And I often skip over my #1 challenge because I think people are looking more for answers like:

• the pluralistic environment of campus ministry
• the transient nature of young adults
• the high degree of authenticity which college students require
• etc, etc

But my #1 challenge is certainly financial sustainability. Obviously, not all campus ministers have to deal with this particular issue. Those in church-based college ministry often receive a consistent paycheck and have a budget for programming etc. That is not to say that all of my campus ministry peers who receive a salary from the organization are totally exempt from this pressure. Some may not be raising support for their individual salary, but they are expected to find new streams of fiscal resources to sustain ministry to the college and university campuses they engage.

Although I have posted previously about the benefits of this model of campus ministry (especially the partnering model which the CCO uses), I would be lying if I said the constant stress of being under-funded isn’t my #1 challenge. And after two years of working pretty hard towards becoming fully-funded…we have yet to close the gap. The financial anxiety of raising support is the ONLY thing that could keep me from enjoying this calling for the next 20 years!

However, in the midst of this challenge…we celebrate God’s faithfulness! The fact that God has provided for us during the last two years in such a way that we were able to buy a home this past summer is bordering miraculous. We continue to trust, that in God’s timing, we will reach our goal of being 100% funded. Often, when we least expect it…God brings someone across our path who wants to give $100, $50, or $30/month towards our ministry of transforming college students in Cincinnati. When that happens, God’s ability to provide never ceases to blow us away.

If you’d like to be one of those who partner with us to put that piece of the ministry in place, click on the $upport link above.  

Now let me reverse the order and begin with “prattle.” Since this word means: to talk or chatter idly, it might not be the perfect word for what I’m going to share. Today’s “prattle” is all about my little boy, Josiah. He is just over 7 months old now and bringing even more joy to our lives than we might have expected (if that is possible). Here’s a little video of a recent feeding.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Josiah squeals from Chris Bean on Vimeo.

On to Praise. God is good, right?! Generally speaking, I would say that I’m coming out of a season of life (the past 2 to 5 years) in which ‘praise’ has not been my default setting. Cynicism, critique, questioning, complaining, etc  These have been words that come to mind more naturally than praise. But over the past year, I sense that God has been rewiring my brain a bit…and giving me a new appreciation for Who, How, Why, and Where HE is. Psalm 103 is coming to mind as my default setting: Praise the Lord, oh my soul!

Provision may have something to do with my increased tendencies towards praise. As we continue to live out our new faith-stretching call to campus ministry…and daily depend on God’s provision, we are increasingly amazed at how God meets our needs. Just this morning, I made the painful and scary decision to approve $600 in repairs to my Ford Focus. Having just had a baby (in the past 7 months) and bought a house in the past month, our financial margin has all but disappeared. Within minutes of telling the mechanic to move forward with the repairs, we heard from one of our monthly ministry supporters who wanted to cover that expense for us. God’s ability to PROVIDE far exceeds my ability to gather resources. So we continue to trust and live in this exciting space of gratitude.

After a long season of discernment, prayer, and planning (3-4 months’ worth), we launched out in a new ministry to students at the University of Cincinnati. This venture is a partnership between the CCO (a campus ministry org based in Pittsburgh) and the Southwestern Ohio Nazarene Churches.

Perhaps the most troubling challenge before us was raising a significant amount of our own financial support to cover salary and ministry expenses.

In the last few posts, I was discussing the Top 5 Things I Love About Raising Support. Although each of these points are very true, the task of reaching out and inviting people to share in the cost/investment for our calling has been no less daunting.

After two years of trusting, asking, praying, inviting, confessing, calling, blogging, sharing, stretching…we have reached a milestone which encourages us to continue in this calling and mission of seeing college students transformed.

For those who have been a part of this journey in any way (praying, giving, serving, etc) we are deeply grateful.

And for those who have YET to partner with us in one of these ways…there’s no time like the present!  

Our goal is to be fully funded by the end of the summer. We have absolutely no doubt that God is able to provide all that is needed between now and then.

We are quite certain that many others share our passion for seeing college students transformed by Jesus so that they will live out their faith in every area of life. When a college student develops a biblical worldview and partners with God in His mission, there is no limit to the Kingdom impact which is being actualized. If that mission is something you feel led to support, we invite you to become one of our ministry partners with a monthly, quarterly, or annual donation. Click on the image below to find out more.

