Financing Your Education and Preparation to Fulfill a Call to Ministry

Article by R. Joseph Ritter, Jr. CFP® EA

Entering the ministry or mission field can be an expensive task, especially when you are beginning with fulfilling education requirements (Bible college or theological seminary and, in some cases, both). Unless you are fortunate enough to have saved enough to bankroll these expenses or have a significant benefactor supporting you, the money to fund your calling must come from somewhere. Borrowing the money may seem like a good option, but debt leaves no room for faith.

Let me ask you a question: “What difference would it make in our pulpits and mission fields if young adults and individuals called to go trusted God by faith and waited on God in prayer to open each door beginning with education and preparation for ministry?”

We are called to be holy, and we are told God is holy. Leviticus 19:2, 20:7, 20:26, 1 Peter 1:16. In deciding what it means to live a holy life, we are often drawn to the obvious and simplest standards of holiness, especially those plainly taught in the Bible. But, what about how we handle money? Should the way we use money be holy? Should it be set apart from the world and set apart unto God? To answer these questions, consider whether it is appropriate to use the world’s means to accomplish God’s purposes. If the world uses student loans to pay for college tuition, is it appropriate for the follower of Christ who is called to the ministry to use student loans?

If God has called you to the ministry or mission field, He will take you there. God does not call and then leave it to us to figure out how to execute the call. God calls, executes, develops our ministry, and uses our obedience to reach others with the gospel. All we have to do is obey the call and have faith that God will be there at each step. Joshua, Elijah, Gideon, David, Daniel and many others in the Bible reinforce this pattern – God calls, prepares, and executes when we simply obey.

Debt and financial strain are two of the biggest traps facing missionaries today. Debt is killing our missionary candidates. Financial traps prevent many from fulfilling their call to ministry and can even cut short their time in ministry.

We want you to have a free copy of our book titled, You’re Called to the Ministry. Now What? It is our way of helping you avoid debt and financial traps and help you get on the right path in your call to ministry or missions. If you are not called but know someone who is, you can get the book anyway and give it to him or her.

Simply click the image below to download your free copy.