Fundraising. Support raising. Partnership development. Whatever you call it, it’s hard work. To raise all of your own support requires countless hours given to conversations, texts, calls, emails, posts, meetings, and presentations, stretched out over months. It involves weeks where you scratch your head because nothing seems to be working and other weeks where supporters seem to materialize ex nihilo. It can all feel like one big mysterious emotional roller coaster. So, it makes sense why so many Christians immediately rule out an exciting role as soon as they hear that it requires support raising.
But there are also upsides to Christian fundraising that are not often spoken of. And since my family is currently in the thick of it, we have front-row seats to these upsides. Namely, support raising leads to new and renewed Christian friendships – and through this to joy, lots of it.
Something remarkable happens when Christians give their money joyfully and without compulsion to free up another Christian for ministry. Through this simple transaction, both people end up closer to one another. This is easy to understand when it comes to the one being supported. Unless the supported worker has fallen into entitlement, the natural response of the new heart is amazement, gratitude, and joy that other believers would not only give to their local churches, but on top of that also give to their ministry. For any of us who know what it is to labor for a daily wage in this world of thorns, we naturally hold those in our hearts who include us in their sacrificial giving. You could even make the case that the entire book of Philippians is simply the overflow of Paul’s heart for his loyal, happy, broke Macedonian supporters.
But how does supporting someone else lead to increased joy and affection in the heart of the giver? Well, like Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matt 6:21). Our hearts follow our money. So, when believers invest their money in the labor of Christian workers, they are also investing with them a part of their hearts. Authors like Randy Alcorn have often said that if one wants to grow their affections for missions, for protecting the unborn, for combating human trafficking, then one of the most practical things they can do is give their money to believers and organizations that work in these areas. Of course, for this to work, this giving should be something that we see and feel, something that doesn’t always happen in this age of automatic payments and disposable income.
In this multiplication of joy, in this movement of the supporter and the supported toward one another, we see one aspect of the created goodness of money. Yes, the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim 6:10), but money itself is not bad, nor even neutral. Money is part of God’s good created order. And one piece of evidence for that is that it strengthens the love, friendship, and joy between believers when one of them supports the other.
What a joy it has been to revive old friendships through our own process of fundraising as we seek to return to the field. What a joy it’s been to get to know other believers really for the first time, or to meet with acquaintances about support and to leave that meeting knowing that we have now become friends. I have had so much fun visiting churches and small groups – because of our support needs – and while there soaking in the evidence of God’s grace so apparent in these communities that I don’t get to be a regular member of. Yes, I’m here to share about our ministry and partnership needs. But I’m really here because of joy – joy that comes through new and renewed friendships, and which I also receive when you help me afford my family’s groceries and international health insurance.
That being said, Jesus says those who support us are actually getting the better deal, “It’s more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Our supporters are going to come out of this with even more joy than we are.
But perhaps one of the most remarkable things about Christian fundraising is that it is not only, nor even primarily, about our joy now. It’s about our joy in eternity. It’s about resurrection. That’s really the main point of Jesus’ teachings about money (Matt 6:20). By giving sacrificially, and by calling others to give, we are investing in one another’s rewards in heaven. When we exchange our temporary treasure for the sake of kingdom advance, we are somehow increasing one another’s joy, glory, and authority in the world to come. What an opportunity. Rich friendships and joy now – and rewards eternal.
One of the most tragic things about the church in Central Asia is that it does not yet know of these joys. At least in our area, local believers have largely not grown into regular, sacrificial giving. Most believe that as members of a church, they are clients, not patrons, and therefore they should be receiving financial support from the church, not the other way around. Because of this, they are massively missing out. Long-term, we want our work to move the needle in this area so that Central Asians might also know the joys of the early Macedonian believers, who gave even out of their poverty. Their joy and friendships now could be so much richer, along with their lives in the coming resurrection. There are some pretty big worldview issues to overcome here, but our sense is that once they get a taste of this joy, there will be no going back.
Fundraising gets a bad rap. Yes, it’s hard, even tedious work. But it is really an opportunity for deep Christian friendship and joy. It is an opportunity to increase one another’s eternal joy. If any Christian workers out there are struggling in your fundraising, or if you are dreading stepping into a role that requires support raising, take heart. There are some serious upsides – upsides that make all the hard work worth it.
And if any believers out there are lacking in friendships or struggling with discouragement, then look to how you’re using your treasure. It may be the secret to joy, and lots of it.
We will be fully funded and headed back to the field when 44 more friends become monthly or annual supporters. If you would like to join our support team, reach out here. Many thanks!
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Photos are from Unsplash.com
Entrusted to the Dirt 