A couple whom we haven't seen in a while is going on missions. Should we financially support them?

[sccs]

We come from an evangelical Christian background and have been members of our local church for going on 5 years now. There is a lovely couple who has been members of our church as well but for reasons unbeknownst to us (something to do with not feeling spiritually connected or growing with our congregation) decided to leave our church and explore other options. We and they both acknowledge their church-going experience is not ideal and we don't sense any rebellion towards the necessity and importance of a local church blessing and sending missionaries.

It has been about 3 years since and we recently heard that they are partnering with a missions organization and are going abroad and, like many missionaries, have to raise financial support. They reached out to us (amongst many others, most likely), explained their situation and heart for missions and asked if we would consider regular monthly financial support for them. We're talking something on the order of $100-$200 a month.

Now, we are a bit conflicted. We as a church and as a family value missions. We currently regularly support two other missionaries and have given one-time support to various causes as well. We also have been blessed by God financially and want to steward the money well, invest the treasure in things above and not on earthly things, and want both people's physical and spiritual needs to be met.

However, our main concern is regarding their church situation. We don't see them involved and known by the leadership of a church, being committed through membership, an acknowledgement of God's call and gifts, and sending them off like Paul and Barnabas at the Church in Antioch. It feels like they are doing their own thing.

The second albeit smaller issue is for our family, is it better to give to many causes but not have the time or emotional capacity to be invested in each or is it better to give to fewer causes of which we are emotionally and prayerfully invested well in each? We fear that if we give $100 here and a $100 there that we may be throwing money around simply to make ourselves feel good and not want to reject people when they ask (Matthew 5:42) instead of actually cheerfully wanting to give that money.

I know that was quite a lot of thoughts but would like to hear what this community thinks.

 

[Rachel20]

I don't know the answer, but Ecc 11:1-2 came to mind. I appreciate that you are really seeking God's will in this.

Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

 

[walkswithFire]

Ask God. He knows the right answer.

 

[The Narrow Way]

I think you should follow your gut feeling....and not contribute to this ministry.

 

[A_Thinker]

We come from an evangelical Christian background and have been members of our local church for going on 5 years now. There is a lovely couple who has been members of our church as well but for reasons unbeknownst to us (something to do with not feeling spiritually connected or growing with our congregation) decided to leave our church and explore other options. We and they both acknowledge their church-going experience is not ideal and we don't sense any rebellion towards the necessity and importance of a local church blessing and sending missionaries.

It has been about 3 years since and we recently heard that they are partnering with a missions organization and are going abroad and, like many missionaries, have to raise financial support. They reached out to us (amongst many others, most likely), explained their situation and heart for missions and asked if we would consider regular monthly financial support for them. We're talking something on the order of $100-$200 a month.

Now, we are a bit conflicted. We as a church and as a family value missions. We currently regularly support two other missionaries and have given one-time support to various causes as well. We also have been blessed by God financially and want to steward the money well, invest the treasure in things above and not on earthly things, and want both people's physical and spiritual needs to be met.

However, our main concern is regarding their church situation. We don't see them involved and known by the leadership of a church, being committed through membership, an acknowledgement of God's call and gifts, and sending them off like Paul and Barnabas at the Church in Antioch. It feels like they are doing their own thing.

The second albeit smaller issue is for our family, is it better to give to many causes but not have the time or emotional capacity to be invested in each or is it better to give to fewer causes of which we are emotionally and prayerfully invested well in each? We fear that if we give $100 here and a $100 there that we may be throwing money around simply to make ourselves feel good and not want to reject people when they ask (Matthew 5:42) instead of actually cheerfully wanting to give that money.

I know that was quite a lot of thoughts but would like to hear what this community thinks.

I think that if you can and want to support this new missionary opportunity, ... do it.

A better answer is to pray about it ... and see how God leads ...

 

[Sophrosyne]

I would lean towards no. I would first check into this "partnering" bit. Second I would see how they can be held accountable for finances, and doctrine. The fact these people seem to not want to be under a pastor concerns me and the fact you are contacted and asked to pledge monthly support is also concerning.
We are to be wise with our giving, as we are investing in others for the sake of the Gospel first and foremost. These people you may not know well need to be checked into thoroughly also. It to me sounds like they could misuse funds, teach false doctrine, even add in political ideology in the mix and you would have only them to complain to. I've come across a lot of people that think they are sound in doctrine but teach things that are unbiblical leading people into bondage and over time them abandoning the false god they were presented.

 

[Tolworth John]

However, our main concern is regarding their church situation. We don't see them involved and known by the leadership of a church, being committed through membership, an acknowledgement of God's call and gifts, and sending them off like Paul and Barnabas at the Church in Antioch. It feels like they are doing their own thing.

Is this couple approach you as a family or are they approaching the church where they used to worship?

