Reliant is an incredible resource for church planter fundraising and we are excited about our partnership at The Praxis Gathering this year (September 26-28, 2019 in Philadelphia). We encourage all our planters to check them out. Get to know them a bit here and be sure to follow @ReliantMission on Twitter!
Fundraising Support for Church Planters
Reliant has been helping missionaries and church planters raise funds for over 25 years. They partner widely, serving campus and international missionaries, church planters, nonprofits, interns and residents as they raise the support they need. They work alongside local churches to train and coach in support raising while providing word-class donor services employment services and care. If you need to raise financial support get in touch with Reliant for the best support there is in fundraising.
Here Carlos Rebollar shares how Reliant helped a church planter focus on making disciples, reaching people, and planting a church.
A Constant in the Midst of Change
After roughly 3 years of being a part-time church planting resident at my local church, Sojourn Heights, I remember the day our lead pastor told me this part-time residency would become full-time and that it would require the residents (that was me) to raise their own salary.
I was excited, yet also nervous. I had never done this kind of thing. Not to mention the cultural barrier I knew I would face with some of my family who, as first generation Mexicans, have an excellent work ethic I learned a lot from, yet might clash with the idea of me “fundraising.”
Nevertheless, I stepped out in faith.
So, in June of 2015 I left my secure job that I loved at a faith-based homeless shelter where my work there consisted of helping people with alcohol and drug addiction. I began the journey of developing a ministry team that would help contribute towards my salary through financial partnership as I underwent this full-time residency to get equipped to plant what is now Sojourn East End.
We planted Sojourn East End with the vision to see the power of the gospel turn people, who the world says should be at odds with one another, into family. Through the gospel of Christ, the dope dealer, the poor, and the oppressed in our neighborhood become family with the accountant, the wealthy, and the business owner who live in the same neighborhood. The gospel promises to create a new humanity where the playing field is leveled, and we can live out this idea of unity in diversity. In so doing, we display the beauty of our God to a broken and divided world.
Since launching we’ve seen God do amazing things and we are getting to see the beginnings of the vision God gave us fulfilled before our eyes! I’m deeply grateful that, throughout this church planting journey, Reliant Mission provided me the help needed and was a constant in my life in the midst of the many uncertainties that come with church planting. They took care of many essential working parts that were “behind the scenes” so that I could focus on my primary goal: make disciples, reach people, and plant a church.
I won’t sugarcoat my journey though—I certainly went through some rough patches in the beginning of my ministry team development (MTD) journey. There were moments where I asked myself, “Can I really do this?” But it was precisely in those moments where my MTD Coach stepped in every time to encourage me, reminding me of God’s calling on my life, and get extremely practical with me in an effort to come up with creative ways to continue my MTD journey. Let me tell you, the coaching that I received through Reliant Mission is top-notch. I have yet to come across the kind of coaching that Reliant Mission provided for me. I was so sold on it, that I even got the privilege of doing some coaching and MTD training myself!
While a full time resident at Sojourn Heights, I was also accepted into the Houston Church Planting Network’s (HCPN) finishing residency. Since HCPN was also partnered with Reliant Mission, I got to stay on through Reliant Mission during my residency with HCPN, which was a huge gift to me and my family. This is one of the biggest advantages to being employed through Reliant. For us church planters we may find it hard to make ends meet during our training and equipping season. Thankfully, Reliant Mission serves as an employer for us, so, regardless of the journey our training and equipping might take us on, we can rest assured that our livelihood and our responsibility to provide for our family is stable both through our MTD efforts and through the huge help that Reliant Mission provides us with. They have not just been my employer, but a huge support during my ministry team development journey, and an invaluable source of encouragement!
Though recently I was able to transition to full-time employment through our local church, I will always be grateful and will seek to continue to encourage new church planting residents and church planters to consider partnering with Reliant Mission throughout their journey!
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