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The God Ask: A Fresh, Biblical Approach to Personal Support Raising
As a ministry worker, raising support can be a daunting task. It doesn't have to be intimidating though. It isn't about money or asking people to give. It is about looking to God to provide for you. He has given you a vision for ministry, and now you get to invite others into that vision. Your job is to pray and work hard to discover those whom the Lord has already prepared to invest in you and your ministry. God has done His work. Now it's time for you to do yours.
A case in point: Nehemiah was very nervous about meeting with the wealthiest, most powerful man on the planet. He was asking King Artaxerxes to fund his Jerusalem restoration project. But when it came time to make his appeal, this lowly cupbearer first looked up to the Person who really provides resources. At the moment of truth, Nehemiah lifted his heart and made The God Ask. In Nehemiah 2:4 he describes the exchange: "Then the king said to me, 'What would you request?' So I prayed to the God of heaven."
Instead of going into appointments fearing what your fellow man will say, you can have confidence that God is superintending the whole process. This book will help you embrace the fact that this is not a Man Ask. No. It is a God Ask!
A case in point: Nehemiah was very nervous about meeting with the wealthiest, most powerful man on the planet. He was asking King Artaxerxes to fund his Jerusalem restoration project. But when it came time to make his appeal, this lowly cupbearer first looked up to the Person who really provides resources. At the moment of truth, Nehemiah lifted his heart and made The God Ask. In Nehemiah 2:4 he describes the exchange: "Then the king said to me, 'What would you request?' So I prayed to the God of heaven."
Instead of going into appointments fearing what your fellow man will say, you can have confidence that God is superintending the whole process. This book will help you embrace the fact that this is not a Man Ask. No. It is a God Ask!
448 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
656 people are currently reading
1215 people want to read
About the author
Steve Shadrach
12 books23 followersDr. Steve Shadrach has a passion for developing laborers for Christ to reach the world. He has been involved with Campus Crusade, The Navs, and as head counselor with Kanakuk Kamps. He served as Pastor of Students and Missions at University Baptist Church in Fayetteville, AR. He is the founder of Student Mobilization, which focuses on evangelizing and discipling college students in the U.S. and abroad, The Traveling Team, and The Bodybuilders ministry, seeking to "build up the body of Christ" through the development of seminars and publications.
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September 20, 2021
I am a missionary who has been living on support for 18 years. Our support raising strategy has always been to communicate our vision to as many people as possible, build relationships, make the need known, and trust God to lead people to partner with us. Less commonly have we chosen to ask people directly to partner with us, and very rarely have we asked for a specific amount. This method has worked for us. We have never failed to reach full funding, we have seen God’s hand clearly at work as he provides again and again, and we have enjoyed vibrant relationships with our many partners.
Over the years we began to notice that other mission agencies were training their new recruits with a different approach for support raising, one that is more aggressive and direct than what we were used to. For many, Steve Shadrach’s book ‘The God Ask’ has become the standard textbook for support raising. After hearing so much about it and seeing new missionaries finding success using the approach, I decided it was time to see what all the hype was about, especially as my family and I are entering a new season of support raising.
Shadrach presents ‘The God Ask’ as “a fresh, biblical approach to personal support raising.” In some ways, the book lives up to this description. His approach is indeed fresh, though slightly out of touch with social media culture. He presents his methods with such great detail that I came away with a pile of ideas and helpful tips that I plan on putting into practice. However, I struggled with his claim that his approach is biblical. The portion of the book that establishes the biblical basis for support raising is full of sloppy exegesis and often blatant eisegesis. It is unfortunate that in arguing that his approach is biblical, he rejects other approaches that could also be valid in some contexts. What results is a one-size-fits-all approach that does not allow for context or for God to lead in a different way, and which ultimately emphasizes the method over God’s sovereignty in the process.
It’s not that Shadrach doesn’t recognize God’s sovereignty over support raising. God’s sovereignty is emphasized right from the start and is integral to the “God Ask” concept, where God superintends the ask as it unfolds. The missionary is trusting God to provide as he asks, and the potential partner is trusting God to direct her in the stewardship of her resources. It’s a “beautiful triangle of trust” with God at the top (p. 267). Shadrach says, “It’s not just one person asking another for money. It’s about God’s sovereign will and choices to transfer his funds around any way he chooses” (p. 24). Amen to that!
I wish that this emphasis on God’s sovereignty carried through the whole book, but it quickly leans into self-help language of positive thinking and personal responsibility. That is not to say that staying positive and working hard are incompatible with God’s sovereignty, but they quickly overshadow God’s role. For example, he says in chapter 3, “How long is it going to take you to get to full support? The answer lies within your own heart. It’s usually a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you have allowed yourself to believe it’s going to be a one- to two-year process, guess what? That’s exactly what will happen! Why lock yourself into that thinking? Get above it, set your sights higher, reach down and challenge yourselves like never before.” This kind of language suggests that it is not God who is in control, but me. The answer lies within my own heart, and my attitude will determine the outcome.
In another place he says, “Therefore, we never utter the weak phrase, “If I raise my support,” but only the strong and faith-filled, “When I raise it.” I try never to allow my mind to entertain failure. I don’t even go there” (p. 40). This smacks of worldly wisdom along the lines of Norman Vincent Peale’s “The Power of Positive Thinking” or Rhonda Byrnes’ “The Secret.” In contrast, Scripture tells us, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil” (James 4:13-16, ESV). It is biblical to say “If I raise my support.” This doesn’t mean we don’t work hard. It means that we submit our plans to God. We are not omniscient. We are stepping out in faith believing that God has led us into our ministries, but we humbly recognize that God may have other plans for us. Thankfully, our ultimate hope does not lie in achieving full support, but in our identity with Christ and our glorification with him when he returns.
Shadrach does not seem to understand this future-oriented hope. He instead claims it for the present. In arguing against the “weak” phrase “If I raise my support,” he appeals to Heb. 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for.” Hope, he says, involves “expectation of fulfillment.” This is an accurate description of hope, but what is the object of hope in Heb. 11? Heb. 11:39 makes clear that for each of these Old Testament heroes, their hope was in God’s promises, even though they had yet to receive what was promised. It was a future hope, and even from the standpoint of the author of Hebrews, it was yet future. “Here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city to come” (13:14, ESV). By claiming that this hope is for the present and applying it to the support raising process, Shadrach is grossly misrepresenting Scripture and the nature of Christian hope, and is leaning into an erroneous realized eschatology.
As I read beyond Shadrach’s biblical justification for his method and got into the nuts and bolts, it became clear that Shadrach is not starting with Scripture, but with a methodology based on secular strategies from the business world which he then projects onto Scripture as the biblically mandated approach. (I will offer some evaluation of these secular methods below, much of which is positive, but first I must address in more detail the problem of Shadrach’s mishandling of Scripture.) I will give four examples to demonstrate that Shadrach is regularly practicing eisegesis, not exegesis.
