Personal Support Matters Book Launch

Stewardship publishes new book to help Christian workers raise personal support

Christian charity Stewardship launches a new book, Personal Support Matters.

Co-written by Claire Niclasen and Myles Wilson, this is a revised edition of Myles’ first book Funding the Family Business, which was published by Stewardship in 2006 to help Christian workers raise personal support for a wide range of ministries including missionary work, church planting and studying to go into ministry. Since then, it has empowered thousands of Christians across the world to partner with others to resource their callings. It has also formed the basis for personal support training used by Stewardship and many mission organisations in the UK and beyond.

Personal Support Matters is available from 10ofThose, which is distributing the book on behalf of Stewardship.

The book falls into three sections:

Part 1: the Biblical basis for giving and receiving support;

Part 2: how and why people give;

Part 3: the practicalities of support-raising.

Part 3 has been most significantly updated in order to reflect the revolution in both digital communication and personal support training that has taken place since 2006.

The content includes:

• Advice for mission leaders
• How to maintain relationships with supporters
• Encouragement for those who might have been living on a supported basis for some time
• Helpful FAQs
• A list of useful resources

The authors’ stories

Claire Niclasen contributes her experience as one of the new generation of personal support trainers. She has spent over a decade training, mentoring and coaching Christian workers. She has also worked with leaders from various mission organisations, including Operation Mobilisation, to explore how to help Christian workers get the resources they need to go follow God’s call into mission. She has also worked closely with Myles Wilson during this period, which led to her co-authoring the new book with him.

Myles Wilson first experienced the challenge of support-raising when he and his wife joined Agape, known then as Campus Crusade for Christ, in the 70s. Finding it emotionally difficult to ask for money, he embarked on a quest to discover what the Bible had to say about giving and receiving. As a result, he came to see the task of support raising in a new light; rather than it being a difficult and embarrassing task, it can be embraced as an opportunity for Christians to work together in partnership for God’s Kingdom, where those who are called to go connect with those who are called to give.

Quotes:

“My support level was low, really low, and I assumed it would always be like that. Out of desperation I attended a workshop where I learnt and began to apply God’s principles laid out in this book, and it blew my mind. It totally transformed the way I think about it, how I feel about it. Today I’m a much healthier missionary because people pray for me, encourage me and I have the resources to do what God calls me to. It also changed me from a need-driven approach to a vision-driven lifestyle.” Rebecca, Christian worker

“I am more and more convinced that it’s a great model, beneficial to the receiver, beneficial to the giver. Not just financially, but in the heart. We are all called to give – for our own benefit, so that we don’t hold onto money and the things of this world too tightly. And the process we have to go through to invite partners is humbling. We have to trust God deeply and the whole process changes the heart too.” Jo, Christian worker

“God has given us everything we have. Those of us involved in cross-cultural mission have received so much richness in interacting with and learning from the world church, and supporters of that ministry are blessed in turn by partnering with them. It is a powerful picture of the body of Christ at work and Personal Support Matters is important because it really helps us to understand this.” Dr Chris Wigram, Interim CEO of Global Connections.

“At Stewardship, we are as pleased now as we were back in 2006 to be part of this continuing, and vital, resource for God’s Kingdom. I trust that you will be blessed, encouraged and equipped as you work through this book. More than that, I trust that as you put the content of the book into practice, those who join your support team will be equally blessed and encouraged. And that, together, you and your supporters will be used by God to bring more of the light of his Gospel into an increasingly dark world.” Daniel Jones, Chief Generosity Officer, Stewardship

The book is available from 10ofThose at the special launch price of £12.99 for orders of 10 or more books, a saving of 19% on the RRP £15.99: https://uk.10ofthose.com/produ...