Blog Posts

AUTUMN SERIES: REST

9/8/2021

Jesus said: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

September 8th, 2021
By: Cami Lee

Today, we'll focus on Rest...

Intro and explanation: Our hope is that this guided time of reflection and devotion will be powerful, but simple enough that you can replicate it for the remainder of your life. We'll begin each post with the scripture passage as well as the practice of slowing down, allowing our savior to speak to us through His word.This "slowing down" is based off of a form of reading, prayer, and meditation that has been around for centuries called Lectio Divina. This simple, yet powerful way of reading scripture (and meditating on it), is helpful for connecting us to the word of God. Then, we'll move on to a video and devotion written by an Exago staff member. Let's get started...

SLOWING DOWN:

Breath in, slowly, for 5 seconds.
Hold it for 5 seconds and REST in the Lord and His goodness. Ask Him to clear your mind.
Breath out, slowly, for 5 seconds.
Repeat this as much as you would like, always thanking the Lord for whatever He puts on your heart, or brings to your mind.

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY:

Today we'll focus on Rest. Let's open our hearts to how the Lord is speaking to us. What does rest mean to you?
Slowly, read the passage of scripture three times before moving on.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

What is the Lord revealing to you today in this passage? Write it down.

DEVOTION OF THE DAY:

By: Cami Lee
September 8th, 2021

When was the last time you truly felt rested?
When was the last time you weren’t surrounded by noise?
Life is nuts. It's noisy and demanding.

In Matt. 11:28 Jesus told us that He will give us rest, but sometimes life makes that seem unattainable. Maybe the reason we aren’t able to get the rest we long for is because we’re looking to the wrong thing. It seems like an oxymoron, but to really rest, it will take some work.

Here’s a thought… what would happen if we truly took that verse to heart and applied it? The last part says that Jesus will give us rest, but the first part says for us to come to Him.

Do we do that?

Maybe we need change up our sleep schedule.
Maybe we have to choose to turn off all noise and go into our closet or sit in our car and just spend some time with God. It doesn’t have to be hours upon hours— maybe just a few minutes.

I challenge you this week to spend at least 10 minutes alone with God each day. Bring a notepad with you if need be so you can write down the nagging things that slam into your head and try to distract you. They can wait. Make this more important to you. Come to Jesus and see what happens!

autumn series: joy & thanksgiving

9/1/2021

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
September 1st, 2021
By: Aaron Babyar

WELCOME! We're so glad you're here.
This is our very first post in our new Autumn Devotional Series. We hope that you find it meaningful, refreshing, and that it blesses you. Every Wednesday, we'll post a new devotional video and brief guided meditation on scripture. We hope that you come back every Wednesday.

Intro and explanation: Our hope is that this guided time of reflection and devotion will be powerful, but simple enough that you can replicate it for the remainder of your life. We'll begin each post with the scripture passage as well as the practice of slowing down, allowing our savior to speak to us through His word.This "slowing down" is based off of a form of reading, prayer, and meditation that has been around for centuries called Lectio Divina. This simple, yet powerful way of reading scripture (and meditating on it), is helpful for connecting us to the word of God. Then, we'll move on to a video and devotion written by an Exago staff member. Let's get started...

SLOWING DOWN:

Breath in, slowly, for 5 seconds.
Hold it for 5 seconds and THANK the Lord for being near and always with you.
Breath out, slowly, for 5 seconds.
Repeat this as much as you would like, always thanking the Lord for whatever He puts on your heart, or brings to your mind.

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY:

Today we'll focus on Thankfulness and Joy.
Slowly, read the passage of scripture three times before moving on.

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians. 5:16-18

What is the Lord revealing to you today in this passage? Write it down.

DEVOTION OF THE DAY:

By: Aaron Babyar
September 1st, 2021

Wow…2/3 of 2021 is already over! How did that happen so fast? For those of us in the U.S., we are starting the season commonly referred to as Fall, or Autumn. This is a time when the leaves start changing, the air gets cooler, and we have traditions like gathering around a fire and cooking s'mores.

