As a long term missionary, I was thinking one day about my support raising strategies. And the thought occurred to me - Why would people want to support us? Then my overly analytical brain decided to work overtime and I began realizing there are actually some reasons why people SHOULDN’T support missionaries. And although this seems to be in conflict with my desired outcome, it seemed good to explore this.
1. You shouldn’t support missionaries because their job is more important than yours.
Unfortunately, many attest to the phrase “working for the Lord” or “doing the Lord’s work” as a way to define anyone in a vocational Christian ministry field (such as pastors and missionaries). They feel that those in this ‘field’ have more ‘Godly’ work and is more important than what they do as a secretary, a manager, a plumber, or a designer. With that mindset it leads to the thought process of “well, I can’t work for the Lord since I’m in this job, so I should give my money so I can at least do something ‘for the Lord’”.
Paul the Apostle said, “Whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father…” (Colossians 3:17).
A missionary’s job is not more important than yours, it’s not more Godly than yours, and it’s not necessarily doing a better job of reaching people for Christ than yours.
2. You shouldn’t support missionaries because you’ll get a financial reward.
Yes, there is a number of scriptures that discuss generosity, and even a couple that suggest reward and fulfilment for your giving. I love these scriptures and am challenged by them myself. I think we all can, and need to, learn how to be more generous.
However, if we’re giving to missionaries because in some way we think that it magically means we’ll get your own financial reward here on earth, I don’t believe this the formula God intended.
3. You shouldn’t support a missionary if you feel guilty or manipulated.
This goes with point 1 as well - if you’re giving because you think you can’t ‘work for the Lord’.
Or there may be other reasons for your guilt:
So the choice is yours, you either give because you want to or you don’t.
On another note -
Should you give to a missionary if their social media feed looks like they’re having too much fun?
The first thing to note here is we all know that a person’s social media feed usually shows the bright side of life, the good times, and the nice moments. And so, missionaries are likely doing the same - posting photos of fun with friends, the pretty places around them and the good times.
Rarely on social media will you see missionaries sharing of the boring tasks they have to do (which, believe it or not, come with any job), the long days of trying to get all their work done, the heartache of missing family and family events, the conflicts they have with friends who may also be their colleagues (or even worse, their supervisor), the questioning thoughts they have if they really should be doing this ... Everyone has difficult parts of their life, but most don’t broadcast those to the world. Most of us put out on the social platform only the good things we want other people to know about. Missionaries are no different.
The second thing to note here is the concept that missionaries shouldn’t have fun. I hope you don’t think this. Missionaries often are working long hours, because 1) There’s always more to do, and 2) due to the job being unsalaried, there are less people to do the job (“the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few…”). I think that everyone needs some down time. It’s called rest.
I’ve been there. Once, my husband and I were provided with a week at a holiday unit just 5 minutes walk to a beautiful beach, including a car for the week and groceries - and all this from a pastor and church who hardly knew us! As a missionary, I actually find it hard to share those beautiful experiences with others, for fear they may think I misused my support money in some way.
I was saddened by the occasion I met a missionary who moved his whole family to a remote part of the world. As he showed us his house, he made it clear that his house and some personal belongings were paid for by the sale of their family house in their home nation before they left, and not paid for from their supporter income. Apparently, he felt some may not feel it appropriate for them to live in a proper house, and so he needed to clarify to us as guests (and fellow missionaries!) where those funds came from!
So why DO we give to missionaries then?
If we think back to Old Testament times, God put in place the tribe of Levi to do the ‘religious’ duties. God didn’t give them any land of their own, but told the rest of the Israelite people they were to provide for the tribe of Levi for their service.
Now, in no way am I suggesting that we are to consider Old Testament living with the religious rituals, as God’s plan for now.
What I am suggesting is this: Most vocations have a product which you use to barter, trade or sell for another product, service or monies. In Christian ministry, there is not specifically anything to sell to gain an income, no physical trade off to pay the bills.
Therefore, those in Christian ministry as a dedicated vocation rely on the financial support of other Christians. We all know pastors do it this way. And those in missions service don’t have a specific congregation as pastors do, so they raise funds through their connections.
Try this:
If you have been giving out of guilt, talk to God about it. Decide in your heart what you WANT to give, and then do it. Repent of your guilt, and take on God’s grace.
If you have decided you want to give, also decide TOWARDS WHAT you want to give - a person, a cause, a ministry.
In closing I’m obviously by no means suggesting you should stop supporting missionaries. Just consider why you’re doing it or why you’re not doing it. Then decide for yourself (with God) what you want to do and then let God do the rest.