Are they coming as representatives of a known missionary organisation or as themselves?

Talk to your minister, check out the missionary organisation and ask about their sending church.

You have to be convinced this is a good use of the resources you have, cash, prayer time letter writting time.

 

[Richard.20.12]

Where are they going? How are they going to live there? I see many foreigners living in poor tropical countries and the waste I see is just sickening. Not saying missionaries are guilty of this but I see it to such a colossal extent it would be hard to imagine missionaries being very different. We're used to our soft western life. They get a modern house with modern appliances, all air conditioned (which in some countries can cost a fortune due to their far more expensive electricity costs). Have they spent any time in that area or a similar area before? Do they eat out or get their food at the market? One is about 8 times the cost of the other. Will they have a car there? That also can be exceedingly expensive. In many countries if a foreigner has an accident it will almost always be deemed their fault because they have the deeper pockets. Smart foreigners do not sit behind a steering wheel in these countries. How's their health? Will they need insanely costly medical insurance?
In most cases its usually far better value to just support a local missionary who is living in a shack that cost him/her almost nothing, never eats out, can't imagine what its like to own a car, lives a simple life and just wants to spread the word and not worry about day to day bills. The plane fare alone could often support a local person for a year.
And do they speak the language? If not how well is that going to work?
What they should do is mix vacations with mission work. Say you want to go to a beautiful beach area in a very poor/cheap country. They put you up for almost no money, feed you at almost no cost, and you spend a few hours a day helping out however you can. If you're a doctor maybe you help in the clinic instructing the nurses there. If you're an accountant you help them with their books. Whatever your expertise is you offer to further their operation. AND you get a wonderfully peaceful vacation because you are out in nature during the best part of the day. AND you might be able to write off that trip as a charitable donation if its structured carefully. You give a donation and time there and they supply the airfare, accommodation and food. Depends on the tax laws in your country of course. But if one was in a high tax bracket this could be really popular in some areas. Hey, you could bill them at your normal rates then give them whatever is needed to cover that bill so one is equal to the other and doesn't cost them a penny. And they could give you a charitable receipt for your taxes! How cool is that? Instead of spending thousands on some overpriced resort you're helping people in a very real, spiritual sense and coming out ahead financially. What a combination. Your time could be documented by video so any suspicions of your tax department could be satisfied in detail.

 

[JosephZ]

Where are they going? How are they going to live there? I see many foreigners living in poor tropical countries and the waste I see is just sickening. Not saying missionaries are guilty of this but I see it to such a colossal extent it would be hard to imagine missionaries being very different. We're used to our soft western life. They get a modern house with modern appliances, all air conditioned (which in some countries can cost a fortune due to their far more expensive electricity costs). Have they spent any time in that area or a similar area before? Do they eat out or get their food at the market? One is about 8 times the cost of the other. Will they have a car there? That also can be exceedingly expensive. In many countries if a foreigner has an accident it will almost always be deemed their fault because they have the deeper pockets. Smart foreigners do not sit behind a steering wheel in these countries. How's their health? Will they need insanely costly medical insurance?
In most cases its usually far better value to just support a local missionary who is living in a shack that cost him/her almost nothing, never eats out, can't imagine what its like to own a car, lives a simple life and just wants to spread the word and not worry about day to day bills. The plane fare alone could often support a local person for a year.
And do they speak the language? If not how well is that going to work?

I'm a missionary and it might surprise you, but I agree with everything in your post and the questions you raise are valid. In fact, it sounds very similar to what I wrote to a large sending agency in the US when I saw a post from one of their missionaries on Facebook with pictures of the new house they were renting located in one of the most exclusive gated communities in the city. There were three missionary families from this agency living in that same community. Below is a portion of what I wrote to the sending agency.

Why are there so many missionaries in the Philippines? Why not Afghanistan. Pakistan. Laos, Bangladesh. Sudan. Azerbaijan. or Uzbekistan? I will tell you why: because it is more fun in the Philippines!

Here in the Philippines missionaries can continue to live their Western lifestyles. They can drive nice cars. wear the newest clothing, eat at Western style restaurants. and live in comfortable homes that are of a much higher class than the average citizen in the Philippines can afford. How can people living like the top 1% reach some of the poorest people in the entire world? It doesn't work.

Just imagine if all of the money sent to sponsor Western missionaries all these years went directly in the hands of local ministries what could be accomplished.

There was once a time when Western missionaries needed to go into countries where the Gospel wasn’t preached. but today there are enough indigenous Christian leaders who are more capable than outsiders to spread the gospel. They already know the language. they know the culture. they don't need visas, and they don't have to return home for a vacation from the field. More importantly they will live at the same economic level as the people they are reaching rather than living a Western lifestyle in a foreign land which means more people can be sent with much less financial burden on the church.

