How Fundraising Is A Conduit For Blessing
October 25th, 2024 | Ashley Hendrickson
Support raising! Sound fun? Probably not. Most of us see support raising as a necessary task we have to perform to get on with the real work of ministry. We don’t think it has any of its own inherent value. But is that true? This article is written for future goers who might be worried about the prospect of support raising or questioning whether or not this is something that God would have them do. I’ll give the conclusion up front: Fundraising is a conduit for blessing both for others and yourself!
The Blessing of Participation
One of the most practically helpful things you can learn about support raising is that it is about inviting others into what you are doing, and more accurately, what God is doing, in your place of ministry. It is not just asking people for money. It is a way to mobilize believers to participate in the great commission and give them practical ways to steward their resources for the kingdom. It is a way to call people deeper into God’s heart for the nations and his good, gracious story of redemption among all peoples. Additionally, it builds up the body by providing occasion for the members to stir one another up to good works and care for each other in them. Overall, support raising is a conduit for God’s blessing – blessing for individual believers that choose to store up their treasure in heaven, blessing for the church as it is knitted together in partnership over the gospel, and blessing for those reached by the prayers and generosity of others.
The Blessing of Encouragement
Support raising can also be a huge blessing for you personally. Hopefully, the people you meet with will consistently be pouring encouragement and wisdom and joy into your heart. They will affirm your sense of calling, rejoice with you over God’s work in your life, pray for you, and share precious truths garnered from their own experiences of the Lord that you will be able to carry with you into your time overseas. God speaks through his people, and you will find that the more you share your heart with other believers, the more you open yourself to hear from God in them. It should also be extremely life-giving to constantly remind yourself of how God has worked in your life and what he has called you to. You will not just be speaking these things to others, but to yourself. This should only serve to grow your confidence in Jesus and who you are in him.
The Blessing of Provision
Throughout support raising you can experience what Isaiah 26:3 declares to be true: “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” God is a good shepherd who leads you in the way you should go, and a provider who cares for your every need. Therefore, you can trust that as he has called you to this work, he will provide you with everything you need to do it. You don’t have to worry about each little detail, like whether this person or that person might be able to give. You only need to be diligent in your work, and trust that God will arrange the right outcomes, in his own perfect way, with his own perfect timing. This leaves you with so much peace and rest and frees you to focus on connecting personally (not just transactionally) with those you meet with.
The Blessing of Grace
Many who have gone before you would share that evidence of God’s grace was abundant during their seasons of support raising. I can share personally that the first time I ever raised support to go overseas, God didn’t just bring me to my final goal; he granted me everything that I needed along the way. When I felt especially tired or drained, he either gave me energy by means of an uplifting meeting or offered me rest through people rescheduling for later dates. His timing for when I began to approach my final goal was also outstanding. A while in, something unexpected in my personal life began to take a lot of my attention. But this was no surprise to God. In his providence, I was already most of the way to my goal, and my support raising work began to get significantly lighter, allowing me time and space to focus on other things. Everyone’s story is different, but I can guarantee you this: you have a strong and gracious God.
Support raising is important and valuable work that brings blessing to everyone involved. Isn’t it an honor that the Lord has invited us to join him in his purposes? Who are we to say that his ways of accomplishing them are just not our cup of tea?
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
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