Funding Missionaries...

Now that I live and operate as a missionary here in St. Louis, I now understand how hard it is to find missionary funding for personal and ministry support.

I have always had a heart for missionaries and their sacrifice. They are wonderful people who give up allot to serve whenever and wherever God calls them to serve. Over and over I have heard the comments from members who said, "I am afraid to give God my all because I don't want Him to ask me to go to Africa". I have always respected those who go whenever and wherever for whatever. Now I find myself in the same situation of being called to go and then having to raise my own support and necessary funds to fuel the movement of making disciples who make disciples who...set captives free. Making disciples is the easy part, the hard part is finding those who want to participate in funding a movement of disciple-making.

I've heard all the comments just to name a few:

"We have to give to our own local church, they need the resources."
"We are giving to missions overseas."
"We just added a new staff person and we have no more resources."
"We are called to give locally not in St. Louis."
"We are in a building campaign or some property expansion project."
"Our budget is tight - we need the resources for our own ministry here."

Making disciples is the easy part, raising funds is often difficult. But it doesn't have to be this way.

At first it was hard to ask people to support us financially until the Lord reminded me that it was more about Him than it was about us. He will prepare the people if I ask Him to prepare them. The Holy Spirit also gently reminded me that I needed to invite people to participate in what He is doing through us in St. Louis and across America through The Disciple Driven Church. So that is now what I now do.

So, if you are a missionary needing to raise financial support why not consider asking those around you, "Would you like to participate in what God is doing in our ministry? This is what God is doing in our ministry. He is doing this and that and this. Would you like to participate in what God is doing? This is how you can participate in the ministry God is doing through us."

Finding Missionary support is ALL about the Holy Spirit preparing people for the invite and also about you inviting them to participate in what God is already doing. You'll encounter the selfish comments and more, as I have received, but you'll also find those with a heart to participate. Don't let the no's get you down. There are the yes's out there waiting to be invited into.