Simultaneously, Exago is starting a simple Autumn Series of short devotionals to encourage you in your effort to follow Jesus, and this is the first one. Whether you are having a spectacular season of life and ministry, or you are in a time of great difficulty, suffering, or loss…I encourage you to find joy in this season.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

We want you to lean more into Christ and find JOY! Not in the external, or a fake and pretend “everybody be happy” sort of thing, but find joy in that which is your only true hope... Christ Jesus. The reality is, if you’re called to ministry, God doesn’t NEED you, but He LOVES YOU, and He’s invited you to rest in Him and to find joy in Him.

Our hope is that you'll join us every Wednesday, right here on the blog and on social media, as we journey through this devotional series together.

Load lifter

8/24/2021

Doing the work of carrying the burdens and needs of others in prayer.

August 2021
By Sue Duby

Our three-year-old grandson Nate LOVES trucks. Any kind. Any size. The bigger the better. But amidst all the wheeled vehicles racing down the hallway, dump trucks top the list. Nate’s tiny fingers wiggle to grasp any small objects to stuff into the truck’s bin, then wheel the whole load across the room. At times, success! At times, screams and tears when the load tips over.

Load lifting is a lot like that. Skill required. A “loader” is in good shape for the journey, knowing it won’t always work out as anticipated. There’s willingness to try again when it all fails. There’s shuffling objects from one location to another, lifting weights that are just too much for one person to handle alone, even moving items to truly “dump” them.

As my husband Chuck and I have enjoyed the luxury of time to reflect over the past few months, we’ve discovered a past life theme that’s birthed new dreams.

Load lifting.

I’ve never bench-pressed anything in the gym. Neither of us love exercising with heavy dumbbells. Though we’re not fashioned of metal with crazy tread tires, screws, and bolts like Nate’s prize dump truck, we’re recognizing more and more how God fashioned and wired us both. Not sure why it’s taken part of a lifetime to grab hold of understanding, but grateful it’s getting clearer. We love to lift loads!

Way back during our missions training school in snowy Montana, one leader unexpectedly thanked us for being “Aaron and Hur”. At first, that sounded crazy and confusing. Puzzled, we dug a bit deeper and discovered it’s actually very simple. . . just lift a hand!

In Exodus 17:8-13, Moses charged Joshua to go out to fight the Amalekites, promising to stand on the hill with God’s staff in hand. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites continued to win. When he grew weary, “. . .Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.” (v. 12 NIV)

A battle raged. Lives were on the line. Moses was not tasked with joining the physical battle or shouting orders for hours. He had one seemingly unrelated job… to hold his hands high. Even with that small task, it became too burdensome. If you’ve ever tried to raise your arms for a long period of time, it’s hard! Aaron and Hur likewise were not required to rush into battle. Again, for them, one simple duty. Hold Moses’ hands high. Not even two . . . just a single hand each. Just enough to keep Moses’ stance steady. And victory followed.

Though I’ll likely never be on a battlefield, watching spears fly and armor clashing, I know daily there are people in my life who are weary. I also realize (after countless years of trying) that it’s not my job to “fix” anything for others, but rather to come alongside and “load lift” in ways God inspires. Maybe a quick text, “Thinking of you”. Perhaps a phone call to just listen. A note in the mail. A cup of coffee on the back porch. A warm loaf of sourdough bread (a newly discovered passion!). Simple acknowledgment that their struggle is real.

May we be bold to step out to hold a hand up. . .to ask Him to show us our assignment (who, when, where, how) . . .and not measure how big or small it may seem. Sometimes, it’s simply asking a few questions along the way each day. . .

Who is weighed down in my sphere? (Physically, emotionally or spiritually)
Am I to help load lift? (never assuming I’m to jump in, but always asking Him)
What role do you have for me, no matter how simple? (. . .and let me not quickly discount those!)
For me alone or as a team? (sometimes it takes two!)
When am I to step aside and know my job is done? (that’s as important as jumping in)

As we journey into 2021, may He open our eyes to those around us who need load lifting. And may we enjoy the journey as He leads the way!

Sue Duby grew up on an island just minutes from downtown Seattle. From there, she ventured to California for college, teaching high school math and meeting husband Chuck. In 1989, Sue and Chuck entered full-time ministry. 17 years with Mercy Ships took them to Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. In 2006, they began 13 years with Hope Force International, serving those affected by natural disasters both in the U.S. and internationally. Sue loves continued adventures with Chuck (44 years), deep friendships with children Krista, Peter, and their spouses, hugs from 5 grandchildren, flower arranging, and coffee shops.

