat with people who are stingy; don’t desire their delicacies. They are always thinking about how much it costs. “Eat and drink,” they say, but they don’t mean it. You will throw up what little you’ve eaten, and your compliments will be wasted.’ Stingy monthly or one time donors are not imitating the generosity of God. We are to generously fund Christian mission.
2). Christian giving can be a charisma, that is a gift of the Spirit.
John Stott commenting on Romans 12:8 says, “God’s gifts are generously bestowed in some measure on all believers and given in special measure to some.” This is the same as saying all Christians are called to do the work of an evangelist but some people are called/gifted to be evangelists. So it is with generous giving. We are all called to be generous but those entrusted with significantly more financial resources have a special stewardship responsibility/grace of giving. In 1 Timothy 6:17-19 Paul said, “Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life.”
3). Christian giving is inspired by the cross of Christ.
In 2 Corinthians 8:8, Paul challenges the Corinthian church to express the genuineness of their love for Christ by their generosity (2 Corinthians 8:8). A modern idiom is ‘put money where your mouth is’. You say you care about the poor? Can it be seen in your generosity? Is what you give to the needy generous or do you say because they don’t have money like you or their standard of living is lower than yours then your small gift is a lot of money to them? Show your sincerity as a follower of Christ by your generosity.
4). Christian giving is proportionate giving.
‘Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have’ (2 Corinthians 8:10-12).
There are times to give sacrificially like the Macedonian church but as a general practice, Christian giving should never be less than proportionate to our income.
5). Christian giving promotes thanksgiving to God.
‘ And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!’ 2 Corinthians 9:11b-15
From the verse above, John Stott says authentic Christian giving leads people not only to thank us the givers, but to thank God, and to see our gift to them in the light of his indescribable grace, shown supremely in the gift of his Son.
From the study of God’s word, we see God’s work done by those who have no other sources of income, should be generously supported by those who do.
