One of the most common excuses I hear for not pursuing missions is this: “I don’t think I could handle support raising.”
Let’s be honest about what that usually means.
For some, it is fear of awkwardness. For others, it is fear of rejection. But for many, it is something deeper: pride. It is not wanting to need other people. It is not wanting to ask for help. It is not wanting to stand in front of others and admit that if God does not provide through his people, you are not going anywhere.
I know, because that was me.
One of the first support appointments I had was with a dear friend. They knew exactly why we were meeting. We were not getting together to catch up. We were meeting so I could ask them to support our ministry. I sat down and spent 20 minutes making my case. I talked about the ministry. I talked about the need. I talked about the opportunity. Then I got to the moment when I should have simply asked, and I stalled.
So I started making my case all over again—for another 20 minutes.Now we were nearly an hour into what should have been a 20-minute meeting. Finally, my friend looked at me and, very gently but very firmly, said, “Paul, just ask.” That moment exposed me.
They wanted to be part of what God was calling us to do. They were ready. They were willing. But my pride would not let me get there. I did not want to feel needy. I did not want to humble myself enough to ask plainly. I wanted somehow to recruit them without ever having to actually ask them.
That is not humility. That is pride wearing a nicer face.
And a lot of us are doing the same thing.
We say, “I do not think I could handle support raising,” but what we often mean is, “I do not want to humble myself enough to depend on the body of Christ.” If you are wrestling with that, it is worth considering how Scripture frames the role of a missionary and the kind of dependence it requires.
The Pattern Is Partnership
Missionary life is built on dependence. We do not get to the field by proving how self-sufficient we are. We get there by learning to trust God, by learning to ask, by learning to receive, and by learning that the work does not belong to us in the first place.
The New Testament pattern does not describe a self-made man financing his own obedience so he never has to need anybody. The pattern is partnership. Churches send. Believers give. Workers go. The gospel advances through the body of Christ, not through one man’s independence. This is at the heart of how we send missionaries today.
A clear New Testament example of this is Paul’s relationship with the Philippian church. He did not present himself as a self-funded man proving his independence. He received their financial partnership as part of their shared obedience to Christ. In Philippians 4:15–16, Paul reminds them, “In the beginning of the gospel . . . no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Even in Thessalonica you sent me help for my needs once and again.” That is the pattern. Paul went. The church gave. The work advanced through partnership. The gospel moved forward not through one man’s independence, but through the body of Christ sharing together in the mission.
Therefore, if we cannot bring ourselves to ask others to join in God’s work, it is not just a fundraising problem. It is a discipleship problem. It reveals something that needs to be confronted.
Can we humble ourselves enough to need the church?
Can we receive from others without feeling diminished?
Can we trust God enough to ask plainly?
Can we stop hiding our pride behind language that sounds more respectable?
Part of the Real Work
Here is the truth: support raising is not an obstacle to the work. It is part of the work.
Raising support teaches us dependence, clarity, and courage. It teaches us that the mission belongs to Christ and that God provides through his people. And for some, it exposes just how much pride we are carrying.
Good. Let’s find that out now, before we get to the field.
The nations do not need another proud young missionary who wants to do something big for God while staying emotionally insulated and financially in control. They need men and women who have been humbled, who have learned to trust, who know how to ask, and who are willing to stand in need of grace, provision, prayer, and partnership. You can see how this plays out in real life through stories of those being sent in the new missionary class.
Christ is worthy of our humility. Christ is worthy of our discomfort. Christ is worthy of our laying down our pride and learning to ask his people to send us.
Support raising is not beneath us. It is one of the first tools God uses to break us of the self-reliance that would ruin us on the field. So let’s ask—clearly, honestly, humbly.
If you are ready to take a step, do not wait until you feel comfortable. Start moving forward. Learn more about how to become a missionary. Attend a 24-Hour Demo to see how support raising and missionary preparation actually work. Explore current missionary opportunities, from church planting and theological training to medical and support roles.
You can also begin now. Grow in your local church. Practice sharing your faith. Learn to ask others to partner with you in ministry where you are. Consider a short-term trip through Launch Point. And commit to prayer through the 9:38 initiative, asking the Lord to raise up laborers and to shape you into one of them.
