The Money Crisis and Missions

by Wade T. Coggins

Since August, 1971, a monetary crisis has been shaking the commercial world. It had an immediate effect on the lives and work of missionaries. In major areas of the world the U.S. dollar now buys less units of the local currency than in past years. The purchasing power of the missionary was immediately cut when this revaluation occurred.

Since August, 1971, a monetary crisis has been shaking the commercial world. It had an immediate effect on the lives and work of missionaries. In major areas of the world the U.S. dollar now buys less units of the local currency than in past years. The purchasing power of the missionary was immediately cut when this revaluation occurred.

The only remedy to the plight of the missionary was the infusion of more dollars. Missionaries, however, operate under a wide variety of arrangements, depending on the history and makeup of the organization which sends them. For some, this dollar infusion has not been made, and their work is suffering. Missions which provide a "living allowance" or "salary" to missionaries directly usually provide the monthly check in local currency. Where that pattern is followed the missionary has continued to receive his usual allowance in local currency. The sending organization, however, is seeking to find additional dollars to meet the additional drain. One large mission estimates that it will cost $300,000 above the previously anticipated cost just to make up the currency loss of 1971.

A very common pattern of support is known as "personalized" support or "designated" support. Under this arrangement, the missionary is approved and appointed by a mission board. The missionary must then do "deputational" work in which he visits churches, contacts individuals and groups, telling about his appointment as a missionary and arranging for supporters to plan to send a specific amount monthly to pay his "allowance" or "salary."

In some cases two or three churches will take responsibility for a major part of this obligation. It is more common, however, for a number of widely scattered individuals to make up the donors supporting a missionary through comparatively small gifts.

The amount to be secured normally includes not only the "living allowance" or "salary’,’ but also travel money, work funds, and frequently an amount for the operation of the mission office.

Those serving under the system of "personalized" support have a serious problem. Meeting the emergency created by the monetary crisis is very complex and will take months or even years to correct.

When President Nixon announced changes in our monetary policy, currencies were revalued as much as 10 percent. This constituted a 10 percent cut in pay and a 10 percent cut in work funds used on the fields for missionaries dependent on dollars. How is this to be corrected?

In many cases, a request has gone from the mission leadership on the field to the mission headquarters in the supporting country for more dollars to sustain the meager purchasing power which prevailed before the revaluation. The mission must make the decision to "authorize" the increase in support dollars. The decision is passed on to the variety of donors who provide the missionary’s "allowance" and his work funds. The individual donor may increase his gift by the approved amount if he desires, or he may decide that inflation has hit him and he cannot increase his contribution. If a church is a part of the supporting constituency, a corporate decision will have to be made to increase the allotment, and the money will have to secured.

As the months roll into years, the missionary limps along while the long process is taking its course. It is not uncommon for a few donors to drop out during a term of service, further complicating the problem. Since the missionary is not home to recruit replacement donors, shortages in support frequently develop.

It seems that the emergency created by the present monetary crisis should stimulate a serious search by mission leaders, church leaders and donors for a more responsive system of missionary stewardship.

The problem which has been highlighted by the 1971 monetary crisis is always present to a lesser or greater degree. Inflation, which is usually more rapid in other countries than in the U.S., keeps cutting into purchasing power.

As an immediate step, this article should be taken as a call to all who support missions to increase their gifts. Whether the donor supports an individual missionary or makes contributions to a mission society, it is urgent that he increase his giving in order not to cause a curtailment in missionary work.

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