When we start working in a new area, or with a new potential pastor, we always say “WE PROMISE NO FINANCES OR SPONSORSHIP.” We do offer training, mentorship and prayer.

As we train people in other countries, we often find a financial motive hidden – they are hoping for money someday. The greatest thing we have to give you is NOT money, but teach you Bible principles that will help bring success.

DO NOT LOOK FOR SPONSORSHIP, but be hungry to learn.

We are always improving this page to clearly communicate and help leaders believe for money.

Print this off to have with you to read over many times. Download a copy for printing
Staff meeting leaders: print this page and post it on a staff meeting wall, as this training needs to be repeated.

A. GOD IS OUR SOURCE

We must know that GOD ONLY, is our total source for our own life and ministry.

• We have clearly communicated to all NEW locations that we will not sponsor any more pastors, they must have a job. So if you have a goal to be a pastor, start looking for a job, or putting a plan together for starting a business.
• We also clearly communicated to all new locations that we cannot PROMISE any money. The new project or location must have an action plan for raising finances. The biggest reason why a church plant fails is lack of finances.
• We have clearly communicated that all existing locations MUST become self-supporting. In some cases, we have helped buy the buildings, sound equipment, etc. – but we do not promise any more money. The location needs to grow, pastors need to teach the people on how to prosper and the tithes and offerings will increase to cover the operation of a location.

B. PRAYER

• The leader must develop his or her PRAYER LIFE. If we have a need personally or for a ministry project, before ever telling anyone the need, we go to God, OUR SOURCE, first.
• Find Bible promises to build up your faith – like Romans 10:17 – and go to God in faith and PRAY DIFFERENTLY. There are over 7000 promises in the Bible, and 100s of them are in the area of finances and God’s provision. Find these financial promises and use them to build your faith. Don’t just pray presenting your financial needs to God. God responds to Faith. And faith comes from reading and believing the Bible. (Deut 8:18 is one of hundreds of verses).
• Realize that God does not respond to a need, but God RESPONDS TO FAITH.

C. AGREEMENT IN PRAYER

Before telling Pastor Brian your financial need, you need to realize God works in teams. Talk to your spouse or other prayer partner and pray with them.

It is also a good idea for each person to have a prayer partner who can pray with you about personal private trials and discouragements – so we can all stay strong in the tough times.

In some areas of the world, it is a custom to not share your prayer requests or needs with others.  The Bible encourages us to share our needs with others and ask them to pray with us. Final local people who can pray with you about your needs, your visions of what you want to accomplish for God.

Then, share the financial need with your team: core leaders, staff meeting, etc.
Matthew 18:19 If two agree CONCERNING ANYTHING THEY ASK it will be done…

EVERY PASTOR NEEDS A PASTOR. Talk to your overseeing pastor or mentor and ask them to pray with you.  Ask them questions of how they get financial breakthrough.

After this you can send Brian an email to agree with you in prayer, and he may forward your request to a team of intercessors to add to the prayers already prayed.

D. TEACHING PEOPLE TO GIVE TO GOD IS A SOLUTION TO POVERTY

We encourage every Home Church Location and even bible studies that hope to become a location, to teach 3-5 minutes every service to encourage members to give as honour to God in the following areas: Jesus saw the widow put 2 small coins into the offering. Jesus didn’t say “woman, you are too poor, you don’t need to give”. Jesus didn’t say, “I understand your situation, you don’t need to give.” Jesus did not reach in and give the 2 coins back to her. GIVING IS THE BEST WAY OUT OF POVERTY.

• Tithe – being motivated by obedience to God
• Offering – being motivated by a generous spirit and love for God
• Charity – being motivated by compassion
• Seed Offering – being motivated by faith

We encourage pastors to give an extra financial gift to God, as a seed for a breakthrough.
We encourage locations to sow from the tithe and offering account to another project as an act of faith believing for a breakthrough in their own situation. WE MUST HAVE MIRACLES to do what God is leading us to do! We have to learn how to give, to release more miracles.

We are praying for God to speak to people to GIVE US LAND for our locations and future locations! Do not look to “man”, but look to God for miracles! Ask God for an action plan of what you can do every day to believe for financial miracles.

E. FINANCIAL SEMINARS

We have many resources that can be used to teach local people to succeed using Biblical principles. We encourage all locations to have regular financial seminars to teach people to come out from the “spirit of poverty” and learn a new way of thinking of “Biblical Prosperity.”

F. EARNING MONEY

Mike Furst, from Alberta, Canada, visited Nairobi, Kenya in May, 2016. He taught “Starting Small – Step by Step” – “What I would do if I had nothing in Nairobi:” Watch videos: Part 1  Part 2

One man’s junk, is another man’s treasure. Turn nothing into something. Turn something into more. You may need to be willing to do the things no one else wants to do – or you may never turn nothing into something. Don’t say “I’m too good for doing that! – I’ll just sit here and starve before I do that.” Scripture says the Lord resists the proud. If you are too proud to work with nothing, you do not deserve anything.

Mike was in a slum in Nairobi – a woman was selling chapatis. Mike asked how much it cost to buy groceries to make one batch – answer was 200 shillings. They can sell one for 10 shillings. Batch can make 30 chapatis = 300 shillings. Some may say they do not have 200 shillings to buy the groceries. In example below, Mike suggests washing clothes for a few days to earn money.

Principle: “Don’t eat the seed!” You have a little extra money – maybe you have not eaten meat in a while and would like to buy some, maybe there is something you need for your house.  Don’t do it! Many have mastered the art of living with nothing. Keep doing that for a little longer – Don’t eat the seed.

