On the eve of Missions Month here at ET, I find myself thinking about one particular guest speaker: Eric Frans from World Relief. Even though I remember what he spoke about and had us ask ourselves, “what’s your mission?”; it’s the Q+A session that really sticks with me.
The question posed to him was about what percentage of donations actually goes to the projects World Relief was involved in. While I don’t remember if he gave a number, he explained his views on “administrative fees.” He acknowledged a growing concern (that I shared at the time) about non-governmental organizations using so much of their fundraising on staff salaries and infrastructure, but, as Eric explained, they’re necessary aspects of running such organizations. The example he gave was online giving: For larger organizations (like World Vision and Canadian Red Cross), donors have an expectation that they can give online directly through the website. Someone had to build the payment system and servers are necessary to keep the website from crashing. These cost money.
This Q+A session is one example of the many ways ET’s ministries have contributed to my walk with God and my perspectives on ministry. I’ve been challenged to think more deeply about Kingdom values and ministry, given opportunities to serve, and, week-to-week, be served. It’s not just about me; our ministries deeply impact the lives of others as we’ve seen in recent months. Ministry, whether you like it or not, costs money. Like most of our donors, I gave a lump sum this month after forgetting (and procrastinating) all year with my offering. Maybe registering for PAD offering works for you, but my 2016 resolution is to give my lump sum online by the end of March.