Raising Personal Support for Christian Ministry - a new resource
In recent years, an increasing number of people serving in Christian ministry have needed to raise their own support. This has not always been welcomed with open arms. Indeed some people have been heard to say "we have to raise support too" where 'have to' is a negative term, with connotations of needing to undertake some unpleasant task.
This shouldn't be the case. In God's economy, support raising is about God's people working together, those who send/give working with those who go/receive. It is how God funds his family business. This is an exciting proposition, with God fulfilling his purpose in the lives of the individuals with different roles - the givers and the receivers.
A new book, 'Funding the Family Business' is a unique resource for people in this situation and will be published by Stewardship in the summer. A handbook for those who raise their own support, it is written by Myles Wilson who has lived from a basis of personal support for over 30 years and advises many missions and individuals in this area.
Raising support involves the heart, head and hands. Wilson considers all three in broad areas: Biblical principles of giving and receiving to engage the heart; the 'whys' and 'hows' of giving to inform the head and practical suggestions for raising support to equip the hands.
The impact of the book is immediate, with early sections looking at the principles of giving, "if you are going to receive financial support, someone needs to give it, and because you can't receive until they give, it is important to understand what the Bible says about being a giver before exploring what it means to be a receiver". The clear message is that because "it is more blessed to give than receive", support raisers are helping others to experience God's blessing and reticence to approach potential supporters can deny them this privilege.
As a workbook it is packed with stories, insight and exercises that will ensure it remains a regularly used and permanent fixture on the bedside table .
There is no one-size-fits-all formula, but Wilson communicates the joy and the challenges involved in the process of relationship building - the foundational work of raising support.
This workbook will be of most help to those who make it their own, working out a plan that suits their circumstances and network of relationships.
