Scripture approaches the subject of funding ministry from a variety of perspectives. While offering general principles of stewardship (see “Financing the Great Commission,” page 26), it also supplies guidance for the donor as well as guidance for the asking organization. Taken together, these perspectives begin building a biblical theology of paying for the monetary costs incurred in taking the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Biblical Guidelines For The Donor
The Bible gives us three major guidelines that apply to the donor. First, God is concerned that giving of his resources be done with the proper intent. A most challenging passage here is 1 Chronicles 29:14–17, where David provided material for the building of the temple. After he set the example in giving and others followed, he made the following observation:
“I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent” (v. 17, NIV).
Earlier verses in this passage address the issue of what constitutes honest intent: giving to God willingly, recognizing that such gifts come from God in the first place. Those who ask for money must be extremely careful that in their asking and in how the gift and the giver are recognized, something is not done that contributes to an impure motive.
A second principle is that God expects those who give of his resources to keep it quiet. A primary passage on this point is Matthew 6:2–4: “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men.… But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
These verses suggest that Christian donors are to give in secret. Further, if such is not done, no reward comes from the Father in heaven. Jesus’ highlighting of the widow’s giving quietly of her mite is a worthy illustration of this guideline.
A third biblical guideline for donors suggests that God expects those who give to do so with no expectation of a return. An illustrative passage is Luke 6. In verses 27–36, the Lord was giving instruction on the “new” way he wants believers to behave. Specifically, he talked about responding to actions of enemies, responding to those who ask for something; loving those who do not love in kind; lending money; and being merciful. His new order of behavior suggests radically different approaches on all of these topics. On the topic of lending, he stated the following:
“And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners expecting to be paid in full.… But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great.…” (Luke 6:34–35).
Since the instruction is to Christians regarding enemies and involves lending, and since presumably the relationship between donors and organizations is not that of an “enemy,” this biblical guideline acquires even greater force—don’t give with an expectation of return.
In reviewing the many requests made for gifts, donors may be tempted to make decisions on giving based on which organization offers the biggest premium or return. They are offered tapes, records, books, commentaries, and Bibles if they properly respond to the urgings of Christian organizations. These premiums are offered because they work. Yet this approach violates the biblical guideline of giving without expectation of return.
Biblical Guidelines For The Asking Organization
In addition to guidelines for the donor, the fund raiser may also look to the Bible for principles governing asking for money to finance Christian ministry.
First, Christian organizations need to be content with their circumstances, knowing that God has promised to supply all their needs. For the Christian, and presumably for the Christian organization, Scripture places a premium on contentment: “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’ ” (Heb. 13:5).
Paul stated he had learned to be content “whatever the circumstances” and that he had learned “the secret of being content in any and every situation” (Phil. 4:11–12). The secret, obviously, was that he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him. He taught Timothy that godliness with contentment was great gain (1 Tim. 6:6).
Institutional contentment, however, must also be combined with the realization that God has promised to meet all needs. “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).
It is in this area, perhaps more than others, where Christian organizations may be overlooking biblical truth. Organizational operating assumptions, both explicit and implicit, seem to suggest that God is not capable of meeting needs—enough is never enough, and what is really desired is for him to meet not only needs, but also wants.
Is it possible, as Richard Foster suggests in The Freedom of Simplicity, “that sometimes God would lead us to ask for less”? In higher education, for example, it is difficult to determine educational costs because most colleges and universities spend everything they take in. Christian organizations are not notably different in this regard. Indeed, all tend to want more, and no matter how much money was raised in the last financial campaign, there must always be another. Judging by the ongoing and continuous nature of these campaigns, is God unable to meet institutional needs, no matter how hard he tries?
A second guideline for the asking organization is that Christians are not to show favoritism to the rich. Indeed, the apostle James suggests that such favoritism is sin (James 2:1–9). Obviously, rich is a relative term, though even in our affluent culture today there are clearly defined levels of wealth. However it may be defined, this biblical mandate must be obeyed.
How do Christian organizations show favoritism to the rich? They do so in a variety of ways. It is not by coincidence that the boards of these organizations have few, if any, impoverished members. Banquets are held every year for their biggest donors. Giving clubs are established, and buildings are named after large donors.
