| Featured Products |
|
 |
|
 |
|
SRS Newsletter Repository
Welcome to the SRS Newsletter repository. Below, you will find an assortment of newsletters designed to train and equip you with the information and strategies you need to effectively fulfill your personal support needs. Click a title to open and read any issue.
Five Current Trends in Personal Support Raising
Last Updated Jun 2010
By:
Steve Shadrach, 2nd Opinion: Holmes Bryan
| |
Five Current Trends in Personal Support Raising
|
1. Ministries do support raising just like they do their witnessing.
Those that are not willing or able to ask people to receive Christ in their personal ministry are usually not willing or able to ask people to give during their support raising appointments. We may blame our support failures on lack of contacts, lack of experience, etc…but that’s usually just a smokescreen to hide our fears. The groups that have broken through the faith (and fear) barriers of consistently doing personal evangelism not only attract more staff, but will usually get them to full support much quicker.
2. Very few enforce the 100% policy.
Many ministries have the “can’t report to your assignment until you’re at 100%” policy, but few have the courage or consistency to enforce it—FOR EVERYONE, NO EXCEPTIONS. Plus, if the leaders of the ministry are on paid salaries they don’t have a lot of credibility or authority to enforce it. I do not allow our new staff to even move to their new ministry location until they have 100% of their monthly support coming in—not just pledged. It may seem cruel, but you will be doing your staff a huge favor—and will see remarkable results.
3. The “don’t ask” groups are moving toward an “asking is ok” stance.
Some of the old line mission agencies created in the wake of Hudson Taylor’s ministry have been struggling attracting staff, getting them funded and to the field in a timely manner. Many are becoming open to sharing their financial need and asking in a sensitive way. Taylor is a great role model in many areas, but his funding approach may not be the best in this time and culture. Why is it ok to ask people to pray (which many of these groups do), but not ask them to give? Why have some separated those two and implied that one is good and the other is bad?
4. Ministries are starting to give more emphasis to support raising training.
Many Christian ministries give a 2 hour “orientation” on support raising, or worse, just hand the new staffer a book to read. There is a move to give one or two days, or more, to this important topic. Along with creating new policies and tools, some groups are raising up someone within to train and track their staff full time. Chi Alpha Campus Ministries and Frontiers Mission Agency are two examples of this very healthy trend.
5. Ministries really don’t have a feel for the support raising health of their own organization.
It’s a fog out there. Leaders “hope” their staff are doing ok in their support, finances, debt load, marriages, savings, giving, communication with supporters, etc…But, they have no concrete evidence to tell them one way or the other. We are currently tweaking the final versions of a support raising audit that will objectively and anonymously survey the staff, evaluate the results, and make recommendations for change. The organizations willing to take a hard look at themselves and make the necessary adjustments are the ones who will make the greatest long term impact.
|
|
|
August 2005
|
|
In the next issue...
Tentmaking vs. Support Raising:
Which is the Biblical Model?
|
| What is Support Raising Solutions? |
This is a free monthly newsletter focusing on crucial topics in the world of personal support raising. It is not intended for the general public or individual Christian worker, but specifically designed for support raising trainers or policy makers within ministries who focus on fulfilling the Great Commission.
Each issue will highlight a pertinent subject or question which will be followed with a "Second Opinion" from another authority in that field. We do not pretend to have all the answers. Our main goal is simply to get as many new and veteran Christian workers to their assignment quickly - and fully funded! |
| Second Opinion - Your Online Discussion Forum |
Give your feedback.
Read others' feedback.
Yes, many of these viewpoints are from experienced experts, but everyone has a unique perspective. We want our website to act as a sounding board for ministry leaders around the world. What do you agree or disagree with in this article? Share your thoughts with others who are on the same journey. Log on at: www.TheBodyBuilders.net |
| About the Author |
 Steve Shadrach is President of the BodyBuilders. Along with loving God and family, he has a passion to mobilize college students to reach the world. His book, Fuel and the Flame: 10 Keys to Ignite Your College Campus for Jesus Christ does just that. |
| Subscription Information |
|
|
|
| |
|
We usually allow our staff to report to ministry assignments when they reach 85-90% of support.” Few statements regarding support raising make me cringe more, yet I hear it all the time. I cringe because I know how much unnecessary suffering this practice causes.
I then may ask: “Do you have statistical data to support staff raising the additional 10-15% after reaching their assignment?” Silence. And it’s not usually because the data does not support the practice…it’s simply that there is no data. But if the data were available, you can be sure it would not support the practice.
I immediately lobby ministry leadership to change the practice and policy to a requirement of 110%. For missionaries serving overseas, I recommend 115-125%, depending on the stability of the country’s currency.
Why not stop at 100%? How long do you want your staff on the field before they must leave to raise additional support? Support needs go up. Supporters stop supporting for a variety of good, but unforeseen reasons. An extra 10% can keep staff on the field for several years, assuming good support maintenance. Staff can raise additional support from ministry assignments. But I would rather see them use that time initially to begin excellent support maintenance practices, not to catch up on the support they didn’t raise before they got there.
Another important trend in personal support raising: Christians in developing countries are successfully raising support to become missionaries elsewhere. The percentage of Western missionaries worldwide is down from 91% in 1990 to 79% in 2000. Non-Western missionary sending is up over 300% in the same time period. And many are successfully raising full support without financial help from the West.
Eastern Europeans are able to get into countries like Turkmenistan and Kazakstan easier than Westerners. Russians are more accepted in India, and Latin Americans find it much easier to get into and minister in the Middle East. Pray for their continued success in support raising. The U.S. can’t do it alone.
|
| |
|
| About the Author |
|
Holmes Bryan worked in key development roles with Campus Crusade for ten years before co-founding Evangelical Development Ministry. He has trained Christian workers to raise their support in countries all over the world.
|
| Upcoming Boot Camps |
|
Fairhope, AL
September 21-23, 2005
Host: Campus Outreach
Registration Closed
Little Rock, AR
September 27-28, 2005
Host: Fellowship Associates
Guest Spots Available
Go to www.TheBodyBuilders.net to register
If you or your organization is interested in knowing how to host or co-host a Boot Camp, email: info@thebodybuilders.net
or contact us at 800-595-4881.
|
|
|
|
|
PO Box 3556 - Fayetteville, Arkansas 72702 - (800)595-4881 - www.thebodybuilders.net
All content © 2005 The BodyBuilders
|
SRS Products
We publish an assortment of resources focusing on crucial topics in personal support raising. The following are some of them.
Recommended Books
We have chosen these books because we feel they are helpful in the area of support raising. We have made these titles easy to purchase by linking the book title on the page to Amazon.com.
 |
Friend Raising: Building a Missionary Support Team (by Betty Barnett, YWAM Publishing) |
| |
 |
Getting Sent: A Relational Approach to Support Raising (by Pete Sommer, Intervarsity Press) |
| |
 |
People Raising: A Practical Guide to Raising Support (by William Dillon, Moody Press) |
SRS Support Raising Documents
Links
Check out some other links that can help you in this area of support raising.
For help with downloading your contacts from Excel to TntMPD, please click here.
For help with using TNT software on a Mac, click here.
|
|
|
|
|