G. ACTION PLAN TO RAISE MONEY LOCALLY

Ask God for AN ACTION PLAN and for ideas how you can raise money locally. If you think the people are TOO POOR, you are thinking WRONG! We have found out by experience, in Africa for example, that people may not be diligent in tithing, but when you present PROJECTS to them, they want to give. What is the ACTION PLAN you can present to your location or bible study? Here is an idea, announce that the first service of each month will be an offering to raise money for buying chairs, sound equipment, other needs. This will give people time to ask God how they can individually raise money and believe God. Then, on the first service of the month, receive the special offering as a second offering (perhaps at the end of the service).

We encourage pastors to meet all business people in their area and offer to pray with them for success. Become their friends, invite them to a business/financial seminar or Bible Study.

All pastors should meet with the local leaders and ask them to partner with their location. They could help with a building for Sunday services and the feeding program. They could donate to the feeding program that is feeding desperate and starving children in their area. They could donate supplies for the feeding program. These are just some ideas.

• “A Handful of Rice”

If you are wanting to feed desperate children in your area, rather than waiting for a sponsor, perhaps the answer is in your people! In a very poor area in India, the church asks women every time they cook a meal, to take one handful of rice and set aside for the Lord. They bring the rice to the church, and the church sells it to support missions. Watch video.

Perhaps you could ask everyone to set aside rice, beans, or vegetables each time they cook a meal. They would bring it to church and you could feed hungry children the food. It is a very good idea.

• Here is what some pastors are doing in Africa:

Establishing committees to help raise money, example: men’s committee, ladies’ committee, youth committee, choir committee, intercessor committee, etc.
These committees will help us in different ways of looking for money, through different ways. But all in all, we know that even prayers will penetrate the way.

DON’T LOOK FOR SPONSORSHIP!! God wants to anoint you! God wants to bless you and the congregation.

H. MICROLOANS

Microloans are small loans for poor women to help them start a business. Muhammad Yunis, in his award winning concept of microloans, teaches in his book “Banker to the Poor” that 97% of women pay back microloans, but only 40% of men.

Often, accountability teams of 5 or 6 women are formed for a 6-month loan. Each lady working in their own business are part of an “accountability group” where they sign a contract that they as a team will pay back all money. If one fails, the others must pay the others loan.

“Microloans are the best way I have ever seen for women who can work, come out of poverty and become self-sustaining”… Brian Thomson.

We encourage every Home Church Location to save money and offer Microloans or Co-ops to help especially poor single mothers out of poverty.

Microloans work the best where there is thorough training and additional steps by a local overseer or pastor who help train and guarantee the loan. Perhaps a business person at your location could make microloans “their” business: provide training, and offer loans for a fee.

Home Church or Home of Hope does not promise any additional Microloan funding.

THIS NEXT SECTION  IS ONLY FOR PASTORS WHO HAVE APPROVAL FROM PASTOR BRIAN TO SEND PICTURES AND STORIES. With so many projects in the world, we cannot promise money, or even promise that we will do anything to fund raise for your area.  We have to be led by the Lord and what are the most urgent desperate needs.

Don’t expect Pastor Brian to raise money for you.  His job is NOT a fund raiser! He is an evangelist, Matthew 28:19,20, he is a trainer and an equipper. Eph 4:11, 12, 2 Timothy 2.

I. PICTURES & STORIES

If you get permission to send us pictures and stories  … we ask that pastors learn to use the internet, learn how to type, learn how to write Facebook posts and how to present a desperate situation where some people might like to partner and help. Many people can read pictures and stories on the internet and get involved – from any country in the world. And they can donate money in many ways to help. For Hope of Hope approved projects, you can email the Home of Hope office in Canada, or the team of volunteers and they can help post pictures and stories. (email: office@homeofhope.ca.)

We don’t always want to ask for money on Facebook, sometimes a good report of a successful story can generate more finances. Example: we posted about how a pig was purchased for a poor person in Rwanda, and someone read it and started raising money for more pigs.

Read our tips: Facebook – How to write powerful and effective posts

J. WHEN MAY I ASK FOR SPONSORSHIP?

After the above points are done, you may email Pastor Brian and give an update of the situation and what you have done so far to see a miracle. NEVER ask him for money without praying and trying to raise the money yourself. He will ask you for your action plan!! Be ready!

• Brian knows some sponsors who have helped before. Sometimes there is a sponsor who will help partially with a project. Example: If a location can raise money for one chair, we can try to find a sponsor who will also donate one or two chairs to match every chair that is raised locally. Then the pastor can use this concept to say to the people, “if you buy one chair, you are really helping buy two chairs – your money is doubled.” Sometimes a sponsor has matched 5-10 chairs for every chair raised locally. This helps train people to partner with others AND EVERYONE DOES WHAT THEY CAN – rather than just looking for sponsorship as the only way God provides.

When a location has been operating for a couple of years, we ask them to have a goal to trust God for all expenses and repairs and upkeep of the project. Pastors need to learn to teach the people how to tithe, and teach people on financial principles of success. We do not promise to help locations long term. All sponsorship is temporary.

WHAT NOT TO DO: Never email a sponsor without explicit PERMISSION from your leader. Do not email or send a Facebook message to a sponsor or friend and hint for money (disguised as a prayer request) – if you are posting stories on Facebook, they will see and help if they are able to.

LET’S BELIEVE TOGETHER FOR THE GREATEST DAYS OF GOD’S PROVISION TO DO WHAT HE HAS CALLED US TO. LET’S GO TO ANOTHER LEVEL!!