And that is certainly what God is doing. Over the past two weeks I’ve been able to disciple a UC student who I recently lead to Christ (Many people have been pointing her to Christ…I just had the privilege of praying with her in that final moment of decision). Though she is in the midst of some difficult circumstances, it really is amazing to see what God is able to do with a young trusting heart. With only a few weeks of the Spring quarter remaining, I am trusting God not just for financial provision but for the opportunity to pray with one or two more students to trust Christ as Lord.

I have to say, after I recently prayed with this college student to enter a new life in Christ I could NOT wait to share the news with our team of financial supporters. Never before in my 18+ years of ministry have I felt such a sense of partnership with a group of people. Those who regularly invest their financial resources in our ministry through the CCO to students in Cincinnati are literally partners with us in ministry. Were it not for their support, I would be forced to provide for my family another way and would NOT be able to live out my calling to be on campus with students.

#1            The sense of partnership we get as we collaborate with God and visionary supporters to impact the lives of college students.

So that would be the absolute best thing about raising support and partnering with Kingdom-minded donors who recognize their role as stewards of God’s resources.

With about 2 1/2 weeks left in this “Fund” Drive, we continue trusting God to provide a few more of these great partners who get to celebrate with us each time God transforms the life of a college student. If you would like to become one of our ministry partners, click here for more information and simple instructions for how to give.

I was re-reading a chapter in Scott Morton’s book Funding Your Ministry on attitudes. The first one that he covers is the idea that giving AND receiving are both vertical. We do not directly depend on donors for financial support. We depend on God. Those who give to any ministry or church should ultimately be giving to God. I found a great post by a fellow campus minister here who discusses this point and then reminds us of something the CCO sees as a core value: All things belong to God.

Fortunately, some great trainers and peers pointed this truth out early on in our transition into a donor-supported ministry. But the head trash continually resurfaces and changes your focus from the Provider (God) to the provision (supporters/money). Even in the 3 short weeks that we’ve been in this Spring support-raising emphasis (our “Fund” Drive), God has reminded us several times that He will usually provide in spite of us and in His own way and time. Just last week, after a particularly difficult night of making some phone calls and asking several people to consider financially supporting our ministry, I was disheartened by the negative responses. It’s tempting in those moments to become frustrated with individuals as well as the process. But the next day, out of the blue, we received word that someone had given a very generous amount of support. It’s not someone I called or even had on my radar for potentially supporting our ministry. Slowly but surely we’re learning. God is, by nature, a Provider. When we keep our eyes on Him as the Source (vertically) and don’t get caught up on the sources (horizontal) the provision is almost an afterthought.

And that brings me to our next favorite thing about support raising…

#2 The intense spiritual growth which comes as we TRUST God for our Daily Bread.

Never before have we been so utterly dependent on God for daily bread (or at least monthly). As we learn to trust God more quickly and deeply, we find a greater sense of faith and intimacy is being cultivated in our lives personally and also as a family. If we have to raise support for the rest of our lives in order to keep this attitude in check and in focus, so be it!

Each time I engage in the support-raising tasks which make for a successfully funded campus minister, I bump into an interesting form of resistance. Often, it’s from a campus ministry peer who laments that we have to overcome this hurdle (fund raising) in order to “do” ministry. Other times, it comes in the form of someone we have invited to support us who wonders why we don’t just find a church or organization who is willing to fully fund us. Those kinds of encounters tend to remind me of the things I love about raising support for campus ministry (no, I’m not joking). And that brings me to reason #3 in this little series of five posts.

#3 Raising financial support puts God in control of our finances.

From a theological understanding of God’s sovereignty, this seems like a moot point to some. But at least in the realm of self-perception, this biblical understanding of stewardship transforms the way that we live, give, and generally interact with money. The resources that God chooses to provide for us through the generosity of others seem more like God’s property than other paychecks we’ve received in the past. Obviously, whether someone gets a steady paycheck from a church, the government, or a private employer…the source is ultimately the same: God. However, since we pray daily for God’s provision through financial support, it seems that we are more intensely aware that God is in control.

From a different perspective, raising support also frees God up to provide as much or as little as He sees fit for us. Since we are not fully funded just yet, what we are living on now is less than I’ve earned in the past as a staff member at a church. Fortunately though, if God chooses and provides our full support, we’d actually receive a wage that is better than any church board has seen fit to “provide” in the past. That’s another way in which we feel like God is in control of our provision. So we feel a bit more like the Apostle Paul who could say,

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

So there you go…a third great reason that we love raising support in order to live out our mission of transforming college students to transform the world.

