I remember fundraising for band and choir in high school. Every year, I would be determined to make the most sales and win the big prizes, then make a handful of sales to my parents and grandma. Why was it so hard to ask for money to support something I was passionate about? Just thinking about asking someone to buy a Christmas wreath gave me a pit in my stomach. It felt wrong, slimy, and like some sort of scam.
Asking people for money to support the marching band is one thing, but then there’s asking people to support the ministry. With things like marching band, we have a tangible representation of where someone’s money is going. Even for ministries that do aid work, this component makes it easier to ask and for people to give. But what about churches needing funds to pay staff and cover building operations? What about missionaries raising a budget that seems a little too high to people? It not only becomes hard to ask for money but equally difficult for people to give.
The Rubber Meets the Road
I was confronted by this very scenario when I became an Assemblies of God missionary in 2016. All of a sudden, fundraising became a prerequisite to following the dream God had placed in my heart 20 years prior. How was I going to do this? How could I shamelessly–boldly–ask others to give to ME? Over the next few years, God radically changed my mindset around money.
Let’s Talk About Money–Please
The Bible has a LOT to say about money. Over 2300 verses address it in some capacity. Ready for a real shocker? Eleven out of Jesus’ thirty-nine parables are about money! Jesus talked about money more than ANY other topic in the New Testament. These facts should indicate to us the importance of money and possessions. What I have to wonder is, for something so frequently addressed in the Bible, why do we avoid addressing it in the church?
Many churches have placed a ban on addressing money altogether. It seems to rub people the wrong way. Money hits too close to home and makes people uncomfortable. That’s exactly why we SHOULD be talking about it in church! Anything so closely tied to our emotions and security must be a part of the discussion.
An Invitation Into Greater Things
By avoiding money in the church, we’re robbing people of something much greater than their money. I believe surrendering our finances to God invites us into greater levels of freedom in him, more so than many other things. Money is such a driving factor in our lives. We center our days around a job that makes us money so that when we get off work, we can go and spend it all. Imagine a life free of this cycle. Imagine you could be free of the fear of not having enough.
Something powerful happens when we give God complete control of our finances. What’s waiting on the other side of that surrender? A peace that passed understanding. This peace says, “I don’t care that I’m giving up X% of my spending power. In fact, I don’t need most of what that spending power would have gotten me.” It’s an upside-down way of thinking, which indicates that it’s a Godly way of thinking.
A Step Further
When I was a junior in high school, I decided to start sponsoring a child in Kenya named Job. It required sending $32/month. I am still sponsoring him today. He’s now 20 years old and finishing up high school. I can only imagine the amazing things he will do with his life! When I decided to sponsor Job, I remember saying to God, “Ok, I’m going to do this. I trust you to always make sure I have enough money to support him.” No matter how bad my finances have gotten, I have somehow ALWAYS had $32 extra every month to send to Job.
It reminds me of a quote from my parents (and Dave Ramsey). “If God can get it through you, God can get it to you.” It might be cheesy, but it’s true! Don’t let your financial situation prevent you from participating in all God invites you into.
Ready to Start Fundraising Yet?
I’ve talked a lot about why we should give, but what does that have to do with asking others for money? After everything I’ve experienced through financial surrender to God, how could I NOT want others to experience those same things? When I compare the seasons of my life lived as a slave to money to seasons of financial surrender, they can’t compare. I choose freedom to follow wherever God leads any day. And I want to invite others into that same freedom–that same fulfillment from participating in God’s kingdom through finances. It’s why I really do love asking people for money!
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