[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Testo” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n
As my wife explained to a long-time friend how we need to get our support back up before returning to Thailand, a puzzled look came over her face. \u201cDon\u2019t they pay you a salary?\u201d\u00a0 Actually, they don\u2019t!
\nThe idea that missionaries get paid a salary just like an employee at any other company is one of the biggest misconceptions about missionary support that I\u2019ve run into.\u00a0 And I know that my wife and I are not the only ones who\u2019ve encountered it.
\nUnlike NGOs who apply for grants to fund their operations and pay salaries, missionary organizations generally don\u2019t have those funding sources available to them.\u00a0 So where do missionaries get their money?\u00a0 In this post, I want to briefly explain the three major ways that missionaries are funded.\u00a0 I hope that this will be a help for those interested in becoming missionaries, for those who wonder how missionaries get their money, and for missionaries who want to help their friends and supporters understand their circumstances.<\/p>\n
There are some missionaries who don\u2019t need any external financial support from churches or individuals.\u00a0 Some of these self-funded missionaries go to the field when they are older and have retirement savings to live on.\u00a0 Others may have served in the military for twenty and have a government pension to live on.\u00a0 Others are\u00a0bivocational<\/span>\u00a0missionaries who have regular secular employment in the country where they serve.\u00a0 The school where they teach or the business they run provide ample income for them to live and minister.\u00a0 Within this category, we might add those missionaries who are partially self-funded.\u00a0 They have an internal source of income that contributes to, but does not provide\u00a0fully<\/span>, for all of their needs.\u00a0 So, they still need traditional missionary support in addition to whatever pension or local salary they draw from.<\/p>\n There are some church denominations who fully fund all missionaries who are accepted to work under their denominational mission board.\u00a0 The biggest of these is the Southern Baptist Convention, although the Christian and Missionary Alliance and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church use the same type of\u00a0pooling<\/span>\u00a0system.\u00a0 On the plus side, missionaries who get their money this way don\u2019t have to be concerned about raising or maintaining a certain level of financial support.\u00a0 On the down side, there is sometimes\u00a0less personal connection<\/span>\u00a0and commitment between local churches and individual missionaries.\u00a0 And, more significantly, if the denominational mission board needs to make budget cuts, they may eliminate funding for your position, or for your entire field of service.\u00a0 Under this system, there is still occasion for missionaries to need funding for exceptional needs above and beyond what is in their normal budget.\u00a0 However, regular living and ministry expenses are covered by the denomination.<\/p>\n The majority of missionaries\u00a0rely<\/span>\u00a0upon the generous donations of individuals and churches to make up their budget for living and ministry costs.\u00a0 Whether they are working under their denominational mission board or an independent or\u00a0inter-denominational<\/span>\u00a0mission organization, it is up the missionaries themselves to find their own support.\u00a0 This generally involves contacting individuals, families, and churches to see if they want to partner with them in prayer and finances.\u00a0 In the American context, some missionaries are quite forward and will solicit money directly, asking you to consider a gift of $50, $100, or more on a monthly basis.\u00a0 Others merely present their ministry, ask for prayer, make their needs known, and leave it up to the individual\/church and God.\u00a0 The best, or most biblical way to go about support raising is a huge topic in\u00a0itself but<\/span>\u00a0it will suffice for now to note that the majority of missionaries cannot do what they do without the voluntary financial support of local churches and individual believers.<\/p>\n The question of missionary finances can be mystifying at times, for all involved.\u00a0 Churches want to know, \u201cDoes this missionary really need money?\u00a0 How much?\u00a0 How will the money be used?\u00a0 Are they doing a ministry that we want to support?\u00a0 How do we ask this missionary about finances without seeming too nosy?\u201d\u00a0 Missionaries want to know, \u201cHow interested is this church in supporting with us?\u00a0 Is there any rhyme or reason behind how much they give or don\u2019t give?\u00a0 How can I be upfront with my financial needs without seeming like a mercenary?\u201d\u00a0 Supporters (and potential supporters) want to know, \u201cDoes this missionary need my support? Will my contribution really make a difference?\u00a0 Or will it just go into some organizational\u00a0blackhole<\/span>\u00a0somewhere?\u201d<\/p>\n Not everybody has the same questions about missionary\u00a0finances but<\/span>\u00a0regardless of where someone stands, missionaries and those who support them should be brave enough to ask good questions and openly communicate about finances as needed.\u00a0 Personally, I do not like to seem like a salesman.\u00a0 But at the same time I know there are people who are interested in what my family and I need as missionaries and want to help us if they are able.\u00a0 But they are not going to know unless I tell them.\u00a0 The most helpful guideline that I\u2019ve heard regarding communicating about money is, \u201cShare about finances commensurate with interest.\u201d<\/p>\n There are pluses and minuses of each model of missionary support and many missionaries, at one time or another, wonder if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.\u00a0 But what type of support is best for a given missionary (and his family) will depend upon one\u2019s home church and sending organization.\u00a0 At the end of the day, however, all missionaries are dependent upon God to provide the resources that they need to do what God has called them to do.<\/p>\n My wife and I are thankful for the many churches and individuals that provide our support and trust God to raise up new supporters at the right time when current supporters are no longer able to give or when needs increase.<\/p>\nDenominationally<\/span>-Funded Missionaries<\/h4>\n
Individual & Church Funded Missionaries<\/h4>\n
Transparency in Finances<\/h4>\n
Dependent on God\u2019s Provision<\/h4>\n