Is Fundraising Biblical?

Sally Ferguson writes devotionals and articles of consequence, and she even wrote a coloring book for children. As a speaker, she helps women find encouragement from God's Word. She is also helps women plan women's retreats and leads them herself. In this Biblical Discernment UPGRADE, Sally asks a question about fundraising, a topic dear to her heart.

“I was surprised recently to learn some people don’t think churches and Christian ministries should do fundraisers,” Sally said.

Fundraising can be a hot-button issue in some Christian circles, but I (Dawn) think Sally explores it with both insight and compassion.

Sally continues . . .

As one who was in church with my parents every time the doors were open, I grew up with a well-rounded view of the church and money.

My sister and I were eager to put our coins in the offering plate when passed down the row. It was seen as a privilege to be a part of God’s work.

When I graduated to the youth group, we each became a part of the fundraising team to ensure all could afford our ministry opportunities.

Church camp and youth conventions were a time of teaching God’s Word and growing in relationships. We came home from our mountaintop experiences ready to tell our friends at school about the transformation we’d encountered and how Jesus could make a difference in their lives, too.

Had we not done fundraising, maybe half of the group could not have attended.

It’s unthinkable that some of us would not have been included in those trips.

In the years following, I’ve been a part of fundraising for all types of church events, so it puzzled me that someone wouldn’t consider it biblical. It made me want to find out for myself what God says about our finances.

Exploring Fundraising Biblically

1. We’re told in Malachi to bring a tithe to God.

That foundational gift is to honor God’s care of us. He gives us all things, but only requires a tenth given back to support the ministry of His House, as planned in Numbers 18:21.

“Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple. Test me in this and see if I don’t open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams” (Malachi 3:10 MSG).

2. The early church modeled community for us in the way they took care of each other.

Acts 2:42-47 tells us people sold their possessions in order to provide for unmet needs.

People were so excited about what they were seeing take place around them, they joined forces to expand their reach.

3. In Romans 15:27, Paul says it is right for us to share our material blessings with those who bless us spiritually.

Have you felt joy when you gave to another? It has a boomerang effect in blessing the giver as much as the receiver.

Not only has fundraising helped our church reach goals of sending people on mission trips and building campaigns to expand ministry facilities, but it has also helped to build camaraderie within the church.

The process of working together toward a common goal bonds us together and builds community.

When we witness something accomplished that is bigger than ourselves, we get a faith boost because we know God is at work in our midst.

“In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14 MSG).

So, let’s circle back to the beginning.

What Is Fundraising?

Fundraising is raising funds for a particular need that otherwise wouldn’t be met. It’s money pooled together above and beyond the general tithe for a specific occasion.

Maybe you would call it an offering or a gift, but fundraising can look like many different things:

• A new church van for picking up children for Sunday School
• Packaged goods for the church food pantry.
• Bottle and can drive for missions.

One more story.

Our church issued a Backpack Challenge for members to fill backpacks with school supplies. One little girl turned in hers with a request. She had added clothes in her size for another girl to have for the first days of school.

Our youth pastor agreed to pray for that specific recipient.

Later that week, she received a call from a local agency. Guess what they asked for? Yep, that specific size was needed for a little girl!

Two gals learned about the power of prayer and that God cares about the details—when one responded to a fundraiser.

It was a great reminder to all of us that the smallest can teach us the biggest lessons.

What does fundraising look like to you?

Proverbs 3:9 admonishes us to honor God with all of our possessions. May we do so with generous and joyful hearts and wallets, as we look for ways to enhance ministry opportunities beyond the walls of our church.

What do you think? Is fundraising biblical?

Sally Ferguson is a teacher of God’s Word and a student of people. Whether leading retreats or small groups, she loves to see the light shine when hope abounds. Sally lives in western New York with her husband and her dad. Her current project is a Bible study for caregivers. Catch up with her at sallyferguson.net.  

Seeking Spiritual Discernment Is Brave

Janet Thompson writes solid, biblical books on a number of tough topics—cancer, prodigal children, infertility, mentoring, etc.—and in this Biblical Thinking UPGRADE, she challenges us to look at the topic of discernment, which is more than just knowing what to do.

"Imagine a scenario where you observe a situation and your instinct tells you something isn’t right, but you look around and no one else seems alarmed," Janet said. "Everyone is carrying on as if nothing abnormal is happening.

"Do you intervene or do you walk away?"

