Tough Questions

There is an interesting discussion going on at board levels around here, surrounding the area of financial support and fund-raising. The major issue they are dealing with at the moment is, do we set the scale on a need-based basis or not? This is an interesting struggle for a ministry that is dependent on financial supporters for each person’s salary on one hand, but exists in a North American urban context on the other sense. What I mean by that is, many missions base salaries on what they envision that missionary needs to live. Salaries go up if you get married, up again for each child you have, and decrease once children do (or they think should!) leave home. They may provide housing, medical coverage, retirement savings, travel allowances, and other non-monetary provisions in lieu of a larger salary. This way they feel they are practising good stewardship in what they ask donors to give, as it is never more than the perceived “need.” In an urban context, however, this is a completely foreign method of choosing salaries, as no secular employer could ever get away with paying a single woman less than her married coworker, even if he has three children, if they are doing the same job. ICYA does not offer any non-monetary provisions (such as housing or medical coverage), so they need to ensure the salaries we fundraise is sufficient for those needs as well. It also raises some tough questions: what do we “need”? Enough money for rent and food? What about entertainment? Vacations? Retirement? Christmas? Is private Christian school for your children a legitimate need, or not? What about music lessons? Summer camp? Can we ask for enough money to afford a college course every semester? What about savings? Where is the line between need and want? Do we live at the same economic level of the poverty-stricken North Enders we serve, or of the upper to middle-class backgrounds many of us grew up with? How do we define “need” in this context?

This hits a little closer to home for me personally, because my needs are currently changing. Up until about four years ago, our salaries were almost entirely needs-based, so as a single woman, I earned a lot less than my married counterparts. This part of the scale (and this part only) was changed partway through my employment. Had it not changed, my salary would have increased significantly in November due to my marriage (meaning I would still have to find donors willing to fund the increase). However, there is a perceived need changes in the support base, as well, which also complicates things. I had been told to expect my support base to drop up to 60% as there is a perception that woman will be supported by their husbands after marriage (men, on the other hand, can expect their support base to increase when they marry). I can’t find any such statistics to support this, however, my support has dropped by 48% since announcing my engagement, so I suppose there is at least some truth there!

So I find myself in the same dilemma the Board is in: I do not earn a large salary. Even though I am a director, and have 5 employees and over 80 volunteers under my watch, I make half of what the starting wage is in the same field, if working for the government. Obviously I do not work for the money! However, ICYA, and many similar missions, view financial support as a symbol of the affirmation of the body of Christ of the calling God has placed in your life to minister with them. It’s easy to say when the support is there. When it’s not, there are tough questions: has your calling changed? One member of our team had to take an entire year off ministry because of such changes to his support.

I am now in talks with my director, and my fiancé, of what my drop of financial support means. Does it mean I will have to cut back on my involvement here? (So far our answer is a resounding NO!) Does it mean I should cut my support raising goals? (Legal issues arise here, as it would mean earning less than minimum wage). Is it a reflection of God’s calling on my life changing, or a reflection on people’s perception of my needs? How does this affect ICYA’s view of my calling? Does this call for a broader policy change if they believe I am still called, even though my finances don’t support that belief? Do I actively seek to raise my support again to 100% levels? Does it depend on what my husband makes? If he decides to go back to school, do I seek 100% support then, and if he instead makes great money at a job somewhere, do I decrease my support accordingly?

Obviously, this is a complex issue. It's something I, along with others, am trying to sort through in my own mind. You can keep all those with a deciding factor (myself, Matthew, the Board, supporters) in your prayers!