First, in chapter 8 Shadrach discusses Luke 10, where Jesus sends the disciples out in pairs to carry out their ministry. As they go, Jesus tells them that they will be hosted by people who will provide for them, “for the laborer deserves his wages” (Lk. 10:7). While this passage may legitimately be used to draw the general principle of missionary support, Shadrach abuses this passage by portraying Jesus’ instructions as basically identical to the “God Ask” method. He says, “The disciples were not taught to raise their funds by going to the local synagogue for a love offering, or hold bake sales at the bazaar, or pass out pledge cards at council meetings. Instead, they were to go to people’s homes and ask them face-to-face to partner with them” (p. 76). This statement cleverly uses key terms from the God Ask approach to create the impression that this approach comes straight from the words of Jesus. But these terms do not line up perfectly with what we see in the text. First, the disciples are not told to “ask” people to do anything, much less “face-to-face.” Rather, they are told to greet (“peace be to this house”). It could be argued that this greeting was a way to test the waters and find a household that would be willing to host them, but this would be an indirect approach and is a far cry from the kind of direct ask that Shadrach encourages. Second, the relationship between the disciples and their hosts is not described in the text as one of “partnership.” This relationship could be considered a partnership of sorts, but using the term here creates the impression that it was the same kind of partnership that Shadrach describes in this book. And third, when Shadrach says that Jesus told them to “go to people’s homes,” he is evoking his method of scheduling appointments and growing a team. But Jesus told the disciples to find a single home in each town and to stay there until their ministry in that town was finished. There are significant differences between Jesus’ instructions and the God Ask approach, but by describing Jesus’ instructions to his disciples as essentially identical to the God Ask, Shadrach reads a truckload of meaning into the text that isn’t there.
Shadrach also appeals to Nehemiah 2 as he makes his case for the God Ask as a biblical approach to support raising. Here, Nehemiah asks King Artaxerxes to help him return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Shadrach draws out many legitimate applications from this passage that are good reminders for a missionary trusting God to provide (being passionate about our cause, being humble, recognizing who ultimately provides, etc.). But as with Luke 10, he describes this biblical event using key terms from the God Ask approach. On p. 65, Shadrach says, “He interceded almost four months before approaching the king with his ministry vision and request for funding.” This is exactly how he elsewhere describes the function of support raising appointments, creating the impression that Nehemiah is essentially a missionary approaching a potential ministry partner for an ask. But is this what is really happening? The first indication that this story doesn’t fit the God Ask mold is that King Artaxerxes is, as far as we can tell, not a God-fearer. Foundational to the God Ask is the idea that both the asker and the potential ministry partner are trusting God to superintend the whole process. Now, Shadrach does suggest in this section that it is okay to accept gifts from nonbelievers, but according to his own definition, this would not be a God Ask in the truest sense. Therefore, it seems unjustified for him to say on p. 70 that Nehemiah “made a ’God Ask’ and believed Him for the impossible.” He is shoehorning Nehemiah’s story into the God Ask mold, and the glass slipper doesn’t quite fit.
The eisegesis continues as Shadrach delves into the story of Paul. He claims that Paul’s preferred mode of operation was to live on support rather than his tent making trade. Rather counterintuitively, the three passages that he uses to argue this point (2 Thess. 3:8-9, Acts 20:33-34, and Acts 18:4-5) are those that describe Paul’s work as a tent maker. Shadrach argues that these passages were exceptions to Paul’s normal mode of operations, and that he only relied on tent making in these instances because those particular situations demanded it. But this argument is paper thin. He provides no positive evidence that Paul preferred to live on support, and no secondary sources to back up his claim. His argument is only sufficient to demonstrate that Paul employed a mixture of strategies to fund his ministry. An honest look at Paul’s life would show that Paul relied on both his own income and the support of others, and strategically chose when he would emphasize one over the other. It is a far stretch to imagine that the passages speaking of Paul’s tent making are only exceptions to the rule.
The last example of Shadrach’s eisegetical tendencies comes as more of a passing comment, but I mention it because it is so laughably wrong-headed. On pages 86-87, he says, “147 times in the New Testament alone, the word “ask” or “asking” appears. I would call that a theme!” His point in this section is that we are not supposed to do nothing as we wait upon the Lord. We must do our part and ask in order to receive. But does the appearance of a common word like “ask” constitute a theme? Asking is an extremely common act, and if we were to filter out all the occurrences which are referring to the asking of questions, as well as those that were merely descriptive and not prescriptive, we would be left with only a few. It’s very easy to present impressive-sounding statistics to make a point sound convincing, but it doesn’t take much to expose the fallacy. For instance, I ran a search on my computer for the word “support” in the Bible and found that the word occurs 33 times (ESV). Does this mean that support raising is a theme in the Bible? Anyone who does their homework will see that only a small few of these occurrences refer to support of Christian workers. This kind of treatment of word studies in the Bible demonstrates an appalling misapplication of basic exegetical principles.
After all this criticism, it should be no surprise that the first third of the book which laid out this “biblical” basis for the God Ask approach left me with a bad taste in my mouth. However, I don’t want to suggest that the actual approach has no merit. There is nothing in the actual methods that are wrong or sinful, so long as we don’t rely on them more than we rely on God. In fact, I found many of the methods outlined in the rest of the book to be very practical and helpful. One of the great strengths of the book is that Shadrach brings it down to the details. For example, in talking about how to set up and schedule appointments, he gives very specific advice on what time to make the phone call and what times of day might be appropriate to schedule an appointment (p. 187-188). He even goes through what to say on the call, complete with a word-for-word script that can serve as a template. For anyone who wants to use this approach but is nervous or unsure, Shadrach removes any excuses by demonstrating exactly what to do, step-by-step.
Shadrach helpfully covers every stage of the support raising process, including budgeting, “namestorming,” planning appointments and travel, communicating the vision, asking, and maintaining relationship with existing partners. For each of these sections, I came away with several ideas that I plan to put into practice. Some elements of the approach I will not be using, as my mission agency forbids them. For instance, we are not allowed to ask for specific amounts of money. But much of the presentation here was helpful and I was convicted in many areas to do better and develop better habits.
Aside from the practical tips, the second half of the book also offered some principles that resonated with me. One was that vision should drive our budgets, not the other way around. Shadrach also emphasized the need for us to believe in our vision. If we are unsure that we are “worth our wage” and that our ministry is really worth the high dollar amount assigned to our ministry, people will pick up on that (p. 112). We need to be absolutely convinced that if people give to our ministry, it will be worth the investment. Reminders like these left me challenged and encouraged.
Overall, I have no gripes with the God Ask methodology itself. I only wish that Shadrach had not presented it as the only biblical way to do support raising. I think we could observe plenty of evidence from Scripture that suggests a variety of approaches are valid. In our own support raising, we use different methods depending on context. For most, we do not ask directly but make the need clearly known. For others, such as wealthy business people, we have seen this kind of direct approach to be more effective. They key for us is to discern what approach to use in a particular context. We are not depending on a method to deliver results, but for God to work as we seek the best way to relate to people in each situation.
