Abstract
Missionary support raising is at the nexus of theology, mission, and money. How do denominations fund mission work and missionaries? What does that funding reveal about missiological mindsets? How do we feel about missions and money? What is the calling, both for the individual and the corporate body, in terms of funding missions? Ultimately, the answers to these questions should be based in the deepest-held truths of the Christian faith. Therefore, this article proposes a biblical theology of support raising. First, the biblical case generally provided by current literature is described. Second, that “case” for support raising is expanded by examining fundamental underlying assumptions that can be summarized as “eucharistic interdependence.” Finally some of the “hard questions” of support raising are looked at through the lens of this eucharistic interdependence framework.
Keywords
Introduction
An internal journey toward support raising
Lord, I will go wherever you ask me to go, and I will do whatever you ask me to do. . . as long as it does not involve raising support.
—Kristina Whiteman, 2000
I think at this point, if what’s being offered is a staff position rather than a support-raising position, I’m going to have to turn it down.
—Kristina Whiteman, 2019
As you can clearly see, over the years my thoughts on support raising have undergone a rather dramatic shift. Not only have I resigned myself to support raising, now I am utterly committed to it. I am convinced that it is every bit as much ministry, every bit as much part of my calling, as is training and caring for missionaries.
In addition to greater maturity, in life and in faith, the thing that has made a difference for me has been experience. When our family began raising funds so that my husband Geoff could begin to work in missionary care, it was primarily out of expediency. In the three-and-a-half years since, we have had to rely on God at a new level, one that puts us in a position to love and be loved by others in some of the most tangible ways imaginable. All of this has led to the change in me, and has prompted me to write this article for those like that long-ago-me—those who may be missing out on a great blessing in their lives because of a distorted understanding of support raising.
In this article, I will first define support raising. After presenting the biblical justification for support raising, I will expand on that “case” by examining fundamental underlying assumptions that can be summarized as “eucharistic interdependence.” I will then take a look at some of the “hard questions” of support raising through the lens of this framework.
What is support raising?
All kinds of things may come to mind when the phrase “support raising” is heard. For the purposes of this article, when the phrase “support raising” is used, it is done by individual Christians or Christian families who have been called to Kingdom-building service, and who gather the money to meet their personal and/or ministry financial needs by directly requesting it from individuals, churches, and organizations. The predominant example of this type of support raiser would be the missionary seeking funds and building networks to allow for their cross-cultural ministry work. But a wide variety of Christians working full- and part-time, long- and short-term, at home and abroad, also raise support.
The biblical “case” for support raising
Support raising and the Old Testament
The primary Old Testament case for support raising is found in the Pentateuch’s verses commanding support of the Levites, 1 particularly in Numbers 18, which gives the rules for the portion of Israel’s tithes to be set apart for the Levites. There are two aspects of the rules concerning the Levites that apply to support raising: First of all, the Levites’ worthiness to receive support is based on their doing temple-work on behalf of all the people (Shadrach, 2016: 60–61; Morton, 2017: 16; Sommer, 1999: 28; Jeavons and Basinger, 2000: 42; Dillon, 2012: 9). The Levites are not supposed to be lazing around sponging off others’ labor—they have a specific, important spiritual task that they have been freed up to do by receiving an income from the rest of Israel. The fact that they are actually supported by the people indicates that this “job” is important enough to set its practitioners apart and have them focus on this alone.
Second, the support of the Levites is frequently referred to in relation to the peoples’ task of caring for the vulnerable (Rust and McLeish, 1984: 13; Brown, 2016: 2; Jeavons and Basinger, 2000: 42). In fact, the Levites themselves are called to give to the poor as well (Shadrach, 2016: 63). Both the poor and the Levites prosper as the Israelites prosper, and suffer as they suffer. The fate of the nation is thus linked to the fate of its religious workers and to the fate of its most vulnerable citizens.
Support raising and the New Testament
New Testament passages related to support raising are more plentiful and come from a wider range of sources. It is interesting to note the ways that many of these references connect back to the Old Testament; although the distribution of resources to the Levites was a part of the Law and not an optional part of life for God’s people, these rules have a continuing role in the New Testament (Johnson, 2009: 51, 61–62, 67). Arguments for support raising based on the New Testament can be split into four categories: Jesus’ example, Jesus’ teaching, Paul’s example, and Paul’s teaching.