The Cost of doing business

8/16/2021

The HOW and WHY for building up your own personal operating fund to purchase the boring stuff like printers or renting a car.
By: Erin Bergen
June 2021

It’s no real surprise that in most occupations, labor costs can account for the majority of the outbound cash flow. That translates into employee wages, medical benefits, retirement, and taxes. It’s really no different for those of us serving in ministry. Our salary, insurance, housing, and the like often make up most of the amount we need to raise while living on support. As we meet with people and invite them into our prayer and financial support team, it’s common to get a question like “How much does it take?” or “What will my gift be used for?”. Of course our supporters want to hear that their gift is being used on the frontlines of Christian ministry, directly impacting the folks we minister to for Christ. It’s a rare individual who’d be excited to hear that their sacrificial gift was being used toward funding a piece of software, a printer, a car, or your phone bill. That stuff is boring! That’s not what ministry looks like, right?! Right?

Well, actually, it is. It takes all those things and many more to maximize the fruitfulness of our ministry sometimes.

At a seminar recently, one of the field directors from my organization remarked how vital a particular program we instituted was. This online tool was purchased to provide monthly IT cybersecurity training for our home staff. His wife had received phishing and spam emails trying to con her out of information and money. Thankfully they were office staff first and received this training before heading overseas. Her sister, however, didn’t and was caught in a scam which ended up costing her several hundred dollars and a lot of wasted time. I was reminded that because of a lack of funding, this product was limited to just our home staff. If we had seen the long-reaching value of a resource like this and prioritized making it available to everyone serving with us, how many hours could have been dedicated to ministry (instead of calls to cancel credit cards and freeze bank accounts)?

When you raise support, we say face-to-face wins the race. There is something honoring when you spend the time to meet with someone and share your passion for the ministry. If you can’t afford the cost of travel for the trip (airfare, rental car, or a place to stay), how are you going to get face-to-face with people outside your immediate town? Those practical things are important! Without them, you lack the same impact.

It doesn’t matter if you are in sports evangelism, Bible translation, medical ministry, or administration; we all have those non-glorious things that we need to do ministry well. How would the Jesus film ministries have thrived without the light bulbs for the projector or gas for the generator? How do nurses and doctors perform surgery or administer vaccines without the syringes and alcohol swabs? How do we reach into the hard-to-reach places and communities that are historically closed to the Gospel without traveling to them first?

How do we help people see that good planning and visionary spending often have impactful results, even if the items are less than glamorous? We need to start with prayer and ask God for the right appointments and also the words to share! We never want to try to do these things in our own strength. We need to paint the picture and share the eternal impact of the ministry God has called us into and that we are lucky enough to be a part of. We tell the story, His story, the love story of how He values these people living and dying every day without hope and without Him, and then we pray some more. People want to do their part, and it’s going to take some effort on your part to tell that story but don’t shy away or apologize for the unglamorous parts.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord.” (Jeremiah 17:7 ESV). He owns all the cattle and all the hills they graze on. He knows our worries, our needs. He sees our hearts and we can trust Him for the big and the small, the visas or excess luggage and the light bulbs, too.

Erin Bergen serves with SIMUSA in Recruitment and MPD leading webinars and facilitating support raising training. Erin lives outside Charlotte, NC with her husband, Ben, and their three daughters.

Between the rains

7/26/2021

SURVIVING DURING A SEASON OF DROUGHT AND SADNESS, WHILE KNOWING THAT THE LORD HAS MORE RAIN COMING
By: Aaron Babyar
July 2021

Are you feeling dry and like you’re in a long season— or seasons— of extended loss and drought? Is the rain and hope and growth of spring ever going to come?

I have little patience for the all-too-present thinking of some people that promotes a “health and wealth” or “name it and claim it” theology. I find this thinking to fall short not only because of some theological training and reading that I have been faithful to over the years, but because our personal experience suggests that God’s ability and will to heal…or not…has very little to do with us believing the right thing, praying the right incantation, or spraying the right essential oils on our body. And as someone who has trained THOUSANDS of missionaries how to be spiritually healthy, vision driven, and fully-funded, I’ve never known someone who needed to win the lottery so that God could finally afford to make them a missionary.

