A Biblical Rationale for Support Raising

Transcription

1 A Biblical Rationale for Support Raising Raising ministry financial support is not a matter of salesmanship techniques but spiritual conviction. It is one of the most challenging things that you will do in ministry but is rewarding in so many ways. There is much disagreement among Christians as to the biblical precedent for support raising. Who may ask for financial assistance? For what purpose? Who may they ask? In the Bible, we find several instances where money was requested from others to accomplish God s purposes. Look up the following verses and write a one sentence summary of each to begin developing a biblical rationale for support raising. What is the biblical basis for Christian workers to be supported by others? Deuteronomy 14:27 And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. Numbers 18:21 24 I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the Tent of Meeting. 22 From now on the Israelites must not go near the Tent of Meeting, or they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die. 23 It is the Levites who are to do the work at the Tent of Meeting and bear the responsibility for offenses against it. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. They will receive no inheritance among the Israelites. 24 Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the LORD. That is why I said concerning them: They will have no inheritance among the Israelites. Luke 8:1 3 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. Luke 10:1 8 After this the Lord appointed seventy two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 5 When you enter a house, first say, Peace to this house. 6 If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. Galatians 6:6 Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Can a Christian worker appeal to non believers? How about relatives? Nehemiah 2:1 8 Nehemiah appeals to Artaxerxes to return and build walls; asks for letters to get wood May a Christian worker appeal to those who are not as financially as well off as they? Deuteronomy 16:17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you. Luke 21:1 4 As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 I tell you the truth, he said, this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on. Read and summarize these texts regarding money, possessions and God s provision: Psalm 24:1 Haggai 2:8 Job 41:11 Matthew 6:25 33 Matthew 25:14 30 Matthew 6:24 Ecclesiastes 5:10 11 Proverbs 30:7 9 1

2 Read 1 Corinthians 9:1 18. What is the central truth these verses? What application does it have for Christians today? 9 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? 2 Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. 3 This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. 4 Don t we have the right to food and drink? 5 Don t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord s brothers and Cephas? 6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? 8 Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn t the Law say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Surely he says this for us, doesn t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn t we have it all the more? But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. 13 Don t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. 15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast. 16 Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. 18 What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it. 2

3 Raising Support Guidelines As you prepare for your mission, the following information will prove to be helpful in raising your financial support. Raising support will be a challenging endeavor, but it is a faith walk that will prepare you for ministry and develop a team of people who will stand by you as you serve during your internship. To be sure, support raising is a work of God. But, there are some things that you can do to ensure the greatest success possible. Please follow these steps: CREATE A RECIPIENT LIST The first thing you should do is create a list of individuals that you will send a letter to. It is important that you not eliminate anyone from your list.. Do not try to figure out who will give or who can give. Inevitably God will always surprise you. The woman down the street who just won $11 million in the Lotto will send you $10 and your non Christian aerobics instructor will send $500. Send a letter to: Christians. They will want to be a part of God s work in your life. Non Christians. God may use you to peak their spiritual interest. Rich people. God has given them the resources to accomplish His work. Not so rich people. They already know what it means to sacrifice. Everyone. The number one rule is to not try and figure out who will and won t give or who can and can t give. God will surprise you every time. Take a few minutes to namestorm individuals that God has put in your life: Family members Missions Committee Doctors Friends of parents Christian Business Groups Nurse Former coworkers/boss Pastors/Youth Leader Community Leaders Friends Parents Neighbors (past/present) Barber/Hairdresser Sorority Sisters (& parents) Coach/Teammates Sister/Brother s friends Fraternity Brothers (parents) Former Teachers Baker High School Friends/parents College Professors Printer Church Directory Accountants Veterinarian Church Friends Mary Kay Consultant Apartment Manager Prayer Group Mailman Mayor People you ve ministered to Banker Rotary Club Sunday School Classes Grandmother s friends Dentist/Orthodontist Bible Study Groups Parent s Employees Realtors Christmas Card list Parent s Employer Plumber Camp Friends Kick Boxing Instructor/class CREATE A SUPPORT DATABASE Once you have created a list of contacts, compile a database of addresses and phone numbers. It will be very helpful to you if you will take the time to put your contacts on computer. This will assist you with tracking incoming support and will enable you to output mailing labels for ministry updates later. A little extra time now will make you more efficient in the future. COMPOSE YOUR SUPPORT LETTER Now it is time to begin writing your support letter. A few samples are included in your packet. Make your letter personal, explaining your present circumstances and why you think God is calling you to take part in a mission trip. Give a brief description of what you will be doing and how you think the trip will prepare you for the future. Feel free to express your passion to be a part of God s Kingdom work. Remember the following guidelines in writing your letter: 3

