Myth #1: Missionaries are primarily supported by churches.
Once upon a time, this was a true statement. In the 1920s, American churches gave a minimum of 10% to foreign missions and spent more money on top of that for local ministry. According to Christianity Today, less than 3% of the funds collected by churches in America today goes to any outreach to unbelievers at all! In fact, only 0.1% (yes, that is one tenth of one percent) of all Christian income goes to global missions according to the Status of Global Missions Report in 2005. Sadly, according to a 2004 George Barna survey, only 15% of churches even consider missions to be a priority for their church!
Our supporting churches make up 8% of our total budget needs to serve TCKs in Hungary. We have found many churches are drastically cutting back on missionary funding and some are eliminating giving to missions altogether.
Myth #2: God only wants me to give cheerfully, so if I can't give cheerfully, I should not give.
Some Christians are quick to quote 2 Corinthians 9:7 to defend their lack of giving. God does love a cheerful giver, but we cannot ignore the commands in Scripture to financially give to missionaries. God has decreed missionaries be supported financially by all believers:
- Paul and Jesus considered God's command to the Israelites to be about missionaries and other full-time ministers. To not give is to rob God and the missionary! (Deuteronomy 24:15, 25:4; Malachi 3:8; Luke 10:7; 1 Corinthians 9:4-14)
- Jesus set the precedent. Jesus' living expenses were paid by others "out of their private means" (Luke 8:1-3).
- Paul "robbed other churches" to serve others on his missionary journeys (2 Corinthians 11:8-9). Paul also included financial appeals to cover his living and travel expenses in his letters (Philippians 4:10-19)!
Joy is the result of obedience, not the condition upon which we should obey. Jesus told the disciples that their joy would be complete after they chose to abide in his love by obeying his commands (John 15:10-14). In fact, Scripture tells us that joy comes as a result of making sacrifices, not before (James 1:2; Hebrews 12:2). Francis Chan said it this way, "There is greater joy in sacrifice than when we give just out of our excess."
Everyone who considers him or herself to be a Christian is commanded to give to missions (foreign and domestic). The question is not if a Christian should support missionaries, but which missionaries are God calling you to support with your finances.
Myth #3: I can't afford to support missionaries.
Most Christians believe this to be true if their giving habits are any indication. According to Christianity Today, only 27% of Christians tithe at all. Twenty-five percent give absolutely nothing to the Church or missions every year, while 36% give less than 2% of their income.
What is fascinating is which American Christians do give. According to the same study, those making less than $12,500 per year give away over 7% of their income. This kind of generosity is generally absent from the middle class! It is not until households begin to make over $90,000 per year that a greater percentage of income is given away.
Why are the poor so much more generous? Much of the middle class in heavily in debt. Debt is the biggest hindrance to giving. We are so consumed with coveting stuff that we go into debt to obtain it. The average American household has fixed expenses (largely constituted by debt) that make up 75% of the family budget!
According to Randy Alcorn, "Abundance isn't God's provision for me to live in luxury. It's his provision for me to help others live. God entrusts me with his money not to build my kingdom on earth, but to build his kingdom in heaven." We could not agree more.
Alcorn's statement is backed by Jesus. In the parable of the talents, Jesus described the kingdom of God. Two slaves were given money and they invested it wisely so that the Master's estate was expanded. The third slave did nothing with the money but bury it in a hole. When the Master returned, the slave had nothing to show for it. The "worthless" slave was cast outside into darkness as punishment for his unwillingness to advance the Master's estate! (See Matthew 25:14-30.)
If we are not using the resources God has given us to advance his Kingdom, we are like the worthless slave. To use our resources to pay interest for houses, cars, and other material goods we bought on credit is worse than burying the resources entrusted to our care in a hole.
There are few Americans who cannot afford to give to missions. Even those who make only $10,000 per year are in the top 10% of global wealth! We personally know the trials of raising a family on such a low income in the United States. We also personally know the joy and freedom of giving to missions, even while we were making so little. Giving to missions is a matter of priority, not a question of affordability.
Myth #4: What I can give is not going to make a difference.
All Christians are commanded to give. Even small gifts make a big difference when God puts it to use. When Jesus fed the five thousand, no one gave him a full catering service to work with; he was given a packed lunch for one kid. The disciples even scoffed at such an insignificant gift. God blessed the gift and multiplied it thousands of times! (See Matthew 14:13-21.)
Jesus also praised the poor widow who had nothing to give but a small penny (Mark 12:41-44). She was blessed by Jesus because she gave sacrificially while everyone else gave out of their excess.
We are personally supported by individuals who pledge between $10 and $300 per month! Every penny counts!
We are commanded to give. Let God tell you how much and then obey! It is estimated there would be an additional $159 billion available for missions if every Christian in the United States gave something. Sacrificial giving always makes a difference when it is given into the hands of God out of an obedient heart.
Myth #5: Making a financial commitment to missions is unspiritual.
Many Christians believe giving should be spontaneous, or that we should only give when we feel like it. Some believers have expressed think regular, scheduled giving is unspiritual and legalistic.
The truth of the matter is that habitual giving is a spiritual discipline all Christians are called to exercise (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Making monthly pledges to a local church and to missionaries forces us to prioritize our finances. God commands us to give first to him, then to everything else. All too often we buy everything we want first, then give God the leftovers. No body likes leftovers. Except chili. Chili is always better the second day.
We had to change the way we thought about giving when we were struggling to make ends meet while we were in college and raising our small family. Every month we paid out all the bills and we had nothing left to give at the end of the month. One day we were convicted on our approach. God commanded the Israelites to give their first fruits, not the leftovers (Leviticus 23:10-14). In Proverbs 3:9,10, God promised to supply the needs of those who "honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce." Paul made a similar promise in Philippians 4:19. After we started giving first, we were always able to pay our bills.
This is not a health-and-wealth teaching. Our income didn't increase and we made sacrifices, but our needs were met. The key to understanding this is also found in Philippians 4. Paul taught that he was amply supplied because he had learned to be content (Philippians 4:11-13). When we give our first fruits, we are putting God first in our life. When we put God first, we are radically changed from the inside out. We are no longer slaves to this world, instead we have released the material things of this world in order to seize eternity (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
To make a regular financial pledge to missions is one of the most spiritual things we can do because it results in our personal transformation and it directly advances the Kingdom of God.
And your point is...?
Our goal in writing this blog post is not to convince you to financially support us... really. Our goal in writing this post is to convince you to financially support missions. We do not seek a gift from you, but we seek what may be credited to your account (Philippians 4:17). Missions is the heartbeat of God. If we love God, we will love what he loves. If we too love missions, then we will make it a priority in our lives and demonstrate it by giving financially.
If God is calling you to partner with us financially, then please do so. You can make a commitment by clicking here.
If you do not believe God is calling you to partner with us, and you are not partnering with any other missionaries, then you need to start by finding at least one with whom you can partner. Click here to see a list of missionaries that we know personally. We support five of these ourselves on a monthly basis and know them all to be great investments in the Kingdom of God.
Let us spend each dollar with eternity in mind!
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