I’m currently typing this as my wife, Marque, is suffering from a considerable migraine brought on by an arachnoid cyst. The cyst, located in her brain stem, too frequently will swell into her cerebellum due to a change in barometric pressure. It will recede eventually, but probably not today. Maybe not even this week. It’s nearly dinner time, and she hasn’t been able to function out of bed yet today. Outside of some gnarly medications that she prefers to avoid when possible, there is little she can do to circumvent the suffering. Marque was fairly healthy in our first 10 years of marriage, but things changed. The last 17+ years have gone quite differently. So far, Marque has survived 4 brain surgeries, and has multiple other serious ailments which robbed her of what could have been years of mostly good health - as we raised our four children. There have been innumerable bad days, and also some really good days sprinkled in. She's beautiful, funny, intelligent, kind, gracious…and simply incredible for also putting up with me. I truly count myself fortunate to be her husband. By God’s grace we have learned to live with a nearly constant sense of joy without being jaded by the sense of loss of what could have been - but isn’t. Most nights we go to sleep with just enough courage to dare hope for what tomorrow may bring. Mostly, we are thankful to the Lord that she is alive, but in a constant state of readiness to quickly pivot to health demands in an instant. Perhaps you can empathize with the nuance of what is our unique and challenging version of normal.

Where is God in all of this? Why hasn’t healed her yet? When are things going to get better? I could spend innumerable words explaining yet falling short of the vastness of thought dedicated to those questions.
In short I can say:

Christ is with us, providing comfort and encouragement…which aligns well with 2 Thes: 16-17
I don’t know why or even how He has done this work, but others have told us that God has used her testimony to point others to Himself many different times in many different ways…which aligns well with Matt 5:16
I don’t when she will be fully healed, but I do know He has promised that He will heal her.. See Phil 3:20-21, Rev 21:4

Note that everything I have written to this point does not pull you out of a dry season of difficulty. Rather, I hope that it gives perspective. Could it be that your head and your heart are what needs God's intervention, even more than whatever very encompassing current issue or season of difficulty you are enduring??

I am not simply saying to “be tough” in your season of dryness. Pain and loss are real. Your feelings are real. You obviously want to improve things and can pray for God to bring about breakthroughs. Remain faithful to Him while engaging with that which He has put in front of you with enough grace to get through the difficulty of today.
But also, consider what is promised in your future:

the crown of life (Jam. 1:12)
an inheritance with the Son (Col. 3:24)
a throne in heaven/co-reign with Christ (Rev. 3:21, 20:6)
rewards which will be so great that our earthly struggles seem insignificant (Rom. 8:18)

May his grace and peace be with you in your sufferings.

Aaron Babyar is founder and CEO of Exago Ministries. To read more about Aaron, go here: https://www.exago.org/our-story.html

Turning the Corner from burned out to ON FIRE!

7/16/2021

By: Justin Jones
June 2021

Hi, my name is Justin, and I am a Fundraiser. That is hard for me to say sometimes because so much baggage comes from someone hearing that term “fundraiser” and thinking “solicitor.” I have learned a few hard lessons along the way and have even had some fancy titles. Giving Manager, Development Representative, Major Gift Officer, and Senior Philanthropy Advisor.

My wife and I served in global missions for several years. We got on the support raising bandwagon and did a very poor job. We slogged through countless donor appointments and church presentations. Through all that hard work, prayer, crafting newsletters, and PowerPoint presentations, we were only really able to secure about 85% of our monthly expenses. But the hardest lesson I learned, besides being underfunded and struggling financially on the field and almost getting to the point of complete burnout, was treating the different segments of my life and ministry as sacred and secular.

But how could doing ministry and living as a missionary be considered or even called secular?
That, my friend, is a great question!

For too long, I considered Fundraising a necessary evil or a pain in my backside to get back to the Real ministry of discipleship and evangelism. Boy, was I wrong! I treated the ministry to donors as nothing more than an exchange with an ATM. I missed the opportunity to encourage them with the generosity of Christ’s gift on the cross! I missed out on praying with them in their need and offering them the joy and hope of living in community as we trust God for all of his provision.

What a turnaround! Ministry to donors is vital and shouldn’t ever be discounted or considered anything less than Gospel-centered discipleship. As Christians, we believe the Gospel is true with our words and our thoughts, but often our actions speak otherwise. Consider Peter and his letter to the Church in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.

1 Peter 1:13-15 (NLT) “So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.”

Then further down, 1 Peter 1:18-22 (NLT) “For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart.”