But Shadrach suggests that other methods will not be effective. He says with regard to the method of directly asking face-to-face, “If we choose a less personal route, they may come on our team, but many times it will end up being a superficial, short-term commitment, for a smaller amount, on an inconsistent basis” (p. 133). As missionaries who have built our 18-year career on a “less personal” (though not really less personal) approach, this has absolutely not been our experience. Most of our longest-standing partners are people who approached us with an offer of support! Time and again God has provided abundantly apart from our own efforts, and it has been a great testimony of his provision and power in our lives. So at the end of the day, what are we going to trust for results? A methodology? Our attitude? Our hard work? Or the sovereign God of the universe? To be fair, Shadrach (and I) would give the last answer, but this book places so much emphasis on the others that the sovereignty of God is effectively sidelined.
Over the years we began to notice that other mission agencies were training their new recruits with a different approach for support raising, one that is more aggressive and direct than what we were used to. For many, Steve Shadrach’s book ‘The God Ask’ has become the standard textbook for support raising. After hearing so much about it and seeing new missionaries finding success using the approach, I decided it was time to see what all the hype was about, especially as my family and I are entering a new season of support raising.
Shadrach presents ‘The God Ask’ as “a fresh, biblical approach to personal support raising.” In some ways, the book lives up to this description. His approach is indeed fresh, though slightly out of touch with social media culture. He presents his methods with such great detail that I came away with a pile of ideas and helpful tips that I plan on putting into practice. However, I struggled with his claim that his approach is biblical. The portion of the book that establishes the biblical basis for support raising is full of sloppy exegesis and often blatant eisegesis. It is unfortunate that in arguing that his approach is biblical, he rejects other approaches that could also be valid in some contexts. What results is a one-size-fits-all approach that does not allow for context or for God to lead in a different way, and which ultimately emphasizes the method over God’s sovereignty in the process.
It’s not that Shadrach doesn’t recognize God’s sovereignty over support raising. God’s sovereignty is emphasized right from the start and is integral to the “God Ask” concept, where God superintends the ask as it unfolds. The missionary is trusting God to provide as he asks, and the potential partner is trusting God to direct her in the stewardship of her resources. It’s a “beautiful triangle of trust” with God at the top (p. 267). Shadrach says, “It’s not just one person asking another for money. It’s about God’s sovereign will and choices to transfer his funds around any way he chooses” (p. 24). Amen to that!
I wish that this emphasis on God’s sovereignty carried through the whole book, but it quickly leans into self-help language of positive thinking and personal responsibility. That is not to say that staying positive and working hard are incompatible with God’s sovereignty, but they quickly overshadow God’s role. For example, he says in chapter 3, “How long is it going to take you to get to full support? The answer lies within your own heart. It’s usually a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you have allowed yourself to believe it’s going to be a one- to two-year process, guess what? That’s exactly what will happen! Why lock yourself into that thinking? Get above it, set your sights higher, reach down and challenge yourselves like never before.” This kind of language suggests that it is not God who is in control, but me. The answer lies within my own heart, and my attitude will determine the outcome.
In another place he says, “Therefore, we never utter the weak phrase, “If I raise my support,” but only the strong and faith-filled, “When I raise it.” I try never to allow my mind to entertain failure. I don’t even go there” (p. 40). This smacks of worldly wisdom along the lines of Norman Vincent Peale’s “The Power of Positive Thinking” or Rhonda Byrnes’ “The Secret.” In contrast, Scripture tells us, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil” (James 4:13-16, ESV). It is biblical to say “If I raise my support.” This doesn’t mean we don’t work hard. It means that we submit our plans to God. We are not omniscient. We are stepping out in faith believing that God has led us into our ministries, but we humbly recognize that God may have other plans for us. Thankfully, our ultimate hope does not lie in achieving full support, but in our identity with Christ and our glorification with him when he returns.
Shadrach does not seem to understand this future-oriented hope. He instead claims it for the present. In arguing against the “weak” phrase “If I raise my support,” he appeals to Heb. 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for.” Hope, he says, involves “expectation of fulfillment.” This is an accurate description of hope, but what is the object of hope in Heb. 11? Heb. 11:39 makes clear that for each of these Old Testament heroes, their hope was in God’s promises, even though they had yet to receive what was promised. It was a future hope, and even from the standpoint of the author of Hebrews, it was yet future. “Here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city to come” (13:14, ESV). By claiming that this hope is for the present and applying it to the support raising process, Shadrach is grossly misrepresenting Scripture and the nature of Christian hope, and is leaning into an erroneous realized eschatology.
As I read beyond Shadrach’s biblical justification for his method and got into the nuts and bolts, it became clear that Shadrach is not starting with Scripture, but with a methodology based on secular strategies from the business world which he then projects onto Scripture as the biblically mandated approach. (I will offer some evaluation of these secular methods below, much of which is positive, but first I must address in more detail the problem of Shadrach’s mishandling of Scripture.) I will give four examples to demonstrate that Shadrach is regularly practicing eisegesis, not exegesis.
First, in chapter 8 Shadrach discusses Luke 10, where Jesus sends the disciples out in pairs to carry out their ministry. As they go, Jesus tells them that they will be hosted by people who will provide for them, “for the laborer deserves his wages” (Lk. 10:7). While this passage may legitimately be used to draw the general principle of missionary support, Shadrach abuses this passage by portraying Jesus’ instructions as basically identical to the “God Ask” method. He says, “The disciples were not taught to raise their funds by going to the local synagogue for a love offering, or hold bake sales at the bazaar, or pass out pledge cards at council meetings. Instead, they were to go to people’s homes and ask them face-to-face to partner with them” (p. 76). This statement cleverly uses key terms from the God Ask approach to create the impression that this approach comes straight from the words of Jesus. But these terms do not line up perfectly with what we see in the text. First, the disciples are not told to “ask” people to do anything, much less “face-to-face.” Rather, they are told to greet (“peace be to this house”). It could be argued that this greeting was a way to test the waters and find a household that would be willing to host them, but this would be an indirect approach and is a far cry from the kind of direct ask that Shadrach encourages. Second, the relationship between the disciples and their hosts is not described in the text as one of “partnership.” This relationship could be considered a partnership of sorts, but using the term here creates the impression that it was the same kind of partnership that Shadrach describes in this book. And third, when Shadrach says that Jesus told them to “go to people’s homes,” he is evoking his method of scheduling appointments and growing a team. But Jesus told the disciples to find a single home in each town and to stay there until their ministry in that town was finished. There are significant differences between Jesus’ instructions and the God Ask approach, but by describing Jesus’ instructions to his disciples as essentially identical to the God Ask, Shadrach reads a truckload of meaning into the text that isn’t there.