Good question! I (Dawn) have often prayed for discernment about a tough situaiton, and then when I got that answer from the Lord, sometimes it was truly hard to follow through. I'm glad Janet is taking the topic of discernment one step further, because sometimes we need courage to obey God's direction!

Janet continues . . .

As women of faith, praying for the spirit of discernment can prove to be a brave and bold request in itself.

When we humbly ask God to reveal His will to us for specific situations, even when others may not see what we perceive, God may ask us to perform courageous acts that could be life-saving or forever life-changing.

We can become the brave spiritual warriors that our world needs so desperately.

We tend to categorize “brave women” as those who go into the mission field or into the military. Police officers, firefighters, first responders. Any woman who goes into a dangerous career, willing to lay down her life for a job, cause or belief is superhero—brave in our eyes.

Or we may only attribute bravery to men.

Typically, we don’t consider that “ordinary” women like you and me display real bravery and courage every single day, often in the routines of life.

We may not realize that a courageous heart makes us “superheroes” to those who know us and especially to God.

How Do We Know When God Wants Us to Bravely Intervene?

James 1:5–6 reminds us:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”

1. Pray.

Prayerfully seek the Holy Spirit’s wise direction and guidance gleaned from reading the Bible and prayer.

Spiritual discernment and godly wisdom lets God guide.

2. Be patient.

Discernment takes time and effort to develop as we grow and mature in our faith and develop an ability to sense God’s plan and purpose in a given situation.

3. Obey.

Expectantly ask God for the willingness, strength, and desire to take whatever action our discernment dictates and let God handle the consequences.

Some Christians are more sensitive than others to the still small voice of God; but with patience, studying—not just reading—God’s Word, and a desire to know God’s will, we all have the ability to seek and obtain discernment to be braver than we ever thought possible.

Maybe you’ve sensed the pain behind a word or facial movement or body stance. You know there’s a sadness hidden behind, “No, everything is fine.”

Discernment is seeing what others may not see or say.

It’s more than just a hunch, or burying our hunch in denial, even when faced with observable evidence of a problem. When we discern a situation, we have a choice—ignore or ask God what He wants us to do about it.

Sometimes, we can wait to take action, but other times we can’t dodge, deny, or dismiss the signs that our discernment is revealing—we’re the ones who must act immediately.

In Everyday Brave, I tell the biblical story of Huldah, an Old Testament prophetess who King Josiah asked to decipher the meaning of the lost “book of the law” found during restoration of the temple. Huldah felt dismay, but not panic, as she resolutely read the words in “the book.” She knew she must bravely tell the king the dreadful consequences of the Israelites’ sin and rebellion.

God wanted her to proclaim the truth, no matter how distressing, from His written Word.

Fortunately, because of King Josiah’s grief over hearing from Huldah about his people’s unfaithfulness to follow God’s laws and His covenant with them, God gave a reprieve of punishment during Josiah’s reign.

Josiah took advantage of God’s grace to initiate a spiritual revival.

Lives saved, spiritually and physically, all because Huldah bravely resolved to interpret God’s Word truthfully, even though it was painful for all to hear.

In moments that require the spirit of discernment, we need to pray for God’s protection and then respond to the Holy Spirit’s prompting. If we ignore the Holy Spirit, we may regret it or even feel responsible for a preventable crisis.

It takes great courage to step out in faith on a revealed truth.

If it’s God’s will, He will be there, giving us the help and reassurance we need when it’s difficult or others shy away from getting involved.

When you act on Holy Spirit–inspired discernment, you’re braver than you know.

So what would you do now when facing a situation you know isn’t right? 

Janet Thompson is an international speaker, freelance editor, and award-winning author. She mentors women in sharing their life experiences and God’s faithfulness. Janet's latest book, Everyday Brave: Living Courageously as a Woman of Faith, releases today, September 10, 2019! Among the 20 books she's authored: Mentoring for All Seasons: Sharing Life Experiences and God’s Faithfulness; Forsaken God? Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten; Dear God, Why Can’t I Have a Baby?; Dear God They Say It’s Cancer; Dear God, He’s Home!; Praying for Your Prodigal Daughter. She founded Woman to Woman Mentoring and About His Work Ministries. Sign up for Janet's blog/free newsletter at womantowomanmentoring.com.

Graphic adapted, Photo courtesy of Bethany Laird on Unsplash.