Support raising in the New Testament: Jesus’ example
One of the most often-cited passages in the New Testament relating to support raising is this brief description in Luke: Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources. (8:1–3)
From these verses we learn that Jesus himself “lived on support” (Shadrach, 2016: 71; 2010: 27; Sommer, 1999: 28; Dillon, 2012: 10; Morton, 2017: 17; Unmuzzled Ox, 2016). The creator of the universe, who, though living an earthly life as a man, would have had any resources available to him that he wanted, chose to live in a way that made him dependent on God and on others (Shadrach, 2010: 3–4; Shadrach, 2016: 72).
Furthermore, the specific relationship that he had with these women who were supporting him was important: they are mentioned in all Gospel accounts as staying with Jesus throughout his ministry. 2 These are not temporary associations that last only as long as it takes to get and give monetary gifts. Not only do they maintain relationships with Jesus, but according to every Gospel account they receive a very special gift, one which seems to say something about the quality of that relationship: It was Jesus’ donors who were the first to experience the joy of his Resurrection.
In addition to the example found in Luke 8 (and through those cited relationships, throughout the Gospels), there are two more arguments for support raising based on Jesus’ example: First of all, although Jesus had “no place to lay his head” (Matt 8:19–20; Luke 9:57–58), he and the Twelve were not destitute—they had access to resources. We know this because we are told that Judas was in charge of the money bag, a money bag that was full enough to steal from (John 12:6), or to give money to the poor (John 13:29), or to purchase supplies (John 4:8, 13:29) (Unmuzzled Ox, 2016; Morton, 2017: 31; Johnson, 2009: 16–19). Second, although we in the 21st century may not realize it, the “hospitality culture” of the 1st century had implications of support raising. This is because a rabbi’s direct request for a donkey or an upper room or a meal was a request for support. Culturally speaking, just the act of showing up at someone’s house was a revered teacher’s way of asking to be housed for three days and provisioned for the next stage of the journey (Morton, 2017: 20). In support raising language, it was an “ask.”
Support raising in the New Testament: Jesus’ teachings
In addition to Jesus’ direct example, there are several passages where Jesus’ instructions or other teaching relate to support raising. Many organizations link the Great Commission 3 to calls for support raising. The argument goes something like this: Jesus has commanded us to go to all the peoples of the world. 4 Travel and living while doing ministry, particularly to “the ends of the earth,” takes money. Therefore, missionaries and other ministry workers need to raise support (Dillon, 2012: 12). This is sometimes linked to Matthew 6:21, and the connection of peoples’ hearts and how they use their “treasure” (Shadrach, 2010: 24; Jeavons and Basinger, 2000: 2)—if you care about the Great Commission, you will contribute money to it!
It is generally agreed in support-raising literature that Jesus’ sending out of his disciples 5 without resources such as purse, bag, money, or bread is, in fact, an instruction to live on support. The act of finding the “worthy person” and entering into their house is, in fact, a request for provision (Shadrach, 2010: 27; 2016: 73; Morton, 2017: 18, 20; Sommer, 1999: 28; Jeavons and Basinger, 2000: 46; Dillon, 2012: 10). The disciples in these passages are, in some ways, actually using support raising to identify where the message of Jesus the Christ will be welcome, thus furthering their ministry in every way by looking for their material needs to be cared for by others (Jeavons and Basinger, 2000: 49).
Additionally, several authors point to Jesus’ statement in Luke 10:7 that the “laborer deserves to be paid” as an important expression of the idea that missionaries and other Christian workers deserve a salary for the work that they do (Johnson, 2009: 48, 131, 132; Shadrach, 2016: 77; Morton, 2017: 18). Sharing the gospel message requires giving up time, energy, and efforts that could be going toward making a livelihood some other way. This means that the requirements of doing Christian service make it a “job” that deserves compensation like any other.
A few authors tie their teachings about support raising to other parts of Jesus’ teaching that do not necessarily relate directly to evangelism/missions work. For example, some state that those who live on support are following Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6 to seek the Kingdom first and trust God for material provision (Johnson, 2009: 47; Rust and McLeish, 1984: 16; Morton, 2017: 209–10). Additionally, it is argued, Jesus’ teachings build on the Old Testament “commitment to justice and a sense of reciprocity” but expand on those ideals to be “more generalized”—to apply to giving more generally to God’s work and God’s people (Jeavons and Basinger, 2000: 45).
