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Asking Non-believers for Support:
Is it Wrong?
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Brad came to Christ in college and instantly started growing. It wasn’t long until he wanted to join a summer missions team to India. The only problem? He was required to raise $3500 and he didn’t have a home church, Christian family or friends. The only people he knew were his fraternity brothers. Sometimes fraternities do service projects to earn money to give to charitable causes. So Brad asked them if they would donate those funds to his mission trip. They agreed, as did two other houses he asked, and he was off to India.
When Brad returned, he gave a report of his trip to each of the houses during their weekly chapter meeting. In the midst of their usual cussing, drinking, and dirty-joke-telling, Brad shared story after story of young Indian students whose lives were transformed by Jesus Christ. After each meeting, Brad was able to recruit and lead a weekly evangelistic Bible study in each house and saw a number of men come to Christ. Brad was really the only light in their darkness and if he had never taken the time (or boldness) to ask them for support, that mini-revival may have never taken place.
Yes, he could have taken the holier-than-thou approach, turned up his nose, and spouted, “I shall not soil my hands with the filthy lucre of these infidels!” Billy Sunday, the crusade evangelist from the 1920’s, felt differently. He said: “I’ll take the devil’s money and I’ll wash it in the blood, and then spend it on the Kingdom!”
If you say you won’t ask for or receive gifts from non-Christians, I have a question. How do you know who is and isn’t a Christian? Personally, I refuse to play Holy Spirit and be the decider as to who is or isn’t saved. I encourage missionaries to ask every person they know to join their team and (who knows?) some of those appointments might transition into a gospel presentation! Besides there are Biblical examples of spiritual leaders asking for and/or receiving support from supposed “non-believers."
1. Nehemiah: Many scholars would say Artaxerxes was the most powerful man on the planet--but not a believer. Nonetheless, Nehemiah prayed and risked his life by asking the King to support his physical and spiritual rebuilding project back in Jerusalem (2:1-9). Nehemiah must have found favor with the King. Artaxerxes gave him everything he asked for—and more.
2. Jesus: According to Luke 8:1-3, God in the flesh was supporting Himself and ministry through ongoing support from individuals. Whether or not He asked for support, the text doesn’t say. It does list some supporters: “Mary (called Magdalene); Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others.” Most focus on Mary’s questionable past and how she may have acquired her money, but instead, ask yourself where did Joanna get the funds to give to Jesus? Probably from her husband’s salary, which was paid by…Herod! Was Jesus actually receiving support that came from this ungodly dictator who He knew would have a hand in killing Him? Apparently so!
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September 2007 |
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In the next issue...
Placing Priority on Support Training:
It Shows You Care |
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| About the Author |
 Dr. Steve Shadrach is President of the BodyBuilders Ministry. By far, the majority of his monthly support team are believers, but, he is willing to recieve (even ask for) support from a non-believer, mainly to begin a witness to them. |
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I would tend to differentiate between actively soliciting non-believers for support and receiving support from non-believers. Yes, there are examples in life and in Scripture that demonstrate God works through the gifts of non-believers. Steve has pointed out the example of Brad, the fraternity brother, and Nehemiah with whom those in fund raising are familiar.
There is no doubt that Jesus received support from families that were not totally his followers. A case could be made that those who supported Jesus in Luke 8:1-3 were followers of Jesus and therefore the support they provided Him was from within the ranks of His own followers. The source of the funds (husbands, other places) may well have been non-followers of Christ.
To me, one of the fundamental issues in fund raising is partnership. We, in Greater Europe Mission, refer to the process of fund raising as Ministry Partner Development. To be a true partner in the ministry, one must do more than give. Prayer support is an indispensable part of the process as is the spiritual encouragement that often comes from letters, phone calls, and personal interaction. If we left out this incredibly crucial “ministry partnership” concept from the process and we're funded 100% by non-Christians, where would that prayer and spiritual support come from?
In III John 5-8, a passage about support, we are told that those who gave support to the brothers are “working together for the truth." The concept of working together demonstrates a partnership of equality in the ministry. Those who minister and those who give to support the ministry are equal partners in the work. This is not possible if the ministry partners are not believers.
Though Scripture does not explicitly prohibit receiving funding from non-believers, to have a true partnership in this "kingdom work," one’s Ministry Partner Team needs to be made up of believers. Although we can’t tell completely who is a believer, our “asks” need to be directed primarily to those who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. |
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| About the Author |
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Ken Rudeen is the Director of Ministry Partner Development for Greater Europe Mission. He previously served as a missionary in Dublin, Ireland in a student evangelism and church planting ministry. Ken and his wife Bonnie live in Monument, Colorado.
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