In August, I participated in a seminar about business as the means to generate revenue to support your ministry.
I shared the stage with
- A Honduran who distributes paint.
- A Costa Rican accountant
- A Panama business consultant.
All four of us spent a few hours talking about micro enterprise and how that can fund mission.
The Honduran gentleman is a pastor who is planting a church here in the city. His business generates enough revenue and is managed by employees that he is capable of having his financial needs met here in Panama.
The accountant from Costa Rica has a professional practice that gives him enough time to freely give workshops on ministering to the physically disabled (a huge need in Latin america).
The business consultant has specialized knowledge in human resources that he’s able to work and still do ministry.
I speak for a living and sell information on-line, which partly enables our work here. We are not yet self-supporting, but have several donors who give to us on a monthly basis to advance our work here. The US has a developed ministry partnership concept that uses support raising. This concept is not widely practiced or accepted here (from my limited point of view).
This session was recorded and being distributed by DVD around the country to inspire potential missionaries to think how they might fund their own work by monetizing their skills and passions.
I think more and more missionaries, particularly from developing nations like Panama, will need to think in terms of creating wealth through business, rather than relying on the shared resource system that has developed in the US.
The idea of missionary support, as practiced in the United States, is just not a common practice and in some ways may me against the cultural grain. To fund the work of missions at this point in history needs another way, and thus we spent time thinking along these lines.
What is your skill or trade?
How can you use it to generate money?
How can you get paid to do what you love?
Ask yourself: “What specialized knowledge or skill that I have that people will gladly pay me for?” It could be a product, photos, information, arts, cooking skills, or even ideas.
It is our hope that the DVD will inspire small business, that would generate funds for global missions.
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