Let me give an example of how much it costs a typical Western missionary to live here in the Philippines on an annual basis. Most Western missionaries bring their wives and children along with them. So a typical missionary family would consist of husband. wife and three children. (Some have more. some have less) They typically rent homes in more affluent neighborhoods, the children attend private schools of course. and they have to eat. The following numbers are going to be conservative, so lets add these three items up.

5 people eating 3 times a day @ P60 per meal = P900 a day X 365 = P328,500 (This alone already exceeds the average Filipino family's annual income which is about P235.000!)

Rent P20,000 per month X 12 months = P240,000 (Once again this number is above the average Filipino family's annual income)

Three children sent to private school. Many missionaries in Davao and Manila send their children to Faith Academy where the tuition is P215.000+ annually per student. The cost of three children to go to school P645,000! But to make up for those who do not attend this particular school I will cut this number in half to be more fair. P322.500.

So just the above figures alone come to an annual total of P891.000. (Families in the richest decile in the Philippines earn an annual income of only P715,000)

This amount does not include shopping trips to the mall. excursions to resorts. trips to Starbucks or the movies, gas for the car, utility bills. and lets not forget the annual trip home to escape the suffering life of a missionary in a third world country.

Currently a round trip ticket to the US averages around P65.000, multiply this by five family members and you are looking at P322,500. So lets go ahead and add an additional P100.000 to this amount to compensate for all the additional expenses I just named and we come up with P422.500 to add to the budget. This brings our total to P1,313,500 per year! This is the amount needed before a single peso goes to the ministry!

A missionary native to the Philippines requires less than P120,000 to live in their home country which is less below 10% of what the typical Western Missionary needs.

This is a country that has already been reached and there are many wonderful and Godly Filipino Pastors doing a great work for the Lord. I have seen churches being planted, growing, and efforts being made for more churches to be planted. They are working hard at growing and training others for the ministry. They are making disciples.

Why do American and other Western churches not support these churches rather than send thousands of missionaries to countries like the Philippines? Do they think that the Filipinos are incapable of supporting their own churches? That they can not feed themselves? Clothe themselves? Just Imagine if all of the money in the example I gave went directly in the hands of local ministries.

 

[Richard.20.12]

I'm a missionary and it might surprise you, but I agree with everything in your post and the questions you raise are valid. In fact, it sounds very similar to what I wrote to a large sending agency in the US when I saw a post from one of their missionaries on Facebook with pictures of the new house they were renting located in one of the most exclusive gated communities in the city. There were three missionary families from this agency living in that same community. Below is a portion of what I wrote to the sending agency.

Why are there so many missionaries in the Philippines? Why not Afghanistan. Pakistan. Laos, Bangladesh. Sudan. Azerbaijan. or Uzbekistan? I will tell you why: because it is more fun in the Philippines!

Here in the Philippines missionaries can continue to live their Western lifestyles. They can drive nice cars. wear the newest clothing, eat at Western style restaurants. and live in comfortable homes that are of a much higher class than the average citizen in the Philippines can afford. How can people living like the top 1% reach some of the poorest people in the entire world? It doesn't work.

Just imagine if all of the money sent to sponsor Western missionaries all these years went directly in the hands of local ministries what could be accomplished.

There was once a time when Western missionaries needed to go into countries where the Gospel wasn’t preached. but today there are enough indigenous Christian leaders who are more capable than outsiders to spread the gospel. They already know the language. they know the culture. they don't need visas, and they don't have to return home for a vacation from the field. More importantly they will live at the same economic level as the people they are reaching rather than living a Western lifestyle in a foreign land which means more people can be sent with much less financial burden on the church.

Let me give an example of how much it costs a typical Western missionary to live here in the Philippines on an annual basis. Most Western missionaries bring their wives and children along with them. So a typical missionary family would consist of husband. wife and three children. (Some have more. some have less) They typically rent homes in more affluent neighborhoods, the children attend private schools of course. and they have to eat. The following numbers are going to be conservative, so lets add these three items up.

5 people eating 3 times a day @ P60 per meal = P900 a day X 365 = P328,500 (This alone already exceeds the average Filipino family's annual income which is about P235.000!)

Rent P20,000 per month X 12 months = P240,000 (Once again this number is above the average Filipino family's annual income)

Three children sent to private school. Many missionaries in Davao and Manila send their children to Faith Academy where the tuition is P215.000+ annually per student. The cost of three children to go to school P645,000! But to make up for those who do not attend this particular school I will cut this number in half to be more fair. P322.500.

So just the above figures alone come to an annual total of P891.000. (Families in the richest decile in the Philippines earn an annual income of only P715,000)

This amount does not include shopping trips to the mall. excursions to resorts. trips to Starbucks or the movies, gas for the car, utility bills. and lets not forget the annual trip home to escape the suffering life of a missionary in a third world country.