Shadrach also appeals to Nehemiah 2 as he makes his case for the God Ask as a biblical approach to support raising. Here, Nehemiah asks King Artaxerxes to help him return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. Shadrach draws out many legitimate applications from this passage that are good reminders for a missionary trusting God to provide (being passionate about our cause, being humble, recognizing who ultimately provides, etc.). But as with Luke 10, he describes this biblical event using key terms from the God Ask approach. On p. 65, Shadrach says, “He interceded almost four months before approaching the king with his ministry vision and request for funding.” This is exactly how he elsewhere describes the function of support raising appointments, creating the impression that Nehemiah is essentially a missionary approaching a potential ministry partner for an ask. But is this what is really happening? The first indication that this story doesn’t fit the God Ask mold is that King Artaxerxes is, as far as we can tell, not a God-fearer. Foundational to the God Ask is the idea that both the asker and the potential ministry partner are trusting God to superintend the whole process. Now, Shadrach does suggest in this section that it is okay to accept gifts from nonbelievers, but according to his own definition, this would not be a God Ask in the truest sense. Therefore, it seems unjustified for him to say on p. 70 that Nehemiah “made a ’God Ask’ and believed Him for the impossible.” He is shoehorning Nehemiah’s story into the God Ask mold, and the glass slipper doesn’t quite fit.
The eisegesis continues as Shadrach delves into the story of Paul. He claims that Paul’s preferred mode of operation was to live on support rather than his tent making trade. Rather counterintuitively, the three passages that he uses to argue this point (2 Thess. 3:8-9, Acts 20:33-34, and Acts 18:4-5) are those that describe Paul’s work as a tent maker. Shadrach argues that these passages were exceptions to Paul’s normal mode of operations, and that he only relied on tent making in these instances because those particular situations demanded it. But this argument is paper thin. He provides no positive evidence that Paul preferred to live on support, and no secondary sources to back up his claim. His argument is only sufficient to demonstrate that Paul employed a mixture of strategies to fund his ministry. An honest look at Paul’s life would show that Paul relied on both his own income and the support of others, and strategically chose when he would emphasize one over the other. It is a far stretch to imagine that the passages speaking of Paul’s tent making are only exceptions to the rule.
The last example of Shadrach’s eisegetical tendencies comes as more of a passing comment, but I mention it because it is so laughably wrong-headed. On pages 86-87, he says, “147 times in the New Testament alone, the word “ask” or “asking” appears. I would call that a theme!” His point in this section is that we are not supposed to do nothing as we wait upon the Lord. We must do our part and ask in order to receive. But does the appearance of a common word like “ask” constitute a theme? Asking is an extremely common act, and if we were to filter out all the occurrences which are referring to the asking of questions, as well as those that were merely descriptive and not prescriptive, we would be left with only a few. It’s very easy to present impressive-sounding statistics to make a point sound convincing, but it doesn’t take much to expose the fallacy. For instance, I ran a search on my computer for the word “support” in the Bible and found that the word occurs 33 times (ESV). Does this mean that support raising is a theme in the Bible? Anyone who does their homework will see that only a small few of these occurrences refer to support of Christian workers. This kind of treatment of word studies in the Bible demonstrates an appalling misapplication of basic exegetical principles.
After all this criticism, it should be no surprise that the first third of the book which laid out this “biblical” basis for the God Ask approach left me with a bad taste in my mouth. However, I don’t want to suggest that the actual approach has no merit. There is nothing in the actual methods that are wrong or sinful, so long as we don’t rely on them more than we rely on God. In fact, I found many of the methods outlined in the rest of the book to be very practical and helpful. One of the great strengths of the book is that Shadrach brings it down to the details. For example, in talking about how to set up and schedule appointments, he gives very specific advice on what time to make the phone call and what times of day might be appropriate to schedule an appointment (p. 187-188). He even goes through what to say on the call, complete with a word-for-word script that can serve as a template. For anyone who wants to use this approach but is nervous or unsure, Shadrach removes any excuses by demonstrating exactly what to do, step-by-step.
Shadrach helpfully covers every stage of the support raising process, including budgeting, “namestorming,” planning appointments and travel, communicating the vision, asking, and maintaining relationship with existing partners. For each of these sections, I came away with several ideas that I plan to put into practice. Some elements of the approach I will not be using, as my mission agency forbids them. For instance, we are not allowed to ask for specific amounts of money. But much of the presentation here was helpful and I was convicted in many areas to do better and develop better habits.
Aside from the practical tips, the second half of the book also offered some principles that resonated with me. One was that vision should drive our budgets, not the other way around. Shadrach also emphasized the need for us to believe in our vision. If we are unsure that we are “worth our wage” and that our ministry is really worth the high dollar amount assigned to our ministry, people will pick up on that (p. 112). We need to be absolutely convinced that if people give to our ministry, it will be worth the investment. Reminders like these left me challenged and encouraged.
Overall, I have no gripes with the God Ask methodology itself. I only wish that Shadrach had not presented it as the only biblical way to do support raising. I think we could observe plenty of evidence from Scripture that suggests a variety of approaches are valid. In our own support raising, we use different methods depending on context. For most, we do not ask directly but make the need clearly known. For others, such as wealthy business people, we have seen this kind of direct approach to be more effective. They key for us is to discern what approach to use in a particular context. We are not depending on a method to deliver results, but for God to work as we seek the best way to relate to people in each situation.
But Shadrach suggests that other methods will not be effective. He says with regard to the method of directly asking face-to-face, “If we choose a less personal route, they may come on our team, but many times it will end up being a superficial, short-term commitment, for a smaller amount, on an inconsistent basis” (p. 133). As missionaries who have built our 18-year career on a “less personal” (though not really less personal) approach, this has absolutely not been our experience. Most of our longest-standing partners are people who approached us with an offer of support! Time and again God has provided abundantly apart from our own efforts, and it has been a great testimony of his provision and power in our lives. So at the end of the day, what are we going to trust for results? A methodology? Our attitude? Our hard work? Or the sovereign God of the universe? To be fair, Shadrach (and I) would give the last answer, but this book places so much emphasis on the others that the sovereignty of God is effectively sidelined.
May 5, 2016
Even though this book is to help those raising support for their ministries, I think every Christian should read it just to see the biblical principles of raising support. This book will be one I constantly go back to for help and guidance.
April 18, 2016
If you are a white, male, middle/upper class American needing to raise funds, this book may have a few practical ideas for you. Even if you fit that description, I still wouldn't recommend it. This book is a business man's approach to raising funds in the business world, and is likely successful in that setting. However, there is nothing uniquely biblical about the method he proposes and it is not universally applicable across cultures, age demographics or socio-economic classes, despite his arguments to the contrary. Not to mention the serious issues with the author's treatment of scripture, view of other cultures (almost singularly mentioned as examples of colonialism - which is particularly alarming in a book primarily geared to future cross-cultural workers), and the emotional manipulation and shame-based motivation used throughout the book. It's not even particularly new, using most of the same scriptures (and one-sided treatment of those scriptures) and methods as numerous other support-raising books currently available.
If you are a Christian seeking a biblical view of support development, skip the book entirely and just do the bible study found in the appendix, trusting the Holy Spirit will guide you.
If you are a Christian seeking a biblical view of support development, skip the book entirely and just do the bible study found in the appendix, trusting the Holy Spirit will guide you.
March 24, 2024
I had to read this book to prepare for fundraising for FOCUS… I honestly really enjoyed it! I learned a lot not only about practicals of fundraising, but about how you can use your money for the greater glory of God.
