Getting Sent: A Relational Approach to Support Raising

Most of us would rather have a root canal than ask for money.Raising support is one of the most difficult challenges facing Christians in ministry. Fears of rejection, concerns about biblical validity, feelings of not being deserving, anxiety about limited resources can all block us from obtaining the means to fulfill our calling.This book both affirms that God uses the Christian community to send us into ministry and demystifies the process. This down-to-earth handbook

• offers a clear, biblical perspective
• gives step-by-step instructions on how to assemble the tools unique to each person's support-raising task
• helps you know what range of gift to ask of a potential donor
• outlines the how-tos of holdinga home promotional event
• tells the four predictors of church support
• is aware of the diverse ethnic contexts of today's new mission candidates
• includes a chapter by a woman for women on their unique challenges in support raising
• shows how to build a base in a strong church when you don't have one
• explains exactly why people do and don't give

The relational strategy in this book has proven valuable for those who serve Christ on campus, in the city or in other special ministries at home or abroad. It is not necessarily the quickest approach to raising money, but it is the most lasting and fulfilling for those who give and receive.

Sommer is director of teaching and adult discipleship at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (California). Formerly he was associate director of campus ministries for development with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and he has traveled throughout the United States conducting support-raising seminars and training for Christian workers in many organizations. Sommer also served as board chair of Bayshore Christian Ministries and the Foundation for Advanced Christian Training (FACT).