What joy! I love being a pastor to donors. There have been countless times where people have hung up on me when I have called or simply told me to get lost to my face. But there have been far more moments of real transformation and community when we all get to experience the joy of God’s provision and generosity.

Justin Jones holds a Masters in Nonprofit Management from Eastern University and a Communications degree from the University of Arkansas. He and his wife Shelli served for four years in global missions in Asia and somehow miraculously adopted their daughter from Bulgaria. Justin and his family reside in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and are members of Ethos Presbyterian Church. He enjoys playing drums on the worship team and is very excited to have found his calling and advocate for Bible translation.

For the Sake of the Gospel

7/1/2021

I think it’s a pretty safe assumption that those who read this blog and are fans of Exago believe in the Great Commission.

Passionately.

You may know someone that has entrusted their family’s finances and career to a compensation paradigm that counts on others to invest in their ministry – month to month – for the sake of sharing the gospel with those in another nation, or an under-reached demographic in our country.

Face it: you’re sold out. All in. And for many reading this, you’re personally living by this model and discipling other Christian workers to do the same.

I’m confident that you believe God’s promise in 1 Thessalonians 5:24 is trustworthy: “Faithful is He who called you, and He will do it.”

Do we have the same confidence in John 17:20-23? Because there, Jesus’ prayer makes a rock-solid, non-optional connection between honoring biblical unity and reaching the world with the gospel.

In this pivotal prayer, Jesus prays “that we might be one” (with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and with each other) so that the world will understand God’s love and believe. To underscore how vital this unity with God and each other is, Jesus repeats the petition three times. He connects our unity to the very nature of the Trinity.

Far from being a peripheral issue, unity is a big deal. Theologian N.T. Wright highlights that “unity is at ‘the heart of Paul’s ecclesiology.’ In fact, it’s a building block in every one of the Apostle Paul’s letters. Currently, respecting and living in one accord is the passionate and prophetically delivered message of Francis Chan’s new book, Until Unity.

What does this look like in practice?

How does this impact our cooperation with potential ministry partners on the field where we labor? What if their theological tradition is different than yours…even dramatically? What if you speak in tongues, while they don’t believe that’s how God expresses Himself in this season? What if it’s like blue vs. red?

In our ministry with the Network, we try to keep “the main thing the main thing.” For the sake of working together to reach a lost generation of students, we remind ourselves often to “check our egos and logos at the door,” roll up our sleeves, and find common ground.

There are just too many lost people out there for us to not get along. Yes, truth matters. A lot. However, compared to some of my other interpretations of Scripture, I am more certain about John 17. As Chan says in his introduction, we should take this teaching of Jesus very literally.

In other words, since Jesus taught/prayed that the gospel depends on our oneness, then we need to honor that and work hard to keep it central. And sometimes it will be hard (see Ephesians 4:3)! We would rather err on the side of grace than on our personal or denominational version of how we interpret some non-essential doctrine in Scripture.

Remember in Mark 9, when Jesus’s disciples wanted to silence others for “not being one of us”? Jesus channels the heart of His John 17 prayer by His response.

Communicating with Supporters

There are implications for this in how we communicate with our supporters. Am I being gracious with comments I make toward other ministries, denominations, or groups of people? I am very grateful for the checks and balances of having my wife and another staff member read every prayer letter before it gets published.

The German theologian Rupertius Meldenius said (in 1626) “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” I need to remind myself that Paul’s famous 1 Corinthians 13 definition of “charity” includes facets that it “is patient…kind…not envious…does not dishonor others.”

It’s also worth noting that many who don’t claim to follow Christ are familiar with 1 Corinthians 13, and are watching to see if we demonstrate this kind of agape love in how we get along.

So let’s get along.

Doug Clark is National Field Director for the National Network of Youth Ministries (N.N.Y.M.) in San Diego, California. Doug was a youth pastor at an Evangelical Friends church for 16 years before joining the Network staff in 1990. He graduated from Fuller Seminary. Besides helping youth workers cooperate to reach and equip teenagers in their cities to find what God wants them to do in the world, Doug helps coordinate promotion for See You At The Pole, a movement of students praying for their schools. He is married to Debbie and has a son and daughter, both married with kids.