July 29, 2024
Anyone who has to support raise, has support raised, or supports a support raiser should read this book! It offers so much perspective on how it is God’s money that He is moving around and in surrender we are radically asking, radically praying, and radically receiving those gifts. The first part of the book centers the heart posture on humility which is definitely the right way to write a Christian book- have the right assessment of God before looking inward or moving to application. I really appreciate how Shadrach includes stories from his own growth throughout support raising, plus there are insightful stories from people he knows as well. This book is worth a re-read, but I am glad I read it after I finished support raising. It gave me so much room to reflect on God’s power through it all. The Scripture included is used tactfully and thoughtfully to display God’s design for support raising which I really enjoyed. Shadrach has so many valuable tips and tricks, core ideas, and disciplines which can be great tools for support raising- I definitely appreciated the level of intentionality and pursuit of ministry partners he advises. More than that, the appendices are jam packed with a wealth of resources to further prepare. It speaks highly of this work and how it reflects the Bible that so many ministry organizations refer to and recommend this book! I also will not be quick to forget Shadrach’s one-liners!
July 14, 2025
Another reread for year 2!
Overall, there was a lot of really helpful, practical tips on fundraising which I really appreciated! I did struggled with feeling like parts of the book were more “self-help”, “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” advice, rather than trusting in the Lord to be our strength & our provider.
Overall, there was a lot of really helpful, practical tips on fundraising which I really appreciated! I did struggled with feeling like parts of the book were more “self-help”, “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” advice, rather than trusting in the Lord to be our strength & our provider.
April 29, 2024
Some very helpful and practical tips! I definitely gained a different perspective and attitude of support raising because of this book!!
May 8, 2024
Only took me forever!
July 28, 2022
“I have one final question: If you could push a magic button, and have a guaranteed monthly salary check the rest of your life, and not have to fool with all the scary, time-consuming tasks we've outlined in this book, would you push it?” (267)
When first asked in the opening chapter, I doubted that the Shad man could get me here, but the answer is no… and that makes this book a success. However outdated or Protestant in certain areas, this book does the job—less so as a toolkit (never touched the Appendix) and more so as a rewiring of the mind to see the spirituality behind fundraising. It really is a God Ask, an invitation and a privilege, and He really does provide.
When first asked in the opening chapter, I doubted that the Shad man could get me here, but the answer is no… and that makes this book a success. However outdated or Protestant in certain areas, this book does the job—less so as a toolkit (never touched the Appendix) and more so as a rewiring of the mind to see the spirituality behind fundraising. It really is a God Ask, an invitation and a privilege, and He really does provide.
February 20, 2018
As someone who is beginning the process of raising support to send my family into full time ministry, this book has been extremely helpful. I have been challenged by the author to not doubt the power, care, and resources of my God. Raise supporters, not support.
May 21, 2023
As far as support raising goes this is the how to book! Took a lot away from it.
March 17, 2024
Este debe ser lectura obligada para todas las personas que levantan finanzas 👊💯.
May 20, 2024
Such a good book! Really transitioned my way of thinking about personal support raising, and has gotten me excited to do it. Very easy to read and lots of good practical tips.
January 14, 2022
I have a lot of complicated thoughts about this book (and support raising in general) that I'll try to summarize below:
4. CULTURE/RACE
(this was a later thought sequentially, but I moved it to the top so more people would read it) As many others have pointed out, the model of Individual Support Based Ministry is most fertile in (and has its roots in) middle/upper-class white, western culture. This is not inherently bad, and many people who fit into that culture have had years of very successful, God-honoring ministry utilizing this model. But we need to acknowledge that the foundations of this model (people with disposable income, large interconnected networks of potential donors, comfort with asking others [from close family to near strangers] for money...) are not universal.
When I first looked at the table of contents, I was thrilled to see an appendix specifically addressing support raising in different cultural contexts. When I reached that appendix, I was so, so disappointed. First, it's 4 pages. But more importantly, the conclusion is essentially "the main methods described in this book won't work for you." [Specifically, when discussing black culture, the guest author notes that individuals donating to individuals on a recurring basis is foreign to the black church, and that instead they will need to focus on asking the church as a whole for single gifts related to a need or projects. This is great insight, but after 200 pages of instructions on why and how to ask individuals for recurring gifts, it feels like a punch in the gut for those who don't fit the majority culture].
My discomfort with the above issue feeds into the critiques below. We end up in a very uncomfortable position if the "correct" and "biblical" model of support raising, which works for those who are "called" by God and willing to work hard enough (my words) isn't actually effective for non-white, non-middle class workers. The problem compounds in troubling ways: if the majority of people who are able to raise a full salary are middle class/white/western, then the staff and leadership of these organizations will only be middle-class/white/western, and thus the voice of people who don't fit that category will be increasingly absent in the leadership of that ministry and its day to day work.
4B. INDIVIDUAL
You'll note that I have and will continue to call this *INDIVIDUAL* Support Based Ministry. That's not really a term used in the "biz", but it's a fair description of this model. It is about the money *you* can raise and connections *you* can make *for yourself* so that *you* can do the ministry work you desire to do. If *you* cannot raise the money for *your* work, you will not be able to do it [obviously, all of this with God's help]. This too is a middle/upper-class, white, western characteristic that is, again, not inherently wrong, but should be recognized for what it is. If I'm able to raise enough money and my co-worker isn't, that's their problem. Some alternative models for funding ministries that I find compelling tend to find ways to make the process more team-based.
(back to sequential order)
0. NOT BY BOOKS ALONE
If you are planning to begin "Individual Support Based Ministry Work", you need more than a book to help you. I strongly recommend some partner organization that can train you, give coaching/accountability, provide HR/taxes/payroll assistance, etc. I had a very good experience with the people at Reliant Mission (www.Reliant.org).
1. SCRIPTURE
Steve provides some helpful analysis of examples of "ministry giving" throughout the Bible, including some parallels I hadn't previously thought of. However, as others have said, I think he makes some pretty big leaps in saying that certain examples in scripture prove that the Individual Support Based model is "the" model for doing ministry vocationally. I'm confident that it is *one* way of doing this work, and it may be the right way for you and your situation, but in many cases it may not be.
1B. VOCATION
Obviously this book is catered towards people who have decided to do some sort of "ministry" work full-time. However, as so many things in the world of Christian missions do, it carries a subtext of "If you want your life to matter for God, you'll do full-time ministry. And if you won't do full-time ministry, then the best you can do is use the money you earn to support full-time ministry." This is not true nor Biblical and it makes me sad how prevalent the sentiment is and how it sucks the purpose and meaning out of the "secular" jobs so many believers have.
2. PRACTICAL METHODS
In terms of overall method/structure for how, as an Individual, to raise support for your ministry, this book provides clear and helpful ideas. If you have come to the conclusion that Individual Support Based ministry is the right path for your work, the practical advice provided here is worth reading (and after reading, discussing with someone and discerning how best to apply to your life and situation). However, I have to say that there are several specific suggestions I applied to my own work that did not turn out nearly as well as Steve promised. There's a lot of "you NEED to do this...", "if you ask for ___, people WILL respond", many of which were compelling ideas.
