Seeking alternatives?

Money is a necessary part of making missions happen. But what is the best way? Do all Christians have a responsibility to give financially to missions? What about the local church? Is one model of giving more effective than others?

We’ve been asking questions just like these over the last few weeks (if you missed out, be sure to jump back and take a peek!). Yet, we are still asking: What is the best way to fund missions?

While many people give to individual missionaries and projects or decide to give to missions through their local church, many Christians are seeking alternatives.

Week #4: “…Many Christians are now giving their money to different types of organizations instead of a church. They attend conventional churches less often. They are expanding their circle of Christian relationships beyond local church boundaries. And they are investing greater amounts of their time and money in service organizations that are not connected with a conventional church.”

This quote from a 2008 Barna Group study indicates that while Christians remain the most generous group of people in the United States, fewer Christians are giving through their local churches to help people in need.

So where is the money going? Because charitable giving is at a decade high but church giving is down, one might assume that Christians are deciding to invest their monies directly into non-profits of choice, picking and choosing among causes that resonate with them or that they agree with philosophically. Or maybe, they are giving directly to the needy or to specific people groups overseas without a “missionary middleman.”

Other people, like Elmer Grobler, have sought out an entirely different method for funding missions called the Business Ministry Model, which “involves the establishment of a real business that is run as a ministry (or is it a ministry run as a business?) for the purpose of making profits in order to financially support another ministry.”

While this model does not propose that individuals stop giving tithes, offerings, and the like, it does bring up another key question in this missions money debate: Are we missing out on key alternatives to more effectively and efficiently fund missions? Is efficiency the key motivator in the decision on where and how to give to missions, or are there others reasons to give another way?

The questions keep coming! Do you have the answers? Be part of the conversation.

http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/18-congregations/41-new-study-shows-trend-in-tithing-and-donating
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/18-congregations/41-new-study-shows-trend-in-tithing-and-donating
http://ezinearticles.com/?Funding-Christian-Organisations-and-Missions---The-Business-Ministry-Model&id=2301596