{"id":14249,"date":"2022-11-29T16:45:55","date_gmt":"2022-11-29T09:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalmmi.net\/?p=14249"},"modified":"2022-11-29T16:45:56","modified_gmt":"2022-11-29T09:45:56","slug":"non-traditional-funding-for-missions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globalmmi.net\/non-traditional-funding-for-missions","title":{"rendered":"Non-Traditional Funding For Missions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Josh Summers, Contributing Author<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Josh Summers is a ministry worker and business owner who lives and works in Thailand. His company utilizes remote workers around the world to help him with a number of brands, including a <\/em>Scripture memory training<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many westerners are familiar with the tradition of funding overseas missions in some capacity. Either we\u2019re members of a church that supports a number of missionaries around the world or we use part of our tithe to support missionaries we\u2019ve met. We give out of the abundance that God has given us to reach the nations with the gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our financial support of the Great Commission has set an example that the global church admires and desires to emulate as they continue to mobilize their own people toward a missions mindset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the many challenges we\u2019re facing, however, is that this financial support model isn\u2019t always replicable in countries where resources are severely limited. Churches around the world are raising up godly men and women who have a passion to see the gospel preached in places many westerners have a hard time going, but they\u2019re left wondering:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How are we going to pay for this?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer thus far has been to rely on support from western churches. In some ways, this beautiful tradition of sacrificial giving has limited the ability of the church to consider non-traditional forms of missions funding, but that is slowly changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are three historical approaches to this kind of non-traditional funding and a fourth emerging trend that is exciting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Global Professionals<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those who are educated doctors, engineers, accountants or other professionals have a unique opportunity to use their skill set as an access point into global missions. Their work adds value to the community where they live and it often pays a salary that can fully support their family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mobilizing these professionals doesn\u2019t mean convincing them to quit their jobs to be a missionary. On the contrary, it means giving them permission to use their God-given talent to work outside their home culture for the glory of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professional Christians living overseas is nothing new, but the idea that we can and should intentionally mobilize this group of local believers is far less common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Entrepreneurs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is another category of people who have the ability and tenacity to turn ideas into businesses. They have the vision to see opportunities where problems exist and are able to serve a community by creating a viable solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those with an entrepreneurial spirit, there are numerous options to fund these ideas beyond traditional church giving such as grants, micro-funding or outside investors. It\u2019s not easy, and the failure rate for startups is high, but it is possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Business Owners<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also have the business owners. Perhaps you\u2019ve heard of \u201cBAM\u201d (Business as Mission), but this movement focuses heavily on using business as a means of access and identity in foreign countries, not necessarily funding. However, there are plenty of examples of businesses around the world whose foreign owners live off the salary the business provides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running a business in a foreign country has many challenges, to be sure, but it also provides opportunities to share the gospel to people and areas that a traditional missionary simply wouldn\u2019t have access to. Employees, vendors, partners and customers present unlimited opportunity to combine work and ministry in a place that (hopefully) can pay the bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Global professionals, entrepreneurs and business owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically these have been the only alternatives to traditional missions funding, but they\u2019ve also not been attractive options when mobilizing the global church because:

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