The Ideal Way to Support a Missionary

Churches across the nation experience requests for support from thousands of individuals seeking to go into the mission field.  These individuals, or families, are opting to live and learn in a new culture.  For the most part, support raising is a required task for this to take place.  Support raising is a normal and expected activity for most missionaries to take part in.  That support generally comes from churches or individuals.    

I tend not to use the word “funding” or “fundraising” due to its limiting effect of showing what a missionary needs.  Missionaries need more than just finances to live on and operate their ministry.  Prayer support, physical support, emotional care, and the list can go on.  Gathering all of these together makes up support raising.  

As a church though, when a missionary comes and asks for your church to support them, how do you go about making that decision?  One method would be that if there is money not allocated or leftover from that budget year, that new missionary would most likely receive it.  This isn’t the case for every church, but this does highlight the issue at hand.  What about the other levels of support that missionary needs?  Are you equipped to offer those areas of support too?  

The reality is that there is no standard to measure from as to how to begin supporting a missionary.  Having one specific list that is mass-produced and used across the board, may do more harm than good.  I am comfortable with not having a standard, I believe that is a healthy place to be.  Instead, each church must determine for themselves what is the best way to begin partnering and supporting missionaries.  What is “our” standard that fits us?  What will we hold ourselves accountable to?

The question needs to be asked, is there an IDEAL way a church can begin supporting a missionary?  

Absolutely!

In the coming blog posts, I want to explore what it looks like to create an ideal way to evaluate and determine if a particular missionary is a good fit for partnering with your church and your team.  An ideal way of supporting a missionary is only true for you and your church setting.  Remember, supporting a missionary is more than being a financial contributor.  

Let’s elevate our partnerships and propel the Gospel into lands and areas that have never heard the Gospel in the best way possible!