THE SECRET SAUCE OF RAISING SUPPORT
Raising support is often one of the biggest obstacles that dissuades people from doing short or long-term missions. What biblical principles can we learn from someone who has raised support?
After graduating from college, I accepted a job in full-time ministry. Only this job had a pretty big string attached to it that I would have cut in a matter of seconds if I had the right scissors: I’d have to raise monthly support for my salary. I laughed when I first learned it was a support-raising position. “Yea, no thanks,” was my first thought. This aspect of the job loomed eerily over my head for the four months that I spent processing whether or not I should take the job. Over time, God progressively moved my heart from being in a place of utter refusal to joyful acceptance. God taught me so much through my season of raising support. It was full of ups and downs but through it all, God showed me the “secret sauce” of raising support. The lessons I learned are some of the ingredients that make up this secret sauce:
Ingredients
1 c. humility
3 Tbsp. consistent prayer
2 tsp. submission
A pinch of rest
Disclaimer: You might get into your own support-raising kitchen and realize that the outcome is different from what I experienced. That’s okay! Everyone’s journey in raising support looks different, so the sauce will probably taste a little different too. These are just some tried and true biblical principles. If God doesn’t provide your support, that doesn’t mean that He’s not good or not a provider. It just means that He has a different and better plan for you.
1 c. Humility
When I began raising monthly support, I started with all the wrong ingredients. A spirit of pride slipped unnoticed into everything I did. I falsely believed that since God had given me this job so quickly, then of course He’d provide all of my support quickly too. I thought I was naturally equipped to raise thousands of dollars in a couple months. Except my desire wasn’t for Him to receive the glory from my support journey, it was so that I could have an awesome story of God providing for me.
When I didn’t meet my first support goal, I was absolutely devastated, but God graciously showed me the reality that I was not doing things for him. I wanted my needs to be met and I wanted to impress people with my accomplishments. It was all for my glory.
This realization absolutely crushed me. I’m so grateful that the Lord is “merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,” (Exodus 34:6).
After asking God for help to make my motives purely for His glory and others’ good, my support doubled! It brought so much more meaning to every part of my work when I was working for His glory. A heaping cup of humility was an absolutely necessary and foundational ingredient to begin crafting my support sauce.
3 Tbsp. Consistent Prayer
Though my support doubled, I was still very far from my financial goal. In the beginning, I carelessly set support goals without spending any time asking God how quickly he would want me to walk through the support-raising process. In my pride and eagerness, I made the earliest possible date my end goal.
After missing a few of my deadlines, I realized I hadn’t listened to God’s voice first. I began to seek him earnestly and cover every step of the support raising process in prayer. I needed to hear God’s input and have the blessing of his presence and guidance every step of the way. So, I invited Him into every moment: setting goals, brainstorming my list of potential supporters, making calls to schedule meetings, driving to a meeting, navigating conversations with a potential supporter, and following up with people.
There was a clear difference between the times I didn’t pray and the times that I prayed for God’s help to connect with people on a heart level rather than merely seeking what their hand could offer me. Jesus encourages us to “ask using [his] name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy” (John 16:24). I had continual peace and joy knowing that since my goal was his glory, he would bring the right people on my support team at the right time. Every “no” or “not yet” was nowhere near as devastating as it was beforehand when I was walking in fear of not having enough money to make ends meet. Incorporating prayer into my support-raising journey helped me take my eyes off of my own needs, fears, and concerns, and place them on my Provider, my Peace, and my Counselor.
2 tsp. Submission
After inviting God to speak into every part of my process of raising support, he showed me that he had plans that were better than my own. I had expectations for which of my friends and family were going to join my support team and for how much. Most of the time, my expectations were pretty far off from what actually happened. I thought I was wise enough to know the hearts of the people I was asking for support. God is the only one who truly sees the depths of each of our hearts: “man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). I had to let go of my expectations, ideas, and plans for what my support team would look like. When I put my faith in God’s plans instead of my own, it was easier to go into every meeting with gratitude for whatever the outcome was.
Graciously, God reminds us that “just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts,” (Isaiah 55:9). His plans are so much better than our own! Holding my plans with open hands allowed me to encourage and be encouraged by people I never would have thought of. Submitting to God’s plans helped me to trust that He is sovereign over my support and that he could use me to build others up in ways I never expected.
A Pinch of Rest
The first three ingredients are vitally important, but if you want a truly savory sauce, I’d recommend topping it off with a pinch of rest.
Towards the end of my support journey, I was tired and burnt out. Four months had passed since I started raising support and the holidays were approaching, but I’d only made it to 84% of my total support goal. I felt the pressure to continue to work through the holidays because I was asking God to provide 100% by the end of the year.
After seeking guidance from God, my support coach, and trusted friends, I decided to rest from raising support for the end of the year as a sign of faith in God’s provision instead of my own work. Jesus implores us to find rest in him. He says, “Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” (Matthew 11:28).
Even though I wasn’t actively raising support, it kept coming in all the way up until New Year’s Eve. God provided 12% of my support when I was intentionally not working! This was the clearest reminder of where my provision truly comes from. I didn’t reach 100% of support, but I was still overwhelmed with gratitude for how God provided for me. I was eager to take on my few weeks of raising support after having a refreshing time off.
When I checked my support software to catch up on things in January, I noticed that some of my numbers were incorrect. I resolved the issue and re-checked my overall progress and my total support jumped from 96% to 103%! Not only was I fully funded, but God showed that he is the God of abundance by surpassing my goal. In his grace, he gives us what we need and more. Resting as a sign of faith in God would be an extra ingredient to add to your sauce if you really wanted to spice things up.
Blending together all of these ingredients can greatly enhance your support sauce. Many of the fears and obstacles of raising support can be overcome by humbling yourself, praying consistently, submitting to God’s plans, and ultimately resting in the Lord. I encourage you to get a taste of each one and see how God shows up in your season of raising support.
Bon appétit!
By Sarah Morgan Parsons
Sarah Morgan has served The Traveling Team as one of our travelers since Spring 2022. She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas. She hopes to see the truth of the gospel proclaimed in all the earth.