The Story of Exago

6/16/2021

By Aaron Babyar

Act I

Exago started as a concern, concept, and finally a calling. God provided myself and my wife Marque the eyes to notice a simple, yet profound, problem:
The personal needs of Christian ministry leaders are often not met. A result of that reality is that though a leader may believe they had once had a clear calling from the Lord, far too often, they will quit, burnout, or leave ministry while carrying a deep sense of loss and confusion.

Marque and I both sensed a leading to Christian ministry early in life, and we were married in 1994. For over a decade, we served the Lord in a variety of vocational ministry settings. Along the way, over and over again, we noticed a pattern of gifted men and women running away from ministry, often hurt, and often due to reasons that seemed no fault of their own. At one point, we also experienced some hardship that had us strongly considering a different vocation. Yet God called us to continue serving Him despite our many reservations.

This led to a quest for understanding. Why did Great Commission focused workers, such as missionaries, youth pastors, and church planters - gifted people doing great work for the Kingdom - so often run away from the mission God had put in front of them?
There are many answers which contribute towards turnover, and those answers led to a deeper question: While ministry leaders focus on ministering to others, who is focused on ministering to them? Far too often, the truth was a blunt: No one.

Many great Biblical leaders were ministered to. In Exodus 17, Moses was ministered to as he was serving the Lord. Jesus was ministered to by angels in the desert and by people, such as what we see in Luke 8. Evidently, this wasn’t just common practice, this was vital for spiritual growth. Yet time and time again, Marque and I noticed modern ministry leaders who seemed isolated. We wanted to restore this Biblical idea of ministering to the ministers.

Thumbing through a Greek-English Bible lexicon, Marque unearthed the word Exago - “to lead forward, while bringing others.” As God started leading Marque and I into the idea of starting Exago Ministries, we were both enthused and anxious. How could we build and serve ministry workers so that they could survive and thrive for a lifetime of ministry service?

Act II

A couple of significant challenges in my personal life were making themselves known, separately from the esoteric questions about Christian leaders “surviving and thriving.” God blessed my family with four children in six years, but I was unprepared for the financial burden of having a large family.

While God was forming in our hearts a focus for building Exago, I was in the midst of a short term commitment I had made to help launch a new church. The situation had required me to raise ½ of his support. And though the church plant went great in many ways, his support raising largely failed. Marque and I trusted God's provision but didn’t know how to invite and build a team of partners that would pray for and financially support their ministry vision.

Eventually, Marque emptied the bank account while buying food. There wasn’t much money to start with, but one particular day, she came home from the grocery store with the most bare of necessities - but there wasn’t enough. This was a pivotal moment that deeply humbled me. While it was obvious to many that God was blessing our ministry work, I sensed from the Lord that there had to be a better way of serving Him vocationally, without my family unnecessarily struggling for basic sustenance. Freshly, God birthed in me a passion of responsibility to fulfill my ministry calling and care for my family simultaneously - without it being a choice between one or the other.

Meanwhile, Marque was showing signs of personal medical decline (which eventually led to multiple surgeries). This brought about more questions. If this was God’s plan for our life, then why had we experienced so many financial and medical challenges? Could we raise a team that would really partner with us in ministering to ministry leaders? How would I build a support team when I had never been taught how or what to do? In the eyes of man, it felt like a foolish endeavor. Yet we were clearly called by the Lord to take steps of faith. A handful of faithful friends confirmed the Lord’s guidance on the situation, and Exago technically soft-launched in September of 2005.

Building a support team for a new ministry wasn’t going to be an easy task. In 2006, I began to focus more on building Exago as I left the church plant with their blessing. I searched the web for "support raising help." Of all the results that could have flashed across my screen, “Support Raising Bootcamp” stood out. At the time, I had never heard of it, so I had little understanding about what I was signing up for.

Steve Shadrach led the event, and the wealth of information was a blessing, if not somewhat overwhelming. There was more to learn than I could immediately commit to memory. Yet, I began to apply some of the things I had gleaned, and slowly God began to build a wonderful team of people that supported my transition from church planting to building Exago.

I will be the first to tell you that I made several mistakes along the way, but through primarily trusting in the Lord and applying biblical principles with intensive hard work - Exago Ministries became fully funded. Freedom at last! The ability to fully focus on the calling of God in ministering to ministry leaders was like sweet oxygen. Running full speed ahead, I would not take it for granted.

Act III

God blessed Exago’s vision and allowed it to minister to ministry workers in many capacities - from local coffee shops to