CRM - Empowering Leaders

Ministry to Donors

Our efforts to develop a solid financial base at CRM are built around an approach we call Ministry to Donors.  This is a focus on financial development that seeks deep and intimate relationships with those who have the financial and spiritual capacity to become significant donors to the Kingdom. 

Over the past ten years we have observed that many who hunger for a deeper experience of God believe that financial giving is not a direct or fulfilling way to accomplish this.  Simply giving money, they believe, relegates them to the sidelines.  We don’t accept this assertion, believing with Jesus that those who are called to give financially are equal partners in the missionary enterprise. 

Of course most of us have divided hearts.  Our material possessions, in ways both subtle and overt, have captured a significant share of our passion. And though we vehemently protest, Jesus makes clear that our hearts are dominated by our investments. (Matthew 6:21)  He also tells us that a divided heart cannot sustain passion for the Kingdom. (Matthew 6:24) 

If we accept this, the question is how to remedy it. Can transforming our “investment strategy” help us move toward wholeness--and become the people God wants us to be? 

We think it can.  Consider this.  Part of living in a culture of self-reliance and material well-being is that we are so full, there is room for little more. The time and energy needed to maintain our lifestyles is consuming, drowning out the call of God and preventing engagement with spiritual things. The wholeness we desire eludes us. In light of this, we believe that a deeper walk with God will come from serious reflection on Philippians 2 and Paul's admonition to empty oneself. For many, rediscovering the cross and responding with sacrificial gifts is their way of emptying--giving is a by-product of their spiritual growth. 

Helping people take such steps is the essence of our ministry to donors. In this ministry, we seek to rediscover who God is and how Jesus is working in the world by reflecting on issues such as the nature of the Kingdom, the passions of Christ, personal calling and sacrifice.

We introduce these themes into the relationships we develop with donors, seeking the presence of the Kingdom in their lives, and challenging each to reflect on their own calls. Over and over again we see people discover that the road to increased spiritual wholeness is opened through releasing their possessions--and transferring this passion to the Kingdom of God.

In our experience, people take similar steps along this journey.  Each step is motivated by an encounter with God, it inspires a deeper devotion to God, and reveals an expanded vision of God.  Our role is to walk alongside of those who are in pursuit of God, to feed back to them what we hear them saying, to offer opportunities that will bring new perspectives, and to talk through the fresh insights their new perspectives have revealed. We use everything available at CRM to help donors grow spiritually. 

CRM has ministry in venues that can challenge the worldview of most Americans, experiences that provide new perspectives about God, and relationships that can inspire real joy. We offer opportunities to invest time, talent, and treasure in the Kingdom; and coaching to help donors discover what and where they are called to give.

The ministry of CRM inspires passion, particularly in those who have been deeply involved in leadership, and provides a place to make a significant difference through sacrificial giving.  Through its ministry to donors, CRM is helping people live lives less focused on the world and more committed to the Kingdom -- increasing their joy while providing more resources for the growth of ministry.