I have been wrestling with whether or not I would write this post. I think it is the most challenging one I have ever written. This is probably because it deals with the taboo subject of ministry and money. These two things are like the separation of church and state. It’s a concept that many would love to divide, but are inseparable in their very nature. So to whatever degree this post makes you uncomfortable, I think it is good, and hope it give you comfort to know that I had the same struggles writing this.

Basic principle: IT TAKES MONEY TO START AND LEAD A CHURCH! Okay, I needed to say that. Let’s not pretend that it doesn’t. Yes, the more important thing is to love God and to love people. Yes, we must serve selflessly the community. Yes, we must be “called” by God to do so. But, it also takes money, sometimes a great deal of money to plant a church. Most people, who think it is all about spiritual depth and passion, have never planted a church. To ignore the fundraising component in this process is to establish an early end date for a church.

A church planter places their livelihood and family on the altar when they decide to follow God on this journey. It’s a crazy thing to trust a God to start a church, you have to be a bit nuts. I remember vividly the day we had negative $137 in the bank with little food in our house, and our cars were running low on gas. That is when things get very real. There is a temptation to pack it up, and go work somewhere in fast food industry. Most new churches don’t close because of moral failures of the pastors or of a lack of vision, it’s due to a lack of money or financial strength. So, we established an urban missionary fund through a 501c3 ministry for our family to try to ease the immediate needs while building financial health.

Let’s be honest and deal with the elephant in the room. There are churches and pastors who misuse finances given in offerings. It’s true. The problem is there are so many more honest, good hearted, committed, fiscally responsible, spiritual leaders who will suffer because of the failure of one dishonest person. That means that the kind of church you want see thrive won’t. That is unacceptable! But, people will support not-for-profit organizations.  The sad thing is that the church should be at the top of the list. It’s the one organization that is focused on changing not only the behavior, but first the heart.

I have also seen established pastors refuse to invest in church planters because they see them as competitors. This is heartbreaking because churches should never compete with one another; our enemy is a real devil and all of hell. But, it can often be a challenge to see this plight when it’s been so long since they have planted and can’t remember the early days, or if they hired into a position with a salary and benefits already in place.

In our situation, we would not have made it if it wasn’t for churches and individuals who cared enough to support our ministry and family. We would have at least lost our house, and our health insurance, not to mention a God given vision. Money pays for our building. Their money has helped us serve and feed those in the community. Their money has allowed us to provide an under-resourced school with thousands of books. We are impacting people’s lives for the Glory of God, and it would not have been a reality without people giving. Add to that the statistics show that more people come to Jesus through new churches than through any other mission. That means we need church plants.

The sad truth is that it doesn’t take a lot. Our smallest donation was $2. That was just as significant as the multi-thousands given. Both the small and large amounts are vitally important to make a vision a reality. In giving to a church plant you are in part a kingdom investor. You make the work of His kingdom possible. In our situation we are reaching a community where there are college students and the urban poor. We can go years without being self-sustaining. If self-sustaining was the key than only the rich would plant churches in affluent areas. No one would ever try to reach the poor, whom Jesus cared for deeply!

It’s a hard conversation, but necessary. Money and Ministry are directly connected, and it doesn’t help to ignore it. I believe that we need to have a church planting support culture if we are going to see the impact that all Jesus followers desire.