So far we have looked at the mission projects the church
wants to be involved in, the budget for global outreach and now it is time to
determine the dollar amount of support for those projects.
As with earlier topics, when it comes to determining
financial contributions, one size does not fit all. It is the role of the mission’s team to determine global
outreach expenditures.
First, what is the budget of each missionary or missions
project? For a North
American missionary family of four, the annual support need will probably range
from $50,000 to $70,000. Obviously
it depends where missionaries live in the world. In developing countries it will obviously be less that
developed countries. The mission’s
team must do its homework in understanding how to analyze a missionary’s budget,
which would include asking the sending mission agency about cost of living in
those countries as well as going to the Internet for cost of living index. While Kenya may be a developing country, cost of living in
Nairobi is much higher than another city in the country. Obviously a family of four will be different for a single
missionary. My advice is to ask
the missionary to help your team understand their financial needs and work
accordingly.
This financial analysis also would apply to national
missionaries, mission organizations and projects. If the project is for Sudanese refugees, instead of just
responding to the appeal, “$20 dollars will feed a refugee for a month,” find
out what their budget is and how the money is spent. There is always overhead in every project, whether it is the
cost of promotion, administration and personnel needs and they are usually
legitimate. An astute mission’s
committee (team) should be able to inform the congregation how much a $20
contribution actually goes to feeding the refugees.
Determining Support
Amount
How much to support missionaries and mission projects? Again, it depends on your scale of
priority. If those missionaries and projects were
in the 15 – 20 point scale, perhaps your church would support them 5% of their
total budget. Let’s suppose a
missionary or project’s annual need is $65,000 (about $5,500 per month) meaning
your church’s monthly contribution would be approximately $270 per month or $3,240
annually. Perhaps their missionary
activity is in the 10-point scale and you want to support those in that group
at 3%. Your support to those
people and projects, using the same annual budget would be around $165 per
month or $1,950 annually.
Of course every dollar counts and every contribution is
appreciated. However, some
churches have a standard amount of giving no matter the need. A monthly contribution of $100 means a
missionary must find 54 other churches or people to give that amount to reach
their budget. There is always
outgoing expenses as well, emergency travel or unforeseen ministry expenses
(the breakdown of a vehicle or the sudden devaluation of the local
currency). For the missionary that
means they must find at least 60 or 65 donors at that $100 level just to stay
current with their financial obligations.
My recommendation is that churches make an attempt to provide at least
3% for each missionary project that is 10 points or more on your scale. For
those who are less than 10 points, either discontinue their support or commit
to giving them 1% of their support needs.
(There is nothing wrong with supporting the retired missionary living in
Omaha, if that is what they need to live on. After all, they were faithful servants representing your
church for 40 years. )
When is the last time you gave your missionary a raise? A church supporting a missionary $75
per month since 1980 is actually contributing, adjusting for inflation,
approximately $26.40.
No matter how you analyze your mission program one thing is
clear…the support should be focused and intentional. Who, what, how much, should be a process. I believe that if the local church
leadership will treat missions in a serious, prayerful and thoughtful way, it
will energize the whole body of believers for the Great Commission.
