A Communion of Giving and Receiving: The Lausanne Standards

If you are a leader of a business, a mission organization, or a church, you’ve likely faced some tough decisions recently about projects and people because of the realities of the global economic downturn. You may have had to “tighten the belt” by delaying major projects or expenditures, cutting salaries, limiting business travel or even making the tough decision to lay off people. In the midst of all this, work that should or could get done is delayed.

When this affects the advance of the gospel, how should we respond? Do we just spend even more time fund raising? Should we “enhance” our ministry reports to current (and potential donors) describing what we will do with their money – making the statistics shine a bit brighter in our favor? I mean after all it’s for God’s work, so a little embellishment can’t hurt, right?

“Fund raising is one of the most convoluted and dangerous functions

a leader of a mission will ever face. Add in the complexity of fund raising

across cultural barriers and you have all the ingredients necessary

to create a corrosive stew of fellowship destroying behavior.”

With that statement, Rob Martin, Lausanne Senior Associate for Global Philanthropy, cuts to the heart of the matter in this month’s focus on The Lausanne Standards. The Lausanne Standards were developed out of Cape Town 2010 to help donors and recipients create relationships of accountability and trust around funding mission. Rob provides an honest look at the fundamental issues that can divide those who need funding and those who can provide funding. Rob says developing a balanced relationship of trust, respect and accountability between the donor and the recipient is essential and offers The Lausanne Standards as a way to begin.

Read Rob Martin’s Article Here

Responding to Rob’s article, Sas Conradie, Coordinator of the Global Generosity Network, points out that giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin. The donor and the recipient must work together, he says, as part of the same Body of Christ, each with something valuable to contribute to mission.

Read Sas Conradie’s Article Here

Alex Araujo, Senior Partnership Consultant at Partners International, says one question is how we can rely on money to resource our work in mission, without it also destroying our relationships.

Read Alex Araujo’s Article Here

The Lausanne Standards are available in seven languages to read online or download.

Join The Conversation on Resource Mobilization and prayerfully consider how your ministry or church can expand the relationships of trust and accountability in financially supporting the work to which God has called you.

Additional articles, resources and videos will be shared in the next few weeks as a part of our focus on Resource Mobilization. See below for the full list of resources as they are added throughout the month.