For example, Steve talks about asking long-time donors to increase their giving: he shares examples of bold asks ("start with 'double'") and gives quotes from several donors who say things like "Why didn't you ask for an increase sooner?" or "why didn't you ask for more?" Steve's confidence gave me confidence, but in reality, the many faithful, generous donors I talked to were not nearly as enthusiastic about my ask for an increase as Steve's examples suggested they would be. The point is not that his suggestions are wrong, but that everyone's situation and the pool of people they're talking with are different, so be careful with any sort of guarantees about what will work.
3. TONE/ATTITUDE
When I think about the above example, I fear that Steve's reply would be "It didn't work because you didn't do it right/you didn't ask as confidently as you should have/etc..." As I read this book, I frequently thought "I appreciate these ideas and the author's confidence, but I think I'd have a really hard time if he was training me in person." There's just a very drill-sergeant type of attitude to it all- which is not necessarily bad! Raising a salary's worth of support is incredibly difficult, and it requires a very serious, diligent, rigid approach to get done. But I think Steve and I would probably butt heads in person. Something I've learned and have to remind myself of often is that being a bold extrovert doesn't mean you're a better Christian: it means that God has gifted you with a certain personality type/strength which he will use for good, just as he gifted others with a sensitive, introverted personality that he will use for good in different ways.
5. FAMILY
One thing I did appreciate is that (if I remember correctly), in a small aside, Steve says something like "if you think asking so-and-so relative for support could interfere with your 'evangelistic' relationship with them, you may want to hold off on asking for support." Generally, I usually heard that you basically should ask everyone for support and avoid excuses for why they might not want to give. Again, this is a task that will require you to push into uncomfortable conversations, but I was grateful for the nuance in this situation as I feel like, in my experience, there were several family relationships that were not helped by my asking for support. Not in a "they're not believers and you need to expect 'persecution'" way, but more "we only see each other 2x/year and it's really grating on them that on each of those occasions I try to bring up ministry donations".
6. CONCLUSION
If you've decided that Individual Support Based ministry is the right way to fund the work that you desire to undertake, this book has some very strong practical ideas and guidance, as well as a survey of some Biblical background for some of those ideas.
I did not mean for this review to be so long. If you're curious about research and other thoughts related to race/culture and support raising, I'd be happy to pass on some materials.
4. CULTURE/RACE
(this was a later thought sequentially, but I moved it to the top so more people would read it) As many others have pointed out, the model of Individual Support Based Ministry is most fertile in (and has its roots in) middle/upper-class white, western culture. This is not inherently bad, and many people who fit into that culture have had years of very successful, God-honoring ministry utilizing this model. But we need to acknowledge that the foundations of this model (people with disposable income, large interconnected networks of potential donors, comfort with asking others [from close family to near strangers] for money...) are not universal.
When I first looked at the table of contents, I was thrilled to see an appendix specifically addressing support raising in different cultural contexts. When I reached that appendix, I was so, so disappointed. First, it's 4 pages. But more importantly, the conclusion is essentially "the main methods described in this book won't work for you." [Specifically, when discussing black culture, the guest author notes that individuals donating to individuals on a recurring basis is foreign to the black church, and that instead they will need to focus on asking the church as a whole for single gifts related to a need or projects. This is great insight, but after 200 pages of instructions on why and how to ask individuals for recurring gifts, it feels like a punch in the gut for those who don't fit the majority culture].
My discomfort with the above issue feeds into the critiques below. We end up in a very uncomfortable position if the "correct" and "biblical" model of support raising, which works for those who are "called" by God and willing to work hard enough (my words) isn't actually effective for non-white, non-middle class workers. The problem compounds in troubling ways: if the majority of people who are able to raise a full salary are middle class/white/western, then the staff and leadership of these organizations will only be middle-class/white/western, and thus the voice of people who don't fit that category will be increasingly absent in the leadership of that ministry and its day to day work.
4B. INDIVIDUAL
You'll note that I have and will continue to call this *INDIVIDUAL* Support Based Ministry. That's not really a term used in the "biz", but it's a fair description of this model. It is about the money *you* can raise and connections *you* can make *for yourself* so that *you* can do the ministry work you desire to do. If *you* cannot raise the money for *your* work, you will not be able to do it [obviously, all of this with God's help]. This too is a middle/upper-class, white, western characteristic that is, again, not inherently wrong, but should be recognized for what it is. If I'm able to raise enough money and my co-worker isn't, that's their problem. Some alternative models for funding ministries that I find compelling tend to find ways to make the process more team-based.
(back to sequential order)
0. NOT BY BOOKS ALONE
If you are planning to begin "Individual Support Based Ministry Work", you need more than a book to help you. I strongly recommend some partner organization that can train you, give coaching/accountability, provide HR/taxes/payroll assistance, etc. I had a very good experience with the people at Reliant Mission (www.Reliant.org).
1. SCRIPTURE
Steve provides some helpful analysis of examples of "ministry giving" throughout the Bible, including some parallels I hadn't previously thought of. However, as others have said, I think he makes some pretty big leaps in saying that certain examples in scripture prove that the Individual Support Based model is "the" model for doing ministry vocationally. I'm confident that it is *one* way of doing this work, and it may be the right way for you and your situation, but in many cases it may not be.
1B. VOCATION
Obviously this book is catered towards people who have decided to do some sort of "ministry" work full-time. However, as so many things in the world of Christian missions do, it carries a subtext of "If you want your life to matter for God, you'll do full-time ministry. And if you won't do full-time ministry, then the best you can do is use the money you earn to support full-time ministry." This is not true nor Biblical and it makes me sad how prevalent the sentiment is and how it sucks the purpose and meaning out of the "secular" jobs so many believers have.
2. PRACTICAL METHODS
In terms of overall method/structure for how, as an Individual, to raise support for your ministry, this book provides clear and helpful ideas. If you have come to the conclusion that Individual Support Based ministry is the right path for your work, the practical advice provided here is worth reading (and after reading, discussing with someone and discerning how best to apply to your life and situation). However, I have to say that there are several specific suggestions I applied to my own work that did not turn out nearly as well as Steve promised. There's a lot of "you NEED to do this...", "if you ask for ___, people WILL respond", many of which were compelling ideas.
For example, Steve talks about asking long-time donors to increase their giving: he shares examples of bold asks ("start with 'double'") and gives quotes from several donors who say things like "Why didn't you ask for an increase sooner?" or "why didn't you ask for more?" Steve's confidence gave me confidence, but in reality, the many faithful, generous donors I talked to were not nearly as enthusiastic about my ask for an increase as Steve's examples suggested they would be. The point is not that his suggestions are wrong, but that everyone's situation and the pool of people they're talking with are different, so be careful with any sort of guarantees about what will work.
