I have spent ten years raising support, and I believe it is a valid and biblical approach to funding ministry. I plan to write more about the practical process of developing a partnership team in later posts. But this article is for those who are considering stepping into the process of developing a partnership team. I want to suggest you take the following steps before making the dive. Get these foundational pieces in place and your journey into fully-funded ministry will be so much easier.
1. Get a job
I started mowing our neighbor’s lawn as a teenager, and I was employed as soon as I could legally get a workers permit. I think it is healthy for everyone to have to work a few jobs you do not like. It is good for your character. Learn what it is like in the real world with annoying bosses and challenging work conditions. Start working as young as possible. Learn what it takes to earn a dollar. Before you raise support, get a full-time job and learn to work hard. Once you start raising support, it will make you extremely grateful for those who give to you. It will help you develop a strong work ethic that you will need in vocational ministry. And it may allow you to store some money away in savings.
2. Get out of debt
Better yet… don’t get in debt. But if you do have consumer debt, put all your effort into eliminating it before you start raising your support. You will want to be a good steward of your partner’s’ gifts and not have it all go towards credit card interest. Dave Ramsey can help you go after your debt in a strategic way. A mortgage or car payment is reasonable, but try to eliminate as much debt as you can.
3. Start Giving
Before I quit my marketplace job to do vocational ministry, I heard someone suggest that anyone wanting to raise support should start supporting three other missionaries with a monthly financial gift first. So I did it. It works. The biblical concept of sowing and reaping is real. We should develop generous hearts that give away 10% minimum before we ever start asking. Don’t ask people to give if you are not willing to give.
4. Serve & do ministry
Ministry is a calling not a career. If you are waiting for a church job or a support team or funding before you begin ministering to people, then you have no business being in vocational ministry. I was voluntarily dedicating 40+ hours each week to music & ministry before I ever got paid for it. Start praying now. Start making disciples now. Start serving at church now. Lead a small group now. Evangelize now. Heal the sick and prophesy now. If you end up getting paid to do ministry at some point, great. But if you’re only doing ministry because you get paid, then your motives are skewed.
5. Build healthy relationships
Ministry is all about relationships. If you have not spent years developing quality relationships with people, then you are going to really struggle raising support. Developing a partnership team requires that you have hundreds of contacts – acquaintances, family and friends. If you don’t have a strong, fairly large relational network, then you are probably not engaging in ministry (see point #4). It’s also important that you have maintained healthy relationships. Romans 12:18 says “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” If you have a history of burned bridges, broken friendships and dramatic church engagements, then you will not do well maintaining a healthy partnership team.
6. Study the Bible
You need to be confident that raising support is biblical. I want to recommend The God Ask as a great book that teaches these biblical foundations. But I want to encourage you to study this topic for yourself. As a broader point, you need to become a student of the word of God period. Take the time to go deep in the Scriptures. Read through it yearly. Listen to sermons. Read books. Use commentaries. The word of God gives you authority and confidence to move forward with the joyful and challenging support raising process.