Healthy Partnerships Part 2: Money

Money changes relationships. Like sex, it can be a great blessing in the context of a committed, trusting relationship, but it can cause unspeakable damage when it is given out casually whenever the opportunity arises. While we are all called to be generous and cheerful givers, we must, at the same time, be wise and careful. There are a few principles that can guard our church partnerships against the damage that money can cause:

We are ALL called to steward wisely and to give – The Bible is loaded with commands to give, and those commands never exclude the poorest. If anything, God seems to take delight in highlighting how the poorest gave. From the widow who served Elijah by giving him her last meal, to the woman who gave her last two coins, to the Macedonians who gave despite their great need—the giving of the poorest is front and center in our Bibles. Clearly, the commands to give and steward well are not just for the wealthy; they’re for everyone. Indeed, as vulnerable people obey them, these commands help to form a path out of poverty. That’s why it’s so important that our programs leave room for local Christians to steward what God has given them and to practice generosity.

Beliefs about money have created wrong expectations and practices – When people from the Majority World visit the U.S. for the first time, they most often report back one stunning realization: there are poor white people. This blows their minds. It upsets all their beliefs about how the world works. Those who visit the States are nearly always people with money or influence, who are connected and educated. It’s very hard to get a visa otherwise. Yet, in their minds, the world is categorized. White people have money.  

Add the “white people have money” belief to the lies they’ve been told about themselves (“We are needy; our situation is the worst”), and you end up with Majority World pastors spending their time scouring the internet looking for a wealthy benefactor rather than stewarding the resources they already have (for example by planting their land). Outside partners need to be very careful that they don’t inadvertently affirm these wrong beliefs. In every interaction, project plan, and giving decision, the question needs to be, “Does this affirm God as the provider and that He has not overlooked the local church?”God blesses those who give – The Bible says it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35) and that, in the same measure as we give, we will receive (Luke 6:38). Do we believe that these promises are true for everyone, even people who are poor? If we do, we have a problem: every time an outsider digs a well or builds a school or pays for something that the local church could be giving, they inadvertently take home the blessing. That’s a terrible trade-off. What communities need—even more than a well (which, let’s be frank, is only going to be broken again in the next five years)—is God’s blessing in their lives. Only God can change the hearts of government leaders, make land fertile or water flow in the desert, draw people to Christ, cure addiction, break bonds of slavery and trafficking, and restore marriages. Only God can bring the transformation we long for.

Applying the Principles

In our partnerships, these truths—that we are all called to be wise stewards, that God alone is our provider, and that God blesses those who give—have three concrete applications:

1. The local church needs to give the part they can. This is not only about money. Churches can educate and mobilize their community. The government-built toilets in one community in Asia were ignored until the local church went around teaching that God cares about our health so we should too; the government was shocked to see the subsequent improvement in hygiene and health in that area. Churches can pray. One church in India saw daughters who had been trafficked return home—suddenly released or able to escape—when they prayed. Churches can see the needs in their own community and act to show God’s love. A church in Uganda used local materials like clay and brush to build houses for every needy family in their community. Whatever the issue or project, the local church can and should have a significant contribution. 
2. Outside partners need to be careful not to give what their local partner is able to. The local church is just as able to paint a school as a short-term youth team. They can also make bricks and collect bamboo and build church buildings. They are capable of building a house or digging a shallow well. If these types of projects aren’t getting done, the problem is not lack of resources or ability; rather, things have gotten stuck because of beliefs (Focusing on the Vulnerable takes a closer look at this issue). As they become aware of problems, outside partners need to understand that their funds may not be God’s plan for providing. Much prayer and discernment is needed. 
3. Give an appropriate amount. Larger projects will need outside resources. Drilling deep wells in the desert and prosecuting sex trafficking rings aren’t something most local churches are capable of on their own. However, when you do give, remember to start small and move at the speed of your partner’s capacity and be aware of the relative amount you are giving. In the example of the hospital in Benin, giving a $10,000 donation to a $2,000,000 hospital isn’t going to cause problems. The percentage of the total budget that you are giving is tiny. However, when a pastor earns $2,000 a year, giving him $10,000—five times his annual salary—is introducing an unfair temptation. 

Money is an area of partnership where we need to be very careful. It can be a great blessing when handled well, or cause brokenness when given thoughtlessly. Accountability is another key issue in cross-cultural church partnerships. We’ll talk about mutual accountability—as well as what outsiders have to contribute (besides money)—in the next article.