Support raising in the New Testament: Paul’s example
There are several frequently cited passages that refer either directly or indirectly to Paul’s life of living on support (Shadrach, 2016: 79). These can be separated into three categories: accounts by others that indicate that Paul received support, Paul’s words of gratitude for support he has already received, and Paul’s words indicating that he anticipates receiving support in the future. In the first category, Acts 18:4–5 indicates that when Silas and Timothy arrived in Corinth with support from the Macedonian church, Paul went from preaching only on the Sabbath to preaching full time. In other words, as soon as it was possible for him to live on support and dedicate more time to his missionary work, he did so (Johnson, 2009: 64). In the second category, Paul praises the Philippians for their gifts to him (Phil 4:15–18), describing the times when they were his only supporters (Rust and McLeish, 1984: 15; Morton, 2017: 18). Onesiphorus’ material care for Paul is mentioned twice in 2 Timothy, both during his imprisonment in Rome and when both were in Onesiphorus’ home town of Ephesus (1:16–18) (Sommer, 1999: 28). Finally, in the third category, in both Romans (15:24) and in 1 Corinthians (16:6), Paul anticipates that these churches will be supporting him in his missionary work. The verses here are cited particularly frequently in support-raising literature, as indicating that Paul’s general expectation and mode of operation included having his financial/material needs met by the various churches (Rust and McLeish, 1984: 15; Shadrach, 2016: 82; Sommer, 1999: 28; Dillon, 2012: 10).
Support raising in the New Testament: Paul’s teaching
John mentions supporting gospel preachers in order to be “co-workers” with them (3 Jn 8; see Rust and McLeish, 1984: 14), and Peter instructs Christians to share what has been given to them (1 Pet 4:10; see Sommer, 1999: 28). However, in the New Testament it is Paul who has the most to say that either implicitly or explicitly applies to the practice of support raising. This, perhaps, is why virtually every piece of support-raising literature, whatever category it falls into, refers back to Paul’s teaching on this subject. Because the sheer volume of verses is a bit unwieldy, for the purposes of this article we will divide them thematically into the following categories: elevation of the work and worker, the benefits for the giver, and koinonia.
First of all, Paul seeks in his teachings to elevate both the work of sharing the gospel and the evangelists themselves. This is particularly notable in 1 Corinthians 9, where he connects Old Testament rules about work and about the support of the Levites (Rust and McLeish, 1984: 14; Jeavons and Basinger, 2000: 50; Morton, 2017: 18). By making this connection, Paul is indicating that it is God’s plan for full-time workers to be supported by the church (Johnson, 2009: 67; Harris and Wilson, 2017: 36; Morton, 2017: 18–19). In fact, this provision is absolutely necessary for the mission of the church—it is the only way for evangelists to do their work without charging those to whom they have come to preach and minister (Johnson, 2009: 68–69). The quoting of Jesus’ words that the “worker is worthy of his hire” (1 Tim 5:18) indicates that there is a concurrence of value here—merit goes along with recompense, and vice versa (Johnson, 2009: 131–32; Morton, 2017: 31, 43).
Second, Paul mentions that there are great benefits for the one who gives to the work of the gospel; this is a thematic element of 2 Corinthians 8–9 (Harris and Wilson, 2017: 21), and echoes can be found throughout his letters (Harris and Wilson, 2017: 21, 31; Shadrach, 2016: 82). The ways that giving affects the giver are grounded in the idea that by giving to the church one is, in fact, giving to God (8:5); this means that giving is an act of worship (Morton, 2017: 44) which benefits the giver spiritually (8:13–14) (Jeavons and Basinger, 2000: 27). There is something inherently honorable and dignified in being able to give—particularly for those who do not have much (8:1–4) (Morton, 2017: 30). Joy is the result of generous giving (Dillon, 2012: 28–29; Shadrach, 2010: 6), as giving allows us to “imitate the gracious God who is always giving us what we need” (Jeavons and Basinger, 2000: 28). The entire Christian community prospers from this exchange (9:11–14), as a spirit of generosity grows through partnership (Jeavons and Basinger, 2000: 34).
