Ministry shares don’t cover the whole cost of mission

Your faithful ministry share giving through your church provides a strong foundation that makes mission possible—but the ministry shares program only provides around  30% of the revenue Resonate needs to do it’s work. 

Ministry shares provide stability and sustainability and we strongly encourage you and your church to contribute. You can find more resources about the denomination-wide value of the ministry shares program at www.crcna.org/ministryshares. 

How are ministry shares used by Resonate?

Ministry Shares are typically undesignated gifts and therefore are used where most needed. Domestically, this includes covering the cost of North American regional teams that consult, coach, and coordinate with CRC churches, church plants, campus ministries, and ministry leaders as well as their program costs. It covers the grants that are given to church plants and campus ministries and also covers the cost of ministry support staff and administration. Internationally, Ministry Shares help to cover missionary program expenses, travel, retreats, staff development, and grants to partner missionaries and partner organizations. It also helps to make up the difference in the case of a shortfall in a missionary’s fundraising goal.

Missionaries and church planters are just one part of Resonate

Your giving through Resonate supports ministry around the world in a variety of ways. In addition to sending missionaries and church planters, we partner with national organizations, offer grants to partners, and support other ministry initiatives that align with our mission.

How much support do missionaries raise?

Myth: missionaries raise 90% of their ministry costs

Fact:  missionaries raise 90% of their fundraising goal, which averages 75% of their ministry costs 

Many people think that Resonate missionaries raise 90% of their total costs. However, the missionary support program raises only 75% of the total cost of the Resonate Career-Staff Missionary Program while general giving (including ministry shares) is raised to fund the remaining 25%. It is true that missionaries raise the majority of their ministry costs, but general giving and Ministry Shares fund vital missionary program costs as well. You can learn more about missionary support here: Understanding Missionary Support

Resonate helps raise support

Resonate’s advancement team helps to fundraise for the “gap” between what is raised by missionaries and the total cost for the missionary program. About a third of the funds for the Resonate Career-Staff Missionary Program come from general giving and Ministry Shares. Resonate’s advancement team continues to raise these funds to ensure that missionaries are not solely responsible for the funding of the missionary program.

The Johanna Veenstra Fund exists to help missionaries who have challenges in fundraising. This board-designated fund assists missionaries, especially those who are ethnic minorities, remain in their ministry context when they have limited connections to “traditional” CRC congregations and supporters. It will continue to assist those qualified missionaries who may have fundraising challenges and have difficulty meeting their fundraising goal.

Your impact worldwide

• You are serving the entire globe through Resonate’s 14 regional teams
•  More than 1,100 new believers came to Christ in the past year
•  More than 100 new communities of faith formed around the world
•  You support more than 135 missionaries serving in over 40 countries
•  You partner with 42 new churches in North America, including 6 new in the past year
•  You support more than 35 campus ministries
•  You provide ministries and churches here at home with training, coaching, resources, education, and funding