1. You shouldn’t support missionaries because their job is more important than yours.
Unfortunately, many attest to the phrase “working for the Lord” or “doing the Lord’s work” as a way to define anyone in a vocational Christian ministry field (such as pastors and missionaries). They feel that those in this ‘field’ have more ‘Godly’ work and is more important than what they do as a secretary, a manager, a plumber, or a designer. With that mindset it leads to the thought process of “well, I can’t work for the Lord since I’m in this job, so I should give my money so I can at least do something ‘for the Lord’”.
Paul the Apostle said, “Whatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father…” (Colossians 3:17).
A missionary’s job is not more important than yours, it’s not more Godly than yours, and it’s not necessarily doing a better job of reaching people for Christ than yours.
2. You shouldn’t support missionaries because you’ll get a financial reward.
Yes, there is a number of scriptures that discuss generosity, and even a couple that suggest reward and fulfilment for your giving. I love these scriptures and am challenged by them myself. I think we all can, and need to, learn how to be more generous.
However, if we’re giving to missionaries because in some way we think that it magically means we’ll get your own financial reward here on earth, I don’t believe this the formula God intended.
3. You shouldn’t support a missionary if you feel guilty or manipulated.
This goes with point 1 as well - if you’re giving because you think you can’t ‘work for the Lord’.
Or there may be other reasons for your guilt:
- If the missionary is your family member and you can’t stand to see them going ‘without’
- If the missionary has given a compelling argument that you feel manipulated by
- If you feel you’ve let God down for not giving
So the choice is yours, you either give because you want to or you don’t.
On another note -
Should you give to a missionary if their social media feed looks like they’re having too much fun?
The first thing to note here is we all know that a person’s social media feed usually shows the bright side of life, the good times, and the nice moments. And so, missionaries are likely doing the same - posting photos of fun with friends, the pretty places around them and the good times.
Rarely on social media will you see missionaries sharing of the boring tasks they have to do (which, believe it or not, come with any job), the long days of trying to get all their work done, the heartache of missing family and family events, the conflicts they have with friends who may also be their colleagues (or even worse, their supervisor), the questioning thoughts they have if they really should be doing this ... Everyone has difficult parts of their life, but most don’t broadcast those to the world. Most of us put out on the social platform only the good things we want other people to know about. Missionaries are no different.
The second thing to note here is the concept that missionaries shouldn’t have fun. I hope you don’t think this. Missionaries often are working long hours, because 1) There’s always more to do, and 2) due to the job being unsalaried, there are less people to do the job (“the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few…”). I think that everyone needs some down time. It’s called rest.
I’ve been there. Once, my husband and I were provided with a week at a holiday unit just 5 minutes walk to a beautiful beach, including a car for the week and groceries - and all this from a pastor and church who hardly knew us! As a missionary, I actually find it hard to share those beautiful experiences with others, for fear they may think I misused my support money in some way.
I was saddened by the occasion I met a missionary who moved his whole family to a remote part of the world. As he showed us his house, he made it clear that his house and some personal belongings were paid for by the sale of their family house in their home nation before they left, and not paid for from their supporter income. Apparently, he felt some may not feel it appropriate for them to live in a proper house, and so he needed to clarify to us as guests (and fellow missionaries!) where those funds came from!
So why DO we give to missionaries then?
If we think back to Old Testament times, God put in place the tribe of Levi to do the ‘religious’ duties. God didn’t give them any land of their own, but told the rest of the Israelite people they were to provide for the tribe of Levi for their service.
Now, in no way am I suggesting that we are to consider Old Testament living with the religious rituals, as God’s plan for now.
What I am suggesting is this: Most vocations have a product which you use to barter, trade or sell for another product, service or monies. In Christian ministry, there is not specifically anything to sell to gain an income, no physical trade off to pay the bills.
Therefore, those in Christian ministry as a dedicated vocation rely on the financial support of other Christians. We all know pastors do it this way. And those in missions service don’t have a specific congregation as pastors do, so they raise funds through their connections.
Try this:
If you have been giving out of guilt, talk to God about it. Decide in your heart what you WANT to give, and then do it. Repent of your guilt, and take on God’s grace.
If you have decided you want to give, also decide TOWARDS WHAT you want to give - a person, a cause, a ministry.
In closing I’m obviously by no means suggesting you should stop supporting missionaries. Just consider why you’re doing it or why you’re not doing it. Then decide for yourself (with God) what you want to do and then let God do the rest.
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