Polycentric Resource Mobilization: Collaborate Gap Summary

From Everywhere to Everywhere: A New Era of Generous Giving to God’s Mission through Polycentric Resource Mobilization

Polycentric resource mobilisation for Christian missions is a worldwide, decentralised approach to gathering and distributing resources, moving away from the traditional methods where funds are raised primarily in the Global North to support missions in the Global South. This model, rooted in biblical principles of generosity and sacrifice (2 Cor 9:7), equality and mutual support (2 Cor 8:13-14), effective stewardship of resources (Matt 25:14-30) and community partnerships (Acts 4:32-35), empowers every part of the global church to play a vital part in the fulfilment of the Great Commission. By fostering a collaborative spirit, polycentric resource mobilisation seeks to raise and share resources equitably across the global church, making giving and receiving an inclusive endeavour.

This brief paper provides an overview of key discussions from the Fourth Lausanne Congress Collaborative Sessions on Polycentric Resource Mobilization.

Listening to the Current Reality

Right now, churches and ministries around the world face significant barriers that underscore the need for polycentric resource mobilisation. These challenges (including but not limited to a lack of theological teaching and culturally relevant frameworks about fundraising, power imbalances, cultural disparities, and dependency cycles) make a decentralised, inclusive approach essential.

Key areas of concern include:

• Historical Dependencies and Power Imbalances: The flow of funds, other resources, and mission workers or teachers predominantly from the Global North to the South have created dependency cycles and expectations that limit the autonomy of Southern churches and ministries. As noted in the discussions, “many South-based churches struggle to do what God is calling them to do due to limited local resources, while the well-resourced churches and ministries in the North remain dominant in determining where the resources go and how they can be used in missions in the Global South.”​
• Limited Awareness and Support: There is often a lack of awareness and understanding of mission in local contexts. This limited awareness, often coupled with the expectation that pressing or new mission ventures should continue to be funded by rich agencies and churches in the Global North, translates into fewer local people willing to support such initiatives financially. As one participant explained, “People in my region don’t see the value in supporting local mission work. They believe that this is something that should be funded by foreigners, not by locals, because that is what they have seen happen for a long time. But we need to change this mindset.”
• Economic Inequality: Recurring issues like poverty, lack of employment opportunities, migration, high inflation, and political instability are affecting the ability of churches and ministries to raise funds locally. These inequalities reinforce the perception that the Global South should continue to be primarily a recipient of outside funding. And, because funding from the Global North is often more easily accessible, local church and ministry leaders in the Global South reinforce dependencies and a poverty mindset by failing to teach their congregations biblical principles of stewardship and by failing to invite them to support God’s work locally. 
• Political and Cultural Barriers: Additional cultural and political factors limit the ability of churches and ministries in the Global South to mobilise resources. (For example, India recently introduced restrictions on international funding, placing  additional strain on already limited local resources.) Cultural attitudes toward fundraising across parts of Africa, former Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans, Eurasia, South and East Asia, and elsewhere are influenced by historical dependencies and scarcity mindsets, further complicate the adoption of self-sustaining resource practices.
• Challenges in Cultivating Generosity: Many churches in the Global South persist in their scarcity mindset and reluctance to ask for funds. This is partly due to a lack of contextualised and culturally relevant training and resources for church and ministry leaders in fundraising, governance, financial stewardship, etc. Without effective teaching and practical, culturally appropriate fundraising and financial accountability models, mistrust can arise between donors and recipients, particularly when Northern donors fear the mismanagement of funds​.
• Lack of Skilled Local Fundraisers: Another major challenge is the scarcity of Christian fundraisers working for ministries and churches. In many parts of the world, there is little to no formal training for those tasked with raising funds for Christian mission. “We need more training and resources for our team. Most of us are passionate about the mission, but we lack the skills to effectively communicate our needs to potential donors and local churches,” a participant remarked. Even in ministries with fundraisers, the expectation is that they spend most of their time raising resources from churches, individuals, and grant-making bodies in the Global North. In international ministries and mission agencies, the fundraising offices in the Global North determine the direction, tone, and messaging of the fundraising activities without much thought or engagement from their local partners in the Global South. 