4 1. Keep the letter to one page long enough to be complete; short enough to read quickly 2. Use a warm, personal style. Jot a hand written postscript at the end. 3. List a few of your ministry opportunities (discipling students, leadership development, etc.) 4. Be specific about the amount you need to raise (calculate your total need [base pay + ministry expenses] and state a monthly total in your letter) 5. Stress monthly support from donors rather than one time gifts 6. Put a deadline date in the letter of when you need to receive their gift 7. Explain that their monthly contributions are tax deductible 8. Be very clear about who the check is to be made out to: PBC, Mission Agency, etc. (checks made out to you are not tax deductible to the donor) 9. Include a response card something they can fill out and return with their check 10. Always include a return envelope with your address on it 11. Note that you will contact them in 10 days to follow up your letter SENDING YOUR LETTER Don t dare someone to give to you. In other words, make it as easy as possible for people to respond to your request for support: 1. Use a #10 business envelope to mail your letter 2. Enclose a stamped, self addressed, #9 envelope for their response 3. Enclose a response card that will fit, unfolded, in #9 response envelope 4. Make your response card clear: one time gift? monthly gift? prayer support? 5. Use a creative, beautiful stamp on your envelope to distinguish it from bills 6. Hand address your letters FOLLOW UP Once you send your letters, continue to pray that God will work in the hearts of those who will be your future support team. Then, you will follow one of two courses of action: 1. Thank those who respond Do not wait to send a thank you note to those who respond Keep extra notes and stamps on hand so that you do not forget 2. Contact those who haven t If you have not heard from them in 3 weeks, call and ask if they received your letter Ask if they have been able to consider your requests for support Ask what they have decided Thank them either way You will be responsible for tracking your own support. Compiling a computer database and spreadsheet will enable you to classify one time and monthly supporters. Update your records with each receipt. Then, send your support (once a week) to your trip leader or sending mission agency 1. Photocopy checks for your records 2. Update your records 3. Record your name on the memo line of each check 4. Send checks weekly to your trip leader 5. Keep your trip leader apprised of any changes in your financial status DEADLINES Raising support is not only a step of faith. It is also an act of discipline. You will have to work hard to meet your deadlines for financial support in order to begin your mission on time. Set and keep good deadlines so that your trip will not be delayed. 4

5 SAMPLE LETTER April 15, 2011 Dear Friends and Family, Passion! My life has always revolved around passion. It hasn t always been focused in the right places. When I first got to UT I wanted to express this passion through being the biggest sports fan. I wanted to be the guy with the painted face on SportsCenter. Little did I know what God had in store for me. Seven and a half years later my passion has taken a dramatic turn. As some of you may already know, I am embarking on a journey that I never before envisioned. I am leaving my current job to pursue a full time vocation in college ministry. This is something that I have given much thought and prayer. And although the decision has been an easy one, following through with it has taken much faith. I believe with all of my heart that this is what God wants me to do. God has led me to start this pursuit through an internship with the pastor of collegiate ministries at First Evangelical Free Church in Austin, TX. It will start in August and last for one year. This will afford me the opportunity to gain vital experience in how to take advantage of my desire to share Christ our Savior with college students. I will lead a group of students on a weekly basis teaching them the Word, and giving them fellowship and encouragement. I will be in charge of an on going ministry project, and I will have immediate contact with students who need to hear about the grace of God. I will undergo training in apologetics, theology, evangelism, Bible study methods, and teaching and speaking techniques. The most important aspect of this internship though, is that I will receive ministry experience for a future in making disciples. When the year is over, I will explore the options of starting a new collegiate ministry somewhere, going to seminary or even going into the mission field to continue ministry. Who knows where God will direct my passion. My reason for writing is to ask you to partner with me in this passion. I am praying for a team of individuals who will join me prayerfully and financially as I step out in faith. As a missionary to students in the U.S., I will need to raise my full support of $23,000, which includes salary, ministry expenses, and administrative support. Would you please consider supporting me monthly or as a one time gift? Any contribution you make will be completely tax deductible and would go a long way in my leadership development as well as the development of future disciples in Austin and around the world. You may use the enclosed card to indicate any interest you might have in this partnership, or you may contact me for more information at As I step out in faith, I thank God for you (Philippians 1:3 4). There have been so many who have made a difference in my life. I pray that God will use me to do the same for others. In Christ, Kevin The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. I John 2:17 5