Ray Porter’s recent article on Missionary Funding (EN, November 2009) raises important issues.
But it leaves the reader with more questions than answers. How then should long-term, international cross-cultural gospel work be funded? What is the responsibility of those who set their hearts on doing this kind of work? What is the proper role and function of a mission society, and how ought such organisations to be funded today? What is the biblical model for the relationship between churches and would-be mission partners? Ray’s concerns arise out of his long and distinguished personal experience of global mission and his undoubted passion to see proper provision made. However, a statement like ‘there is no biblical justification for burdening missionaries with fundraising’ frames the argument in a way that does not help any of the parties to grasp the biblical model of gospel partnership, which is an essential piece of the biblical picture.
The article draws attention to the comparative comfort of the financial guarantees many Anglican ordinands enjoy and the insecurity of some independent students, including those seeking international, cross-cultural ministry — but it is actually the supposed ‘job-for-life’ security offered by institutional denominations that is abnormal in the light of the New Testament. Such financial security is also wildly out of kilter with the reality experienced by most believers down the centuries and around the world today.