Currently a round trip ticket to the US averages around P65.000, multiply this by five family members and you are looking at P322,500. So lets go ahead and add an additional P100.000 to this amount to compensate for all the additional expenses I just named and we come up with P422.500 to add to the budget. This brings our total to P1,313,500 per year! This is the amount needed before a single peso goes to the ministry!

A missionary native to the Philippines requires less than P120,000 to live in their home country which is less below 10% of what the typical Western Missionary needs.

This is a country that has already been reached and there are many wonderful and Godly Filipino Pastors doing a great work for the Lord. I have seen churches being planted, growing, and efforts being made for more churches to be planted. They are working hard at growing and training others for the ministry. They are making disciples.

Why do American and other Western churches not support these churches rather than send thousands of missionaries to countries like the Philippines? Do they think that the Filipinos are incapable of supporting their own churches? That they can not feed themselves? Clothe themselves? Just Imagine if all of the money in the example I gave went directly in the hands of local ministries.

Wow...that was quite a post! One reason foreigners try to rationalize such expenditures is safety. Because they don't speak the local language and don't understand slang or the local customs, they feel somewhat blind there socially. They walk around people but don't really know how they feel. You can hear intonations in the voices but its hard to be sure what you're hearing and the feelings behind those words, even if they are in Phenglish. So they err on the side of caution and go the private school route, worried about kidnapping I suppose. Of course they could simply send missionaries that don't have children....easy solution. But I suppose the vast majority have children.
Another problem is the heat. Its hot and very humid in most of the Philippines and other tropical countries and people are usually not willing to change their diet to adapt. Electricity can cost a lot in some countries and running cold AC in a large house can cost a small fortune. They don't realize that by altering their diet to something more healthy, exercising in the very heat they're trying to acclimatize to, using fans at night, really works and in a few weeks they will feel much more comfortable there. But if you eat fried/salted/sweetened food you will be uncomfortable and feel sticky and sweaty all the time. Isn't the Bible full of people that are "stiff necked"? The best solution to heat I ever found was to use a snug fitting, cotton, very stretchy T-shirt and soak it in water. Keeps you surprisingly cool for about 2 hours. If its dark colored nobody even knows its wet. And its free. What would work even better would be a long sleeved turtleneck! Sure it would look ridiculous but it would be very cooling. Sleeping in a cotton hammock with a fan both under and over you is also very effective and consumes almost no electricity. Sleeping is tough when you first get there with no air-con so most people need a little help.

Another problem is many westerner are very inflexible when it comes to food even though its kind of crazy not to avail yourselves to local, fresh food, especially as its so cheap its ridiculous. When I was in the Philippines long ago a fresh coconut cost about 8 cents. Here they are about 5 bucks. And they're much better there! Many westerners will buy exactly the same food as back home and because its imported costs a fortune, much more than back home. Stubbornness is very expensive!

The solution of course is to clamp down on their expenses and just don't give them much money to live on and they'll find a way to make it work.

But as you say, a local is usually far more able to get through to their heart than some foreigner arrogantly parading themselves through the country. Occasionally though a foreigner will be respected more because they are from abroad. So ideally it might be best to minister with both. Whatever works. But obviously, when it comes to supporting local missionaries locals are usually best. I would have a foreigner do financial oversight though. The corruption in many of these countries is just beyond belief. If they know someone is at least spot checking things it helps minimize the temptation.

One thing that is wonderful today is how much Christian material is online. Of course Satan is also busy online, very busy. The battle never ceases!

As for the other countries you mention, it would be hard to get a family to go to a dangerous (often Muslim and very unChristian) country knowing they could be so vulnerable there.

What is interesting is literacy: If they speak English they can get whatever they want online Christian wise. But if they don't, how could a foreign missionary reach them? It makes no sense. The answer is to use the internet to connect people, to keep tabs on them, and so they can report their progress and work to their supporters. Its that connectivity that is so vital. And cheap phones make it happen.

 

[Richard.20.12]

Internet connectivity combined with on the ground oversight is probably the key to mission work outreach in the future. Plus it will save a ton of money allowing locals to reach far more people than foreigners could. The problem is getting people to basically live differently. Communicate differently, report differently, do most everything differently. We need tech savvy young people in support centers here organizing things. Also organizing all the communication so it can be found and viewed online. Not an easy task! But think of all the material one could view online? No more lugging movies around. Just download and view on a tiny LCD projector. But the real ministry is more one on one. That's where the locals shine. Churches don't really need to be built either if home churches are encouraged. I've often thought churches are too easy for people to hide in. There's far more support and accountability in a small group. Also they don't have to dress up. I've always disliked that aspect of church, that stiff formality some have. I didn't know God has a dress code for worship.