The final thematic category of koinonia relates directly to these two previous categories. One of the greatest benefits that donors receive is participation “in the community they are supporting” (Harris and Wilson, 2017: 50). In 1 Corinthians 9, there is a clear sense of “partnership” (Johnson, 2009: 64, 67, 75, 123–25; Dillon, 2012: 57–60; Jeavons and Basinger, 2000: 51) of the interdependence of believers (Harris and Wilson, 2017: 22). Earlier in that same letter, Paul has indicated that the work of the gospel is a joint venture, between God and all the co-workers in God’s service (3:5–9) (Dillon, 2012: 43). Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 8–9 call for this level of koinonia, of fellowship together, that breaks down the gap between Jew and Gentile (Harris and Wilson, 2017: 20), between rich and poor (Harris and Wilson, 2017: 32), between any groups within the Body. What Paul calls for is a kind of solidarity which “assumes that the church is a community of faith and reciprocity, a community where people care for one another out of a commitment to live for one another and for God, whom they trust to care for all of them. In this view, they are all to be partners in God’s work and the work of the community” (Jeavons and Basinger, 2000: 51). This type of mutuality, materially lived out in support raising, is thus a true sacrifice of worship to God (Johnson, 2009: 75, 120–21; Barnett, 1991: 23, 26).
While it is clear from the above passages that there is a case to be made in Paul’s life and teaching for support raising as a norm for Christian workers, some of the loudest voices against support raising also cite Paul. The description of someone as a “tent maker” comes from places in Acts and 2 Thessalonians where Paul is seen plying this very profession. If it was good enough for Paul, these people say, it should also be good enough for us to go into a new context and work at a “secular” job for the purposes of putting food on the table, while still carrying out ministry. Understandably, there is a very strong response to this attitude in the Christian support-raising literature. Paul, it is argued, engaged in tent making only three times that we know of, and each of those three had a specific reason (Johnson, 2009: 64).
It has already been mentioned that in Corinth Paul was only initially able to preach on the Sabbath; during the rest of the week he worked with Aquila and Pricilla. 6 However, his quick change from part- to full-time ministry as soon as the funds arrived with Silas and Timothy indicates that this was simply a temporary expediency (Johnson, 2009: 64; Shadrach, 2010: 28; 2016: 80). Additionally, Paul later says (2 Cor 11:7) that he is concerned that his choice not to ask for support from the Corinthians in order not to “burden” them may have been the wrong choice.
In Thessalonica, 7 Christians were using the expectation of Christ’s immediate return as an excuse to not work. But Paul showed them the diligence they were supposed to be practicing while they waited for Christ (Shadrach, 2010: 27; 2016: 79–80). Paul’s position as a Jewish missionary in a Gentile congregation also necessitated self-support (Morton, 2017: 23; Brown, 2016: 11). Additionally, the church at Thessalonica may have been too young, small, and poor to provide Paul’s material support (Morton, 2017: 23). Finally, in Ephesus (Acts 20:33–34), Paul worked at tent making in order to not cause a scandal and/or sociopolitical repercussions by being perceived as threatening the existing traffic in idols (Shadrach, 2010: 27–28; 2016: 80; Morton, 2017: 24).
Paul, then, sometimes raised support, and sometimes supported himself by working full time at his previous occupation. What made the difference? Why was (and is) it okay to sometimes seek provision through others in support raising and sometimes to seek provision through self-support? The bottom line, according to all authors who mention Paul’s varying support career, is that Paul did whatever was most helpful in the spread of the gospel (Shadrach, 2010: 28; Morton, 2017: 24; Jeavons and Basinger, 2000: 50). Becoming “all things to all people” (1 Cor 9: 22) in order to save as many as possible applies to support raising as well.
Eucharistic interdependence: an underlying framework
While the biblical justification for support raising found in much of the literature is helpful, I believe it can be more fully understood by placing these Scriptures and ideas in a larger framework that encompasses a wider swathe of lived theology. Some of what I aim to make explicit here is already implicit in the literature, so my goal is simply to lay out this underlying schema in a way that is more conceptually organized. What follow are four key assertions which can be summed up in the idea of “eucharistic interdependence.”
God the creator and giver of all desires stewardship
The first key assertion to a biblical theology of support raising is this: Out of the loving perichoresis of the Holy Trinity all things have been made, are sustained, and are apportioned to human beings (key passages include: Lev 19:9–10, 25:35; Deut 8, 14:28–29; Num 18:8, 24; 1 Kings 17:1–16; Phil 4:18). 8 God as creator-sustainer-giver requires good stewardship of all we have been given (Basil, 2009: 61, 69; Johnson, 2011: 6).
