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Individual Missions Support

Why break with tradition? Many well-meaning people have asked us this question, though usually with different words, along our support-raising journey. Why are we not spending every Sunday in different churches, visiting dozens or even hundreds of churches seeking support for our mission work? And we understand the concern, because for so long, that was the main or only model for missions support.

But we have become convinced through our study of Scripture, support raising books, and the advice of many other missionaries, that the traditional model of only seeking church support is not the best way. We believe that the best model for missions support includes both churches and individuals. 

Because of that, in addition to our meetings with churches, we have been spending a lot of time meeting with individuals to share our ministry and support raising needs, praying that God will lead us to the right people who will partner with us for the advance of the gospel in Mexico. And currently, over 90% of our monthly support is from individuals.

For those who remain skeptical of the concept of individual support, I want to share here a few reasons I believe that individual missions support is a very good thing.

Individual support has biblical precedent

I won’t develop this idea fully now, but I do want to point to one biblical example that shows us that individual support can be a good thing. In Luke 8 we have the example of Jesus and his disciples receiving personal support from several women they had ministered to:

“Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.”

If Jesus had individual supporters, I think we are safe in following His example.

Individual support can be as long lasting and faithful as church support

One of the biggest arguments I hear against individual support is that it will not be as reliable as church support. That seems to make sense, but I don’t think it is actually true. We heard from another missionary recently who told us that for her family, the individual support was actually more reliable than church support. If the individuals on our support team are committed to God and to our ministry, there is no reason they would be any less faithful or reliable in their giving than churches are.

Individual support is more personal

Following along with the previous point, I believe that one of the main reasons individual support is as reliable as church support is precisely because it is more personal. It is very difficult to have deep personal relationships with dozens of churches. But it is very possible to maintain personal relationships with dozens of individuals. In the case of churches, the leadership or the missions committee can change often, and that makes it more difficult for missionaries to stay connected to so many churches. The personal nature of individual support is precisely what makes it so reliable and long-lasting.

Individual support allows for greater investment in specific ministries

Maybe your church doesn’t support a particular ministry that you are especially burdened for, or maybe you have a close relationship with a particular missionary. Why not personally partner with that missionary or ministry? The Bible encourages generous giving, and it doesn’t say we should only give to the church. We should give to the church, but not only to the church.

Some will say, “I just give to missions through the church.” That’s fine. But unless your church is extraordinary, you’re probably not having a great impact on any given missionary or ministry. I calculated in one supporting church, that only $1 out of every $200 given to the church supports our ministry. You can have a much greater impact by personally partnering with missionaries than by just giving to the church.

One individual supporter I met with a few months ago said his family gave away 55% of their income last year. That’s huge. I love seeing when God moves people to be generous. But he also said that he loves supporting ministries apart from the church. He gives first of all to the church, but his giving doesn’t stop there. He has partnered generously with our ministry, and I’m sure he does the same with many others.

So what about you? What are your thoughts about individually supporting a missionary? I have to admit, before I started the support raising process, it hadn’t really crossed my mind. But 6 months ago, Sarah and I started partnering monthly with another missionary, and it is a blessing to have a part in their ministry.

When you give, when you partner with missionaries, you are investing in eternity. And that’s what really counts. One day we will all give account for how we used the resources God entrusted to us. Did we use them on ourselves and our comfort, or did we use them for the advance of God’s Kingdom? The choice is ours to make. How will you use the resources God has given you?

Do you have any thoughts you want to share about individual support? Connect with us on Facebook (Chris Collins Jr, Sarah Collins, or Chris and Sarah Collins to Mexico), or email us at ccollins@caminoglobal.org

Would you like to personally partner with our ministry? You can do so at https://www.caminoglobal.org/give/give-now/ (use account number 082560 for your “designation”). 

If you would like to meet with us to learn more about our ministry in Mexico, please reach out. You can email (ccollins@caminoglobal.org), text, or call (231-878-4567), or connect on Facebook (Chris Collins Jr, Sarah Collins, or Chris and Sarah Collins to Mexico).

Take a moment today to consider how you can make a personal impact for eternity.

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