#4            It gives us the opportunity to minister to our partners as well as college students.

About fundraising, Henri Nouwen says, “Fund-raising is proclaiming what we believe
in such a way that we offer other people an opportunity to participate with us in our vision and mission.” (You can find a copy of his booklet here).

When someone becomes a ministry partner through their financial support, a way has been opened for them to participate with God in His mission of reconciliation in the world.

“You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity…” (2 Cor. 9:11).

Beyond the blessing of being involved with our ministry and vision, ministry partners become people we pray for and serve whenever possible. Names of supporters often come to mind as I’m driving, praying, planning, or hanging out with college students. I love to pray for the financial partners who make this ministry possible and share stories with them about what God is doing to transform college students to transform the world. (The CCO’s Core Purpose)

Granted, overcoming anxiety and awkward moments to make a phone call, send an email, or have a face-to-face conversation is not my idea of a good time. But the relationship and shared mission that we enjoy with our supporters really is a blessing.

If you have questions, I’d love for you to explore more information on how to support our campus ministry here in Cincinnati.

I’ll begin this “Top 5″ countdown with the low end of the ‘favorites’ but one that certainly brings us great joy.

#5  We become better stewards of our resources and more generous towards others.

Have you ever worked as a server?  (waiter/waitress)

During my freshman year of college, I worked at a Ponderosa Steakhouse near the Anderson University campus. (Back in the day, Ponderosa was a bit more of a preferred destination restaurant than it is today).This was the first time that my income was based on the generosity of others. I believe it’s the place where I first fell in love with the art of hospitality as I engaged customers and constantly tried to wow them with my service. There were some tables, of course, which left a huge mess with very little gratuity. Others would be very generous.

After having that job for about a year, I became much more aware of the service I received from other servers. I can remember several times that I would go eat to eat with my family and be embarrassed that my dad was notoriously stingy when it came to leaving a tip (sorry, Dad…you know it’s true!) So as the family was leaving, I’d make my way back to the table and double or triple the tip.

In the same way, being the recipient of our supporters’ generosity today makes us much more aware of others who have entrusted their livelihood and income to God and like-minded ministry supporters. That makes it very difficult not to respond in SOME way to those who approach us with a cause or ministry that we feel strongly about. We’re obviously not able to large amounts to everyone who is in need, but we sense that God has made us much more generous as a family because we TRUST daily in God’s provision.

If you have questions, I’d love for you to grab more information on how to support our campus ministry here in Cincinnati.

Many campus ministers and missionaries would probably not describe their support-raising efforts as a “fun” task but I’ve actually been having a pretty good time coming up with a blitz of ideas in order to see what it would be like to have our campus ministry fully funded.

You may have some questions about all this, like…

Why do campus ministers raise support/ask for money?

Answer: Well, it’s certainly true that many campus ministers are required to raise a portion if not all of their financial support. I have friends who minister through other organizations like Cru, Navigators, Inter Varsity, etc and most of them have to raise their full support before they officially begin their ministry with students on campus.

Campus ministers tend to be like missionaries who are not directly supported from a local church or denomination. Part of the calling is to invite people to become ministry partners and make the financial investment which results in transformational ministry in the lives of college students.

Perhaps you have other questions about this topic or specifically in regards to my ministry at the University of Cincinnati. Please feel free to leave your question as a comment below or to email me directly ( cbean71@gmail.com )

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing the “Top 5 Reasons I LOVE Raising Support” along with some other great stories about how this aspect of campus ministry is more blessing than curse.

For now, I’ll leave you with a challenge, however. Take a look at our “Spring Fund Drive” and pray about the opportunity you have to partner with our campus ministry at the University of Cincinnati.

Click on this link to view the full-size .pdf version.  Fund Drive_flyer

Unlike many in the food service industry, baristas are paid at least minimum wage. So there’s usually not an “expectation” to tip. However, having worked at a few coffee shops (Starbucks and otherwise), I know that baristas count on and hope for an additional $1 or $2 per hour in tips.

I usually try to tip baristas around 10% personally. On my $2 coffee though, that only amounts to 20 cents, so I usually throw in anywhere from a quarter to .50.

If I get exceptional service and customer interaction from the barista (and the register employee) I’ll tip up to $1 per beverage.

There’s my $.02 worth on the subject. Anyone else have any tips on the subject?

Here’s a helpful article I found on the subject if you want a more thorough guide to coffee shop tipping etiquett.