In the Orthodox tradition, saints such as Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and John Chrysostom have a great deal to say that relates to stewardship. Although they are generally writing in terms of the rich and their duty to care for the poor, I believe that there are larger lessons for all of us about how we should dispose of the wealth with which we have been entrusted. On the whole, the saints take a hard line, arguing from Old Testament Scriptures (Chrysostom, 1981: 49) that those who have too much are stealing from those who have too little (Holman, 2001: 100) every bit as much as a robber who waits on the road to steal from those who go by (Chrysostom, 1981: 36). Luxurious living is seen as a grievous sin (Chrysostom, 1981: 26), because excess shows that there were people who could have been helped but were not (Basil, 2009: 70). St. Basil goes as far as to say that this kind of living will determine eternal judgment: “You showed no mercy; it will not be shown to you. You opened not your house; you will be expelled from the Kingdom. You gave not your bread; you will not receive eternal life” (Basil, 2009: 49).
In order to be good stewards, we should all remember that all we have comes from God and is given to us so that we might use it for God’s purposes (Basil, 2009: 69; see also Shadrach, 2010: 6); we should keep in mind always that God will demand a “strict accounting” of how we used our wealth in the end (Basil, 2009: 61). Knowing this, we should see wealth as an opportunity to practice both self-control and charity (Chrysostom, 1981: 82), for it is in generosity that we have an opportunity to partake in God’s generous nature toward our own theosis (Holman, 2001: 101). In addition to avoiding perdition and gaining salvation, the Fathers write that the generous will receive joy here and now—thus both this life and the next are blessed by giving rather than clinging to wealth.
All these lessons apply to the support raiser as well—we, too, are called to be generous, to give out of what we have been given, to be good stewards. We are, hopefully, even more aware of how dependent on God we are, given that God’s gifts to us come through the hands of others. And we are also called to hold whatever we have or don’t have loosely, knowing that all things belong to God.
God invites us to join God’s work in the world
I have already mentioned the need to use our resources for God’s purposes, but what are those purposes, and how do they relate to support raising? God desires that God’s Kingdom would be manifest in the whole world. This is not a “someday in heaven” notion, but actually something to be worked toward here and now. With his Incarnation, Jesus has inaugurated the Kingdom; in the end of time, the Kingdom will be completely present here on earth as it is in heaven. In the meantime, in the now-but-not-yet of the Kingdom, God is at work. Thus, seeking the Kingdom means for us now to look for the places God is already moving.
Connecting this to support raising goes back to our key assertion of God’s ownership of all things. Stewards know that their job is to look out for their masters’ good—the priorities of the master are the priority for the steward. A genuine attitude of stewardship leads us to giving back to God, out of gratitude for what God has given us and out of desire, as God’s “stewards,” to see God’s purposes accomplished in the world. Care for the poor and for gospel workers is one way to offer thanksgiving for all we have been given, even as it shows that we trust in the Master to continue to provide all we need.
Indeed, giving of our material resources through support of gospel workers is not a gift to them, but to God through them, for God’s purposes (Harris and Wilson, 2017: 24). We are all, in the Great Commission, called to participate in what God is doing in the world—each of us is to be a herald and a foretaste of the Kingdom. We are given a path for this through the Great Commandment—by loving our neighbor as ourselves, we express our love for and gratitude to God. One of the joyous freedoms given to us by God is that we are each given unique talents, gifts, and resources with which to do this business of joining in what God is doing in the world. This may happen through the cycle of material abundance and grateful giving, just as it may happen through dedication of our occupation in service (Nouwen, 2010: 46). We are always mindful, however, as those who give or receive support, that the work is God’s, not ours: What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. . . For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Cor 3:5–9)
We enter into the work together as one body
That final verse points us to this third key assertion—this work of God that we are invited into is not meant to be done alone. We are called to pool our resources, to interweave our lives and our efforts (Barnett, 1991: 13). St. Gregory of Nyssa sees the church as an extended family: the most just thing in any family, he says, is to split the resources of the family evenly, so that all “reap an equal part of the heritage” (Holman, 2001: 197; see also Harris and Wilson, 2017: 37). This relates back to Paul’s idea of koinonia, of fellowship that seeks to fill the lack in one part with the abundance of another (Johnson, 2009: 64, 120–21; Harris and Wilson, 2017: 23, 32). This requires, however, that we see ourselves not primarily as individual units, but as part of a greater body whose basis is giving and receiving (Barnett, 1991: 23).