Imagining a Preferred Reality

Envisioning a different reality by 2050 includes a picture of a vibrant and generous global church family that joyfully sustains mission work through resources gathered from “everywhere to everywhere.” In this new ecosystem, North-South dependencies have diminished, and believers in each region joyfully give toward the fulfilment of the Great Commission both locally and in other parts of the world.

Key features of this new reality include:

• Equitable Contribution: Instead of relying heavily on funding from the Global North, we see funds being raised from all regions, supporting a sustainable and balanced flow of resources. This vision centres on local churches growing generous stewards who share their resources, time, and skills for God’s mission​. It also focuses on well-equipped ministry leaders and fundraisers who can, in culturally appropriate ways, invite believers everywhere to give generously and be good stewards of their resources in churches and ministries. 
• Cultural Respect and Contextual Accountability: Financial and spiritual leadership begin to move eastward, with influence shifting to emerging centres of Christian philanthropy like Singapore and Kenya. These new financial hubs respect local traditions, favouring relationship-based accountability that is culturally meaningful. This helps build transparency while respecting cultural values and contexts where mission and philanthropy are taking place. 
• Developing a “Christian Economy”: By 2050, Christian ministries envision the creation of self-sustaining churches and mission ventures where local believers support local mission efforts through faith-based businesses. This emerging “Christian economy” incorporates businesses prioritising mission support, with churches acting as centres of generosity and stewardship (Acts 4:32-35). Such faith-based business environments can also offer employment opportunities to local believers, fostering local economic growth​.
• Missionary Diaspora and Local Leadership: Migration and diaspora communities will become significant contributors to outreach and mission in their countries of origin. Indigenous churches drive mission efforts, with Northern mission organisations moving into supportive, rather than leading, roles. This transition empowers Southern churches and ministries to participate actively in global missions and build their vibrant resource base​.

Creating a Way to Close the Gap

Realising that this vision requires concrete, actionable steps, here are some of the strategies discussed to move from dependence to empowered, polycentric resource mobilisation:

• Teaching Biblical Principles of Stewardship to Church Leaders: Training leaders in stewardship is foundational. Leaders who understand biblical generosity and financial responsibility can disciple their congregations in these values, embedding them into the church’s mission. Locally based theological institutions, denominational bodies, and local Christian leaders’ networks can play a critical role in shaping the content of this training and delivering it to different audiences. 
• Training for Capacity Building for Christian Fundraisers: This includes both technical skills and a theological understanding of fundraising as a ministry. “We need to invest in our people. Training in biblically based fundraising strategies, communication skills, and understanding the biblical basis for fundraising would go a long way,” suggested a participant.
• Contextualising Fundraising Models: Developing biblically based and culturally appropriate fundraising models is essential. (For example, in many places in the Global South, community-based or peer-to-peer fundraising resonates more with believers than the individual donor model common in the Global North.) Contextual models allow for more local engagement and reduce dependency on external donors​.
• Creating a Culture of Accountability and Transparency and Establishing the Appropriate Structures: Often, governance and financial frameworks are offered to ministries in the Global South from ministries in the Global North. Although their intentions are good, such frameworks or systems are developed and delivered without genuine listening and understanding of the Global South’s complex social and cultural contexts. Therefore, the challenge for churches and ministries in the Global South is to develop their own frameworks for accountability and transparency to bridge trust gaps between North and South and within local communities. Accountability networks, such as peer-to-peer reviews and reporting systems, can enable transparency and assure all donors that funds are being managed effectively. 
• Utilising Technology for Storytelling, Fundraising, and Real-Time Reporting: New technologies like Web 3.0 and digital platforms streamline fundraising, increase transparency, and make accountability accessible. These tools facilitate crowdsourced fundraising, connecting donors and recipients in real time for a seamless support experience. “We need to embrace technology more. Social media, online giving platforms, and digital storytelling can help us reach a broader audience, especially the younger generation,” noted one participant.
• Integrating Generosity Education into Theological Training: Bible colleges and other theological institutions, especially in the Global South, should incorporate generosity and stewardship into their curricula, preparing future leaders to cultivate a culture of giving in their communities. Church leaders and mission organisations can partner to support these educational efforts, ensuring that the next generation of Christian leaders can grow sustainable churches and mission organisations.

