Biblical Financial Partnership

Many of us hear the term "support raising," "financial partnership" or "living on support" from various veins of ministry today. Most of today's large modern missions organizations are staffed by missionaries who rely on the financial support of their friends and family in order to do their ministry. But where is this model found in scripture?

One of the earliest Biblical examples of ministers who were financially supported by members of the church were the musicians of David's tabernacle. David established a tabernacle that was filled with night and day worship, which was crucial to David's government. In 1 Chronicles 23:4-5, David establishes a breathtaking 4000 musicians whose sole purpose was to maintain the worship in the temple, as well as 24,000 supervisors and intercessors to fill and manage the temple. For David, the house of prayer was at the center of his government. These who filled the temple were labeled "ministers before the Lord." Obviously, Solomon carried on this tradition with the building of the temple.

What about in the New Testament? Paul outlines his financial plan in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15. While Paul also had a profession of tent-maker to decrease his financial burden, his ministry would have been impossible without the financial aid of individuals in the church. Paul outlines the correct mindset about giving in this passage:

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. . . Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people, but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.

Paul outlines a very special partnership that God designed to take place between those who sow financially and those who minister under their support. When we sow financially to a ministry, we become partakers in the fruit of that ministry and we receive the blessing of that fruit (not only in heaven, but also now). Paul says that because we give and make the ministry possible, we receive a special blessing AND we demonstrate thanksgiving to God that actually builds our righteousness.

Paul takes the opportunity to give and describes it as a blessed opportunity given by the Lord so that we might receive blessing for our gift (so that we can give again - cyclical principle). We worship God with where we send our funds. So support raising is just as much an opportunity for the financial giver as it is for the ministry. For that reason, Paul writes: You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Financial support is about ministry partnership because both receive the blessing for their ministry. In God's economy, the richest are those who give generously. This presents a challenge for me and for most of American culture because this is counter American-dream mentality, but as Paul said,

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

Hopefully this helps to expand our understand of financial support and God's economy.