All of the imagery used by Paul to describe the Body points to its interconnectivity—to the diversity-in-unity that is a necessary part of identity and function (see especially 1 Cor 12:12–14 and Eph 4:1–16). We need each other! Support raising gives us a glimpse of this, as we share not only in material resources but in spiritual vitality and missionary vision (Dillon, 2012: 4, 5; Harris and Wilson, 2017: 45). American culture, in particular, tells us that we should not talk about money—that we should be self-sufficient, that we should take care of ourselves, that “need” equals “less-than.” Support raising breaks down these impregnable walls of individuality and pride (Barnett, 1991: 13) to remind us that all of us, in the end, are entirely reliant—entirely dependent—on God for all things (Nouwen, 2010: 56). In the vulnerability of asking for money, we actually come into greater communion with one another as we recognize our mutual neediness before God (Nouwen, 2010: 22, 49). Thus support raising is a means of grace for us corporately, as we join together to do and be that which neither giver nor receiver could do or be alone (Johnson, 2009: 121; Harris and Wilson, 2017: 22; Barnett, 1991:12).
What we do in our actual lives matters
We are embodied beings, given the ability to express our beliefs with our actions (Johnson, 2011: 33). This applies to everything—every word out of our mouths and every action of our bodies. It all tells the story, to ourselves and to each other and to the world, of what we value and believe (Johnson, 2011: 11). As members of the Body of Christ, we believe that the story we tell with our lives should be one of love, for each other and for the world. True love is not just verbal or ephemeral—it is concrete, practical, and active (Hopko, 1976: 106; Skobstsova, 2003: 52). St. Gregory of Nyssa puts it this way: “There is a difference between words and action as great as the difference between a painting and the reality. The Lord affirms that we will be saved, not by our words but by our actions” (Holman, 2001: 203).
When it comes to issues of getting and giving support, the concrete, practical, active nature of love is made clear. People who have been called for service to the gospel of the Kingdom do not live on manna—they need money. This single utilitarian fact is a major reason for strain, for burnout, for leaving the field and sometimes the faith. Whether that money comes in through institutional apportionment (as is the case with a shrinking number of organizations), through receiving local tithes and offerings, or through personal support raising, the bottom line is the same—Christian workers who have been set apart for this work require financial resources.
And yet, they need that money to be given out of relationship, to be given out of genuine care for the person and for the work (Johnson, 2009: 74; Harris and Wilson, 2017: 47; Rust and McLeish, 1984: 10). Giving financially is seen as an “Amen!” from a supporter—evidence that the supporter believes in the receiver and their calling (Sommer, 1999: 11). When a supporter responds to an email update or retweets a picture from the field, these small acts speak volumes (Johnson, 2009: 76). When supporters allow themselves to know and to be known in the midst of the terrifying/heart-wrenching/messy/glorious details of actual life, it is a gift beyond measure.
St. Maria Skobtsova is a powerful example of what it looks like to live the Christian faith in everyday life. She lived and worked in Paris in the early 20th century; she was well known for her care for both the spiritual and the physical, the divine and the practical (Skobtsova, 2003: 22). St. Maria devoted herself to “monasticism in the world” (Skobtsova, 2003: 23), living a ministry of hospitality to the marginalized and eventually dying a martyr at Ravensbruck. She was both the recipient and the donor of support; in all of her work, though, she maintained that vital sense of relational partnership. As a donor, she felt it would be wrong to give anything to anyone unless they had meaning to her as a person (Skobtsova, 2003: 30). As a recipient, she lived each day in joyful, redemptive practicality, declaring, “There is more love, more humility, more need in remaining in the world’s backyard, in breathing its bad air, in hungering after spiritual food—sharing all these burdens and all the world’s anguish with others, lightening them for others” (Skobtsova, 2003: 95).
Eucharistic interdependence
In summary, if everything we have is a gift from God, the proper response to the joy of receiving from God is to desire to give in return (Chrysostom, 1981: 22; Dillon, 2012: 27), through participating in God’s work in the world as a member of the one Body of Christ, actively and practically loving others with our resources. In some ways, this all comes back to the essence of stewardship, from an Orthodox perspective: entering into a sacramental exchange of offering to and receiving from the Lord.
In the Eucharist, 9 we believe, we offer bread and wine, and it is transformed into something far greater—given back to us as the very Body and Blood of Christ. The dance of offering and receiving goes far beyond the altar, however, all the way back to the creation of the world, which God offers to all people. Receiving the earth, the water, the sun, the seed, human beings “offer” work to raise crops.
