Theres a lot of talk about ministries becoming self-sustaining. While I believe ministries should develop strategies to shore up their funding through entrepreneurial efforts and other meaningful endeavors, there has never been a biblical mandate for ministries to be totally self-sustaining. On the contrary, the Bible teaches, and Believers model the principle of the Body of Christ coming together to help each other (Acts 2:44-47; Acts 4:32-35; 1 Corinthians 12:24-26). The Bible says, There will always be poor among you (Leviticus 19:10; 23:22; Deuteronomy 15:11; Mark 14:7). Yes, the Bible also says, Whoever does not work, should not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10), but even those who work hard, may still remain poor, or lack resources to carry out their God-given call to make disciples. I believe ministries (and individuals) should work hard to find creative and practical ways to build a measure of sustainability through things such as business development, but consider this, when the area where one is called to serve is steeped in poverty, it is ill-conceived to think that any product that is produced or business that is developed, even if it caters to the particular needs of individuals in that community, will garner the resources necessary to completely sustain that ministry. Yes, a percentage of a ministries overall fundraising strategy should include a plan for financial sustainability through entrepreneurial undertakings, but, as the Body of Christ, we should rally around those who are called to the painstakingly difficult, yet rewarding responsibility to make disciples in places where many people have either abandoned, or are too afraid to live and support them financially. Another issue that should be considered is that an individual or ministry that allocates hundreds of collective hours to sustain their business may be pulled away from their first call to seek and save the lost and equip Believers to make disciples. Yes, lets work to help ministries develop strategies that will help them generate a portion of their resources through entrepreneurial efforts, but let us balance this by giving the Body of Christ both the privilege and the joy of supporting each other in the mission to make disciples.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 12:57:47 +0000
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