Communicating a Prayerful Proposal 

Collaborative efforts between churches, ministries, grant-making bodies, and denominations across regions are vital to achieving the goals of polycentric resource mobilisation. 

Key opportunities include:

• Shared Training Platforms and Best Practices: Creating shared platforms where ministries and churches can access training on resource mobilisation, financial transparency, and stewardship will strengthen networks globally. The Ministry Fundraising Network, an issue network of the Lausanne Movement, will play a key role in facilitating such collaboration across different mission movements, denominations, grant-making bodies, and fundraisers – hosting discussions and creating resources and training that can bridge cultural and economic divides.
• Partnerships Between Churches and Ministries with Faith-Based Businesses: Businesses that prioritise social impact offer sustainable solutions for mission support. Through business-as-mission (BAM) models, local churches can partner with ethical enterprises that support local mission activities, thus fostering economic independence while contributing to global mission work. 
• Regular Consultative Meetings and Forums of Christian Funders and Philanthropists: Hosting regular local, regional, and global discussions ensures that challenges and progress are shared among all stakeholders. These consultative gatherings provide opportunities to align strategies, bridge knowledge gaps, and inspire cross-cultural understanding of global mission and fundraising challenges.
• Building Trust Across Cultural Contexts: In regions where giving and trust are valued differently, relational approaches to fundraising and accountability can be especially effective. By adapting to local customs, ministries can foster accessible, transparent, and culturally sensitive ​stewardship.

Conclusion

By addressing the outlined challenges, envisioning a new reality, and implementing biblically based and sustainable frameworks for giving and receiving, the global church can realise a new reality of equitable mission support. At the heart of this new reality are robust collaborative models which ensure that all kinds of resources flow from “everywhere to everywhere,” making it possible for every church and every believer to contribute to God’s mission work. 

Through these concerted efforts, the global church can embody the biblical mandate of inviting believers to join forces with others in making disciples of all nations and manifesting to the world what Kingdom communities are like – loving, generous, diverse and open to everyone who wants to pray, give and serve as God has called them to do. 

Authors

Redina Kolaneci | Catalyst for Ministry Fundraising, United Kingdom
Redina is the founder of Christian Fundraising Consultancy based in the UK. She is passionate about helping church and ministry leaders see stewardship and fundraising as part of God’s plan for their ministry and raise more funds for their mission causes. For over two decades, Redina has taught and trained hundreds of local church and ministry leaders on biblical principles of stewardship, on growing generous givers in the local church, and much more. She was the first-ever Stewardship education consultant serving with Stewardship Services (now Stewardship) and is the author of What Does Love Require?, a series of Bible studies on generosity. She also created a stewardship resource pack for local churches titled Re-discovering the Joy of Giving. She holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from the University of Tirana, Albania, and a master’s degree in theology from Spurgeon’s College in London. Redina lives in Colchester, UK, but is often travelling to Europe and Australia providing training, consulting, and coaching to ministry leaders and fundraisers.

Kehinde Ojo | Catalyst for Ministry Fundraising, Nigeria 
Kehinde Ojo is the IFES program director for indigenous support development. Kehinde was born and raised in southwestern Nigeria. He became a Christian during university through the witness of NIFES (IFES Nigeria). He then got fully involved, became trained and discipled. On graduation in 1991, he served as a volunteer for one year before joining NIFES as a full-time staff worker. He served with NIFES for 18 years in different roles and in different parts of the country. In 2011 Kehinde was invited by IFES to pioneer a new global program to help national movements in IFES become sustainable in their local fundraising for ministry effectiveness. His brief included developing a work plan for the program and identifying and equipping a global team to work with him. He trains and mentor leaders regularly in the Africa, Eurasia, Caribbean, and Latin America regions of IFES. Kehinde was part of the committee that planned and organised the Nigeria-Lausanne Congress 2013. He has written articles on generosity and resource mobilization and actively participates in the Lausanne Ministry Fundraising Network. Kehinde wants to see a new generation of godly and effective leaders raised for the nations. Kehinde and his family live in Abuja, Nigeria.