3. TONE/ATTITUDE
When I think about the above example, I fear that Steve's reply would be "It didn't work because you didn't do it right/you didn't ask as confidently as you should have/etc..." As I read this book, I frequently thought "I appreciate these ideas and the author's confidence, but I think I'd have a really hard time if he was training me in person." There's just a very drill-sergeant type of attitude to it all- which is not necessarily bad! Raising a salary's worth of support is incredibly difficult, and it requires a very serious, diligent, rigid approach to get done. But I think Steve and I would probably butt heads in person. Something I've learned and have to remind myself of often is that being a bold extrovert doesn't mean you're a better Christian: it means that God has gifted you with a certain personality type/strength which he will use for good, just as he gifted others with a sensitive, introverted personality that he will use for good in different ways.
5. FAMILY
One thing I did appreciate is that (if I remember correctly), in a small aside, Steve says something like "if you think asking so-and-so relative for support could interfere with your 'evangelistic' relationship with them, you may want to hold off on asking for support." Generally, I usually heard that you basically should ask everyone for support and avoid excuses for why they might not want to give. Again, this is a task that will require you to push into uncomfortable conversations, but I was grateful for the nuance in this situation as I feel like, in my experience, there were several family relationships that were not helped by my asking for support. Not in a "they're not believers and you need to expect 'persecution'" way, but more "we only see each other 2x/year and it's really grating on them that on each of those occasions I try to bring up ministry donations".
6. CONCLUSION
If you've decided that Individual Support Based ministry is the right way to fund the work that you desire to undertake, this book has some very strong practical ideas and guidance, as well as a survey of some Biblical background for some of those ideas.
I did not mean for this review to be so long. If you're curious about research and other thoughts related to race/culture and support raising, I'd be happy to pass on some materials.
January 5, 2024
This was a roller coaster for feelings. One paragraph I was completely in line with Shadrach, the next, I could not have disagreed more. In his mind, impudence is the same thing as courage. Audacity is encouraged as long as you can get the desired result. A lot of mixed feelings, but here are some takeaways.
Pros:
- Emphasis that support raising is not begging, and that people who are ministering the Word are just as worthy of pay as anyone else.
- Suggestions and helps for keeping connected and showing thankfulness to your supporters.
- Reminder to communicate your vision
- Let the mission set the budget, not the budget determine the mission.
Cons:
- Contrary to the title, the majority of the book is not about asking/trusting God for your support (that gets 10% at the beginning), most of it is the "how to" step by step process for his method of raising support from individuals. (Which isn't bad, just a misleading title.)
- Claims that this is a Fresh, Biblical method. But fails to actually give examples of it in the Bible. He claims that it is modeled by Nehemiah, Jesus, and Paul. However, none of them did what he is advocating. Nehemiah did not plan on asking the king for support, he did because the king asked him why he was sad, and Nehemiah answered him. We have no examples of Jesus meeting with people individually to ask for support. When the disciples were sent out to minister, city to city, they are told to stay with whoever would house them. It says nothing about continuing support after they left. Paul received support from churches, worked as a tent-maker, and possibly occasional personal support (though not explicitly stated), but it was one of several methods. -- How can this be THE Biblical and best method for raising support, if it is nowhere modeled in the Bible?
- He assumes support raising from churches is not as good as support raising from individuals (though he does think you should have a couple churches on your team), but never justifies that biblically.
- His handling of Scripture is severely lacking. He often twists passages so that he can find his support raising plan in the Bible, seemingly without regard to what the passage actually means.
- Many parts of his plan are cringe worthy. Such as when he says, "If you are single and getting married soon, that is a great opportunity. Have a big wedding, and invite lots of people so that you have more people to contact later for support." (paraphrase) - Or saying that you should refuse to ever explain your mission in a group setting, but rather give a 5 minute teaser, before inviting people to talk to you for a personal meeting.
- He advocates not just asking for support from your home church (20-50% of your support), but also asking the senior pastor (and other leadership in the church) to support you individually as well. He says, "it's a win-win. If he supports you, great, if not, he will be honored that you thought of him so highly, and as so generous a person." Really? Might he not think of you as arrogant? I know I would.
- He says that we aren't supposed to be beggars, but he often sounds pretty desperate, like a beggar when he talks about how to go about things. "List out everyone you have ever known. Yes, even all the people on your third grade softball team. Even if you haven't seen them in 10+ years." "Approach unbelievers for support." etc.
- He makes a big deal about your supporters being on your team, and you are all working together for a spiritual purpose, (and they are laying up rewards in heaven) and yet he also recommends seeking out unbelievers for support. How can someone who is spiritually blind, be part of a team seeking to open the eyes of the lost?
I could go on, but I think you get the point. Steve Shadrach comes across as a salesman, trying to force a sales method onto ministry support raising, and ends up with something that sounds very similar to an MLM pitch. He has put blinders on to ignore any possible downsides to his method, and claims that his method is not just one of several good methods, but the ONLY good option. There were some good takeaways here and there, but they were definitely in the minority.
Pros:
- Emphasis that support raising is not begging, and that people who are ministering the Word are just as worthy of pay as anyone else.
- Suggestions and helps for keeping connected and showing thankfulness to your supporters.
- Reminder to communicate your vision
- Let the mission set the budget, not the budget determine the mission.
Cons:
- Contrary to the title, the majority of the book is not about asking/trusting God for your support (that gets 10% at the beginning), most of it is the "how to" step by step process for his method of raising support from individuals. (Which isn't bad, just a misleading title.)
- Claims that this is a Fresh, Biblical method. But fails to actually give examples of it in the Bible. He claims that it is modeled by Nehemiah, Jesus, and Paul. However, none of them did what he is advocating. Nehemiah did not plan on asking the king for support, he did because the king asked him why he was sad, and Nehemiah answered him. We have no examples of Jesus meeting with people individually to ask for support. When the disciples were sent out to minister, city to city, they are told to stay with whoever would house them. It says nothing about continuing support after they left. Paul received support from churches, worked as a tent-maker, and possibly occasional personal support (though not explicitly stated), but it was one of several methods. -- How can this be THE Biblical and best method for raising support, if it is nowhere modeled in the Bible?
- He assumes support raising from churches is not as good as support raising from individuals (though he does think you should have a couple churches on your team), but never justifies that biblically.
- His handling of Scripture is severely lacking. He often twists passages so that he can find his support raising plan in the Bible, seemingly without regard to what the passage actually means.
- Many parts of his plan are cringe worthy. Such as when he says, "If you are single and getting married soon, that is a great opportunity. Have a big wedding, and invite lots of people so that you have more people to contact later for support." (paraphrase) - Or saying that you should refuse to ever explain your mission in a group setting, but rather give a 5 minute teaser, before inviting people to talk to you for a personal meeting.
- He advocates not just asking for support from your home church (20-50% of your support), but also asking the senior pastor (and other leadership in the church) to support you individually as well. He says, "it's a win-win. If he supports you, great, if not, he will be honored that you thought of him so highly, and as so generous a person." Really? Might he not think of you as arrogant? I know I would.
- He says that we aren't supposed to be beggars, but he often sounds pretty desperate, like a beggar when he talks about how to go about things. "List out everyone you have ever known. Yes, even all the people on your third grade softball team. Even if you haven't seen them in 10+ years." "Approach unbelievers for support." etc.
