And God saw everything he had made, and behold, it was very good. — Gen. 1:31
Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never fail you nor forsake you”. — Hebrews 13:5
Not that I seek the gift; but I seek that fruit which increases to your credit. — Philippians 4:17
Money and the kingdom of God
How should we think about money in the kingdom of God, and more specifically, in missions? Whole books have been written, and more probably need writing. We strive to remember three things:
- The “stuff” God made the world of is good, not evil (cf. Genesis 1:31).
- Stuff should not control us (Hebrews 13:5).
- People who give toward our ministry are providing for our material needs, but there’s a more important transaction going on: they are converting material goods into eternal fruit (Phil. 4:17).
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Money in Wycliffe
Practically, here are three things to know about how the finances of our service with Wycliffe work:
- We are legally employees of Wycliffe Bible Translators. Wycliffe is an interdenominational, non-sectarian, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit mission organization.
- Wycliffe is a “faith mission”. In the eyes of the IRS, we are “deputized fundraisers” for Wycliffe, and our salary is paid from donations to Wycliffe that are “preferenced” for our ministry. Our actual compensation varies month by month accordingly.
- Wycliffe sets a “ministry budget” for each of its family units.
- Our “base salary” is tied to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ figures for earnings by clergy members. It does not depend on seniority, education, or level of responsibility.
- Donations to Wycliffe that are “preferenced” for our ministry account cover…
- our health insurance and retirement savings (15%)
- Social security and taxes (10%)
- ministry expenses (6%)
- an assessment for administrative costs (10%)
- our “take home pay” (what remains, around 59%)
For more information about Wycliffe’s financial accountability, see wycliffe.org/about/financial-accountability.
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Our current financial status
We are praying that the Lord will bring 15 new partners to fill out our prayer and financial support team. We think it would be great if these new partners could invest anywhere from $75–400 per month, but we expect those who join our financial support team to be asking the Lord to direct how they should invest the resources he has entrusted to them. God must get all the glory!
To invest in our Wycliffe ministry, visit wycliffe.org/partner/flbennett or see our How to give page.