Furthermore, in order to make the right impression on the rich, institutions are tempted to insist on living a similar lifestyle. To use the current jargon, institutions insist on going “first class” in all of their activities.
The irony in all this is that few wealthy donors insist on being treated better than anyone else. Most do not want to be shown favoritism or desire the publicity organizations tend to give them. They certainly do not insist on such.
A third biblical guideline is that in their asking, Christians need to have the right motive. “You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:2–3).
Among other emphases, these verses suggest that asking must be proper and oriented to needs rather than wants or pleasures. Christian organizations struggle with this. Their fund-raising efforts depend upon forward momentum, a form of keeping up with others. The organization may not have identifiable needs, but leadership fears potential donors may give to another organization. Thus the fund raiser is asked to make an appeal based not on need but on improper motive.
A final biblical guideline for asking organizations suggests institutions are not to be hoarders of money or material possessions. Consider the warning of our Lord: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.… But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy.… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt. 6:19–21). Paul echoes this instruction in his letter to Timothy: “Command them [the rich] to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Tim. 6:18–19).
There are at least two related reasons for this instruction. First, God knows hearts inevitably follow treasure, and if much treasure is held, hearts may not be focused on heaven-related matters. Also, throughout the Old Testament a continuing tension reflected the economic situation of the Jewish people and the attention they gave to their heavenly Father. Hosea 13:6 is illustrative: “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.”
Christian organizations face this temptation to “lay up treasure” in their endowment efforts. More and more denominational and parachurch ministries encourage major gifts to endowed funds, traditionally the realm of Christian colleges and universities. While not suggesting that endowment efforts are wrong in and of themselves, concern may be appropriate if institutional trust is placed in endowments rather than in a heavenly Father’s daily provision.
A “Contemporary” Model
George Muller, the nineteenth-century British evangelist and philanthropist, adhered to fund-raising guidelines that by today’s standards would be almost impossible to follow. Yet for Muller, they led to the successful financing of orphanages that cared for thousands of homeless children. Their simplicity is appealing and worthy of review, even though it may be unrealistic to think today’s Christian organizations could follow them. Moving toward those standards, however, instead of away from them, would prevent some of the abuses that creep into our fund-raising efforts.
Give All You Can
The directions which God has given us, touching the use of our worldly substance, may be comprised in the following particulars … first, provide things needful for yourself; food to eat, raiment to put on, whatever nature moderately requires for preserving the body in health and strength. Secondly, provide these for your wife, your children, your servants, or any others who pertain to your household. If, when this is done, there be an overplus left, then “do good to them that are of the household of faith.” If there be an overplus still, “as you have opportunity, do good unto all men.” In so doing, you give all you can; nay, in a sound sense, all you have: for all that is laid out in this manner, is really given to God.—John Wesley in his sermon “The Use of Money”
- No funds should ever be solicited. No facts or figures concerning needs are to be revealed by the workers in the orphanage to anyone, except to God in prayer.
- No debts should ever be incurred.
- Money contributed for a specific purpose should never be used for any other purpose.
- All accounts should be audited annually by professional auditors.
- No ego-pandering by publication of donors’ names with the amount of their gifts; each donor should be thanked privately.
- No “names” of prominent or titled persons should be sought for the board or to advertise the institution.
- The success of the institution should be measured not by the numbers served or by the amounts of money taken in, but by God’s blessing on the work, which is expected to be in proportion to the time spent in prayer.
As the story is told by author Catherine Marshall, from the beginning, “George Muller and his associates stuck to their principles, spending time in prayer that ordinarily would have gone to fund raising.”
That God abundantly blessed Muller’s efforts cannot be argued. He even went “first class,” not only in his furnishings for each orphanage, but also in the clothing and other supplies given for the children.
Efforts must continue in the search for ways to honor the Lord through fund-raising efforts. As Christian organizations endeavor to depend on his resources, they need to learn anew the meaning of the words of Hudson Taylor: “God’s work done in God’s way will not lack God’s supply.”