Any farmer can tell you that they depend not only on their own work, but on God’s continuing provision of good weather, good health, and safety from pests—through God’s provision, human work is transformed, and a good crop is received from the Lord. Once the harvest is complete, people again work to create something new, fashioning bread from wheat and wine from grapes. This process, though, happens only through God’s transforming gifts of yeast and fermentation; and so the process of making bread and wine, too, is an act of receiving and offering.
When the bread and wine have been prepared, they are offered on the altar, and they are received back from God transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. This does not end the cycle of offering and receiving, however. As the faithful receive the Eucharist, they are transformed and so gratefully offer their lives, which God receives and offers back. Leaving the church, these lives themselves become sacramental, as they “continue the process of sanctifying all life and all time given to us as God’s gift” (Lemopoulos, 1989: 52).
It is important to note that at each step in this process, human effort is necessary—there is work involved in offering. However, that which human beings offer to God is always far less than what is received back; in each exchange, the Holy Trinity is at work to amplify, to invigorate, to purify, to perfect that which humans have done. The result is always a new gift that would be impossible without God’s holy intervention.
How do we offer our lives to God? We live out “Love the Lord your God” through “Love your Neighbor.” We seek to grow an interdependent community, where we share our resources “to work for the kingdom, to build a community of love, to let something happen that was greater than we were individually” (Nouwen, 2010: 40). Support raising can contribute to this kind of shared life, as givers and receivers share their mutual gifts (Harris and Wilson, 2017: 50).
In the early church, the social world was divided between “rich” and “poor,” and almsgiving was the way in which this gulf was closed (Brown, 2016: 5). This was not seen as a one-way exchange, however. The support of both the poor and religious leaders was seen as working for the benefit of both givers and receivers—yes, those who received were getting a clear material advantage, but the trade-off for the giver in both prayers on their behalf and in continuing blessings from God was immense (Brown, 2016: 17). In a time and place where direct reciprocity was the rule, this was a countercultural move (Brown, 2016: 22). In effect, rich Christians stepped outside the strict codes of equal economic exchange and indicated that the spiritual benefits they received were even greater than the monetary expenditure they contributed. Thus, charitable giving balanced the social scales and placed Christian leadership—who otherwise would have been utterly beneath the notice of their rich benefactors—in the category of “elite” based on spiritual rather than economic contributions to relationship. As we support raise now, this example is worth looking at.
On the part of the receiver, support raising is an invitation to depend entirely upon God’s love for us expressed through the lives of others. It allows us to live lives of gratitude and trust in God’s provision. It also allows the support raiser to build bonds with others that are enriching in a thousand ways that have nothing to do with money and everything to do with small acts of connection and care.
On the part of the giver, support raising is an invitation to practical love. Supporters are being invited not just to give money, but to join in vision (Dillon, 2012: 4). This is a chance to use their actual lives—the skills, the work, the profit, that God has given them—for God’s work and God’s glory (Nouwen: 2010: 46). Prayer tends to follow money, and so giving is also a way to direct our prayer life toward the work of the Kingdom (Dillon, 2012: 3). Support giving is an acknowledgement that money is not the only thing of value, that it is not an end in and of itself, but is a useful tool for the Kingdom. Supporting gospel workers is a way to spur spiritual growth, inspiring both a healthy attitude toward resources and a very real entry into the work of the Kingdom through offerings (Jeavons and Basinger, 2000: 4, 46; Nouwen, 2010: 21).
Eucharistic interdependence combines the “vertical” element of offering to and receiving from God, with the “horizontal” aspect of partnership and koinonia. Support raising in this framework keeps the emphasis on God’s goodness, God’s grace, and God’s glory, by emphasizing stewardship-toward-shared-vision. That shared vision is for participation in God’s now-but-not-yet Kingdom and the calling to live in and for it alone.
Hard questions in light of eucharistic interdependence
In light of this framework of eucharistic interdependence, some of the difficult questions about support raising can be approached as entirely new discussions. “What about tent making?” becomes a discussion about how we, the Body, best use our interdependent missional resources toward the spread of the gospel. We can talk about what will further the gospel in a particular context, for a particular worker, rather than trying to make a black-and-white case for or against a particular type of funding.
