Give Them A Raise

I received a note from a donor church recently telling me they were going to increase their support by 4%.  The increase wasn’t large, but it was an acknowledgment of (1) they value my service in missions and, (2) knowing that the cost of living increases each year they wanted to help offset the high cost of ongoing ministry.  It was a welcome note and I deeply appreciate it.

In my latest book Energize Your Local Church for Global Outreach (http://Lewis-Training.com/order.html) I discuss the importance of churches keeping abreast of the current needs of their global partners.  Among many churches there is always a tendency to take on new projects.  Of course we do want to encourage growth in our outreach programs, and taking on new missionaries and reaching new fields is important.  However, how long has it been since the church has increased the support of those they made a commitment to five, ten or even twenty years ago?

In 1980 a monthly support of $75 has the buying power of $26.40 in 2014.  If a church made a commitment of $100 in 1990, it takes $181.39 to offset the rate of inflation in today’s world.  Even four years ago, a $100 gift has loss $8.72 of its buying power.  I think we get the point.  Mission support is not a one-time deal; it should be an ongoing process.

Everyone, (company worker, teacher, pastors) expect a raise from time-to-time.  A missionary overseas experiences inflation rates sometimes much greater that the U.S.  Raising support is a constant bane for career cross-cultural workers.  No one likes doing it, but they must, to continue their work overseas.  By a church increasing their support, even 4% annually, it may well keep the missionary on the field rather than looking for new support at home.

One of the buzzwords in missions today is “member care.”  Member care for missionaries is not just prayer or helping them in their spiritual or emotional needs; it is also in their finances.   By raising their support level occasionally, the church sends a strong message that they are not only praying for them, but are actively engaged in their lives by paying attention to their financial needs.  As my old professor use to say, “You can’t eat a ‘God bless you.’”  Give ‘em a raise.

Part III: Analysis and Implentation (D)

 

 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.

Part III: Analysis and Implementation (C)

How does a church body determine their support?  We have discussed the “who” or “what” to support, but there needs to be a discussion on how much.

Mission Budget for Local Church - Determine how much your church is engaged in giving to foreign missions.  Most of the studies have concluded that most churches in America give less than 5% of all income to mission causes and less that 2% is dedicated to the unreached/unevangelized people of the world.  The first task of the missions team is to determine how much your local body gives to foreign missions.

Most churches believe that 10% of a Christian’s income, the tithe, is a good standard for faithful giving.  Though the average throughout the Western church giving to missions is a nickel out of every dollar, I would suggest that the missions team move the local church to give a tithe, a dime, to the Great Commission cause.  (My apologies for my bias, but a part of that 10 cents should not include home missions or local evangelistic outreach, but money actually going outside the continental U.S.  If the church desires to support AWANA or a homeless shelter, which they should, then it should be separate from the 10% dedicated to missions). 

Some churches, though admittedly few, take 10% out of every Sunday’s contributions and place that into the mission fund.  That is probably the best way to do it, reminding the congregation every Sunday morning that their contributions truly are used to take the Gospel around town and around the world.  I have one donor church that gives 15% of their monthly income and if the offerings are up, so is my support, and visa-versa.

 Another approach is for the church to have an annual missions budget.  If a church’s annual income is $100,000, between the missions committee (team) and elders a decision is made each year how much will go to missions.  Hopefully, it’s a least $10,000. 

Some churches have what is called Faith Promise for supporting their missionary program.  Each year these churches have a mission conference and at the end of the conference the congregation gives a faith promise pledge (by faith, as the Lord provides, above their tithe and offerings, they will give a certain amount of money to missions.)  In the past it was a very effective way to energize the congregation for the Great Commission.  In today’s world, people often don’t attend mission conferences so this approach is waning.

No matter what method you use in analyzing the missions budget, it is critical for the church to know its global outreach budget.  We believe this is key to business, home and even government finance, to have a budget and work within that budget and I believe it should be true with the church as well.

Part III: Analysis/Implementation (B)

In any business, and, since missions is part of the King’s business therefore requires the same amount of earnest attention as though it was for-profit venture, decisive decisions must be made.  It does no good to go through the process of analysis of missionary personnel or projects if you are not going to act on its findings.  The tough work of actually doing something with the teams findings is one of the great failings of the church.  The implementation of this lesson is crucial, so read carefully.

Determine who fits within your church’s focus and purpose.  It’s inevitable there will be some on the support list that is outside the purpose of your missions outreach.  It is important that the church supports only the people and projects which is clearly an interest.  So, unfortunately, this will mean discontinue the support of some people.  How is this done?

DO NOT DROP ANY MISSIONARY OR MISSIONS SUPPORT IMMEDIATELY.  You made a commitment to these people and projects, even if was twenty years ago, so honor that commitment until they are home in the states.  I believe it is unethical to discontinue support to a missionary if they have no means of raising of lost funds. 

Write a letter stating that because of shift in focus and purpose, your church will no longer be able to continue their support.  However, your church will continue their support until they return home and write them and ask specifically when they will be home.  Many missionaries do not take a year off these days for furlough, so even if they are home for a month or the summer, give them at least that amount of time to count on the support from your church.  If it is a project, rather than an individual (a orphanage in Peru), give that project a year before discontinuance.  There are some projects you may be able to discontinue immediately, such as the youth camp in New Mexico.  Be wise and compassionate in everything you do.

I have had my share of “donor attrition” and I can tell you that no matter how gracious you are in crafting your letter of discontinuance, it will be a blow to the missionary.  Raising support is difficult and not fun.  It’s hard not to take the dropping of support personally.  So, be prepared for all types of reaction.

Over a period of time funds for the projects and people you want to support will become available.  Begin to pray about the people and projects your church wants to partner with.  Make good decisions upfront and you won’t have to write letters of discontinuance in the future