- He makes a big deal about your supporters being on your team, and you are all working together for a spiritual purpose, (and they are laying up rewards in heaven) and yet he also recommends seeking out unbelievers for support. How can someone who is spiritually blind, be part of a team seeking to open the eyes of the lost?
I could go on, but I think you get the point. Steve Shadrach comes across as a salesman, trying to force a sales method onto ministry support raising, and ends up with something that sounds very similar to an MLM pitch. He has put blinders on to ignore any possible downsides to his method, and claims that his method is not just one of several good methods, but the ONLY good option. There were some good takeaways here and there, but they were definitely in the minority.
April 5, 2022
This book was saturated with practical advice and tips to support raise well which I appreciated. I also love how that was sandwiched with the heart and biblical foundation behind support raising. As someone who is new to the process, this book was wildly helpful!
March 6, 2023
Challenged to trust to be grown in courage!
March 18, 2023
Was very helpful during short term fundraising to get a different perspective into raising support. A friend recommended this one!
March 30, 2022
The best part of this book was Shadrach walking his readers through biblical texts that provide a comprehensive argument for Christian workers and missionaries to be supported by the church and by other Christians. The worst part of the book is that Shadrach's weak theological roots lead him to treat Christian fundraising a lot like salesmanship, even though he says he wants to avoid doing that. Towards the end of the book he literally says "I was reading this book about retaining customers... and I wanted to apply this to my supporters." That's certainly not a biblical approach to support raising. Although he does teach many good principles about developing relationships with people (in-person meetings are better than phone calls, keep your promises, be serious about your work, etc.), the "salesman" tendency leads him to many overly pragmatic and shallow instructions.
Another weakness of the book is that it completely overlooks bivocational callings or other unconventional models of ministry.
I think this book would be a good introduction into the world of support raising, an area with which most Christian workers are not too familiar, and a good look at how most Christian organizations out there think, but it's not exactly a stellar guide to fundraising for ministry workers.
Another weakness of the book is that it completely overlooks bivocational callings or other unconventional models of ministry.
I think this book would be a good introduction into the world of support raising, an area with which most Christian workers are not too familiar, and a good look at how most Christian organizations out there think, but it's not exactly a stellar guide to fundraising for ministry workers.
April 11, 2016
Amazing book! An absolutely essential read for anyone doing personal support raising. If you're going to raise support to accomplish the ministry that God's called you to, then you need to read this book and apply it's principles. This is a wonderful updated and more extensive version to Scott Morton's book, "Funding Your Ministry," but including modern technology and how it can be used for fundraising.
Whether you're raising funds for a short term trip or moving into a 20, 30, or indefinite ministry, this is the book to read first! Don't waste months of valuable time, passion, and excitement to get bogged down from lack of funds because you didn't know what to do or expect it to "just happen."
Read this book and do the Bible study.
Whether you're raising funds for a short term trip or moving into a 20, 30, or indefinite ministry, this is the book to read first! Don't waste months of valuable time, passion, and excitement to get bogged down from lack of funds because you didn't know what to do or expect it to "just happen."
Read this book and do the Bible study.
March 1, 2023
A great resource for anyone in vocational Christian ministry. The book is motivating and has great tips/practical advice. On the other hand, it was obviously written for a specific audience of which I am not. There were a lot of odd analogies and he often assumed he was speaking to a man. Sometimes he exaggerated too much and sometimes it felt more shaming than motivating. He assumes that if you follow his plan exactly you will get these exact results - which just isn’t accurate or feasible. Despite all that, a good informational read for anyone starting support raising or who feels lost in the process.
December 20, 2020
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is intentioned for people in full-time fundraising work. There are many valuable aspects, both technical and personal about ways to approach support-raising. However, there was very little nuance in the book—it was very black/white and treating ministry in a very American business manner (if you are late to a meeting, you won’t be effective in ministry type of thinking). I much preferred Henry Nouwen’s The Spirituality of Fundraising, which emphasizes relationships and the blessing of every person doing the work God has provided for them in each season.
This book is intentioned for people in full-time fundraising work. There are many valuable aspects, both technical and personal about ways to approach support-raising. However, there was very little nuance in the book—it was very black/white and treating ministry in a very American business manner (if you are late to a meeting, you won’t be effective in ministry type of thinking). I much preferred Henry Nouwen’s The Spirituality of Fundraising, which emphasizes relationships and the blessing of every person doing the work God has provided for them in each season.
February 20, 2017
Great book for anyone who is in a ministry field that requires support raising! The idea of raising support is the #1 reason people turn aside or don't even consider a call to missions. Love the perspective this book brings. I live on support. It isn't easy but what I learn about God's provision and how the body of Christ operates, I wouldn't change it for anything.
I wish I could have all of my supporters read this to better understand their vital role in the support of missions.
I wish I could have all of my supporters read this to better understand their vital role in the support of missions.
February 13, 2016
If you are considering raising support for any ministry, this is one of the essential books you must read. I've personally attended his support raising training and it was 2 days well spent. Steve Shadrach is the expert in this field and you'd be wise to pick up this book and apply his many practical steps of advice. If you're serious about support raising this book is a must read ASAP.
July 20, 2019
Love! This book was fantastic! (Just wish I could’ve read it when we first started raising support.) After 7 years on the mission field, I’m motivated to make some changes in how we interact with current supporters and possible new supporters. A quick and encouraging (and in my case, convicting) read!
July 2, 2025
Although some of the advice doesn't specifically apply to my avenue of ministry, I found the book to be overall helpful! Lots of highlightable points.
I definitely recommend reading all the way through BEFORE beginning support raising; I definitely could have avoided some mistakes had I read through the whole book beforehand.
I definitely recommend reading all the way through BEFORE beginning support raising; I definitely could have avoided some mistakes had I read through the whole book beforehand.
April 18, 2019
This book was so helpful and encouraging as well as his Support Raising Solutions’ bootcamp! I highly recommend this and the bootcamp for anyone who is raising support!!
November 2, 2020
This book had some valuable information for people in Christian ministry who are seeking to raise financial support from donors. I think that it could have been quite a bit shorter. I don't agree with the author in everything that he suggests but that itself was not a problem. If I can't learn from people that I don't agree with, in everything that they say, then I really limit my possibilities of learning.
June 18, 2025
Helpful — if imperfect and slightly bloated — fundraising resource. Will write a full review at some point soon.
July 14, 2022
Not gonna lie, probably not gonna finish this one. Made it through parts 4/5 which was all I had to do for training so gonna count that as good enough to mark as "read". But enjoyed this book quite a bit. Steve Shaddy is a homie for sure. By the time I finished this was pretty convicted of the great fruit that fundraising can bear as well as God's great desire to fully fund missionary workers. Great use of biblical texts and Steve's commentary, advice, and stories are well articulated and helpful. There were portions of the book I found myself not fully agreeing with due to Steve's protestant background and some of the commentary did feel a little prosperity gospel-y at times so knocking it down to four stars as a result. There were also some pieces of advice that I felt to be misguided and are likely more of a prudential matter which Steve paints as more black and white. Regardless, would recommend this for anyone fundraising for ministry and is unsure how to start or may be weary of the sacrifice that it seemingly entails.
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