“What about ‘faith alone’?” becomes a discussion about how we share our needs within the Body and with God. There are sometimes arguments between those who extol famed preacher/fundraiser George Muller’s insistence that he never asked for money and those who admire D.L. Moody’s direct request for funds to support Kingdom work. Instead of arguing about whether people ought to follow Muller or Moody in their support-raising methods, we can look at what they both had in common. Both were expert in making clear to the Body of Christ both the prophetic vision that God had given them for the work and the needs that that vision created. Both were successful in raising great sums of money for that work. From them we can learn how to personalize and contextualize need within vision, so that anytime a gospel worker engages in support raising it is from this healthy, holistic standpoint.
“What about the cold, hard economics of asking Christians to put up large sums of money?” becomes a discussion about how we best equip support raisers to share their vision and invite others to enter into it with them. The amount of money that support raisers need for their work can be daunting, leading some to throw in the towel because they can’t see how they can possibly raise the hundreds of thousands of dollars necessary to be equipped for and sustained in the field. We know, though, that God has access to all the resources in the world, and we know also that God is at work in the world—which includes the lives of supporters. What we are free to focus on, in a eucharistic interdependence framework, is how to find those supporters and open the door to relationship.
Finally, “What is my responsibility as a support raiser?” becomes a discussion about how to receive well. Support raisers have to practice a special kind of stewardship—we are called to practice gratitude when the money comes in and when it does not. When support does not come in, it can mean different things—maybe we are called to be patient, maybe we are not doing all we need to do to connect with supporters, maybe this particular project/job is more about what we want than what would benefit the Kingdom, and maybe none of these things. Our dependence on God as the giver of all good gifts includes gratefully accepting changes of direction—or at least reevaluations—that are sometimes necessary when others do not join us in our vision. Part of stewardship for support raisers is the ability to listen constantly for the Holy Spirit to let us know what our path forward is—without ever losing hope or trust in the Lord.
When the money comes in, support raisers’ stewardship also includes thinking through where we can show the same generosity we so appreciate in others—how can we give back what we have been given. Perhaps we will tithe our own income toward the support of other ministries; perhaps we will give freely of our time and energy to listen to a supporter who is hurting (Barnett, 1991: 35). Either way, we are called to freely give as we have freely received (Barnett, 1991: 35, 44).
In the framework of eucharistic interdependence, the support raiser has a responsibility to approach support raising as ministry in and of itself (Dillon, 2012: 6; Nouwen, 2010: 16, 19). This affects the means by which we request support, since the means must be in line with the koinonia-toward-the-Kingdom we desire (Jeavons and Basinger, 2000: 11; Nouwen, 2010: 24, 25). This moves away from the idea of support raising as “begging” or any other demeaning task and allows us to joyfully enter into, and invite others to enter into, true fellowship—even when that is uncomfortable, difficult, or makes our pride itch. From this viewpoint, we can assume that God is at work in others, faithfully share the vision God has given us, and gratefully rejoice in relationship—whether they become financial donors or not! We come to see the request for support as an offering of opportunity to be involved in God’s work, for both giver and receiver, and we become determined not to cheat anyone of this gift.
Conclusion
In light of the eucharistic interdependence that we are all called to, we can echo these words of Henri Nouwen (2010: 22): When those with money and those who need money share a mission, we see a central sign of new life in the Spirit of Christ. We belong together in our work because Jesus has brought us together, and our fruitfulness depends on staying connected with him . . . Therefore, we who need money and those who can give money meet on the common ground of God’s love.
The question for the giver and the receiver is the same: Are we willing to meet together in eucharistic interdependence, for the glory of God and the participation in God’s Kingdom?
A prayer of eucharistic interdependence
Good and gracious Father, Who Knows and Cares for our smallest needs: Teach us to see everyone we meet as a co-worker in your vineyard. Help us to avoid all forms of greed, of covetousness, or of judgment. Help us to see the unhealthy ways we interact with money And give ourselves, our work, our relationships, and all our resources back to you. May we be your hands and feet and voice and listening ear, And see interdependence as a beautiful gift from you. Grant us peaceful minds and calm spirits. Reassure and guide us when we are scared that our needs will not be met, And help us to discern where you are inviting us to join you through others. Teach us to trust in you and love others deeply. Amen.
Supplemental Material
sj-pdf-1-mis-10.1177_00918296211024946 – Supplemental material for Eucharistic interdependence: A biblical theology of support raising
Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-mis-10.1177_00918296211024946 for Eucharistic interdependence: A biblical theology of support raising by Kristina Whiteman in Missiology: An International Review
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