The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. Acts 11:29
“Everywhere I have traveled, I’ve seen churches supported by their local congregations; however, in the past, the first few generations of many of these churches were dependent on their Western founders for their missional outreaches. Now, in this post-colonial era, they are self-sustaining in the core operations of their missional work and can invite outside participation as true equals.
Sustained interdependence exists when a partner—giver, receiver, or agency—works together and is financially sustained for their own core operations within a local context. This may be easy for givers depending on the source of their money, but, nonetheless, their money can accomplish nothing without the partner who is seeking the transformative effect of the gospel in the field where they work.
This need for sustained interdependence is also true for the ministry or individual seeking to realize Kingdom goals. The transformation they seek, that also attracts givers, needs resources to be accomplished. In this era, to achieve ownership and engagement, the autochthonous leader must first seek a communion of giving and receiving within his or her own local setting.”
Rob Martin in When Money Goes on Mission: Fundraising and Giving in the 21st Century (Chicago: Moody, 2019) 51.
If you only read one book on global generosity, read this one. If you visit my home, I will give you a free copy. I have a few in my office. I realize this is a strong statement but let me tell you why I say it. It links to today’s Scripture.
Ministry in the ancient world would not explode until those who received the gospel, stewarded it to the point of moving from receivers to givers. When the church in Antioch and the churches across Galatia, Asia Minor, Greece, and even Italy participated in the Jerusalem collection, something happened. The people learned that the gospel always comes to us on the way to someone else. And our role is to participate in the communion of giving and receiving.
Too much of generosity today, globally-speaking, is thought to flow from the West to the East and South. Those days are nearly gone. If they are not over, they will be with this global recession. Now that the wealth of the world is in the East and the gospel is spreading in the South, everything will change. I am no futurist, but I have traveled the world, and can’t wait to get back on an airplane to serve national workers all over the planet for GTP to nurture one of our ten values: sustained interdependence.
In plain terms, we are not giving a man a fish to feed him for a day, we must teach people how to fish to feed them for a lifetime. As a guy who loves to fly fish and guide other anglers, the only thing better than landing a nice trout is guiding for someone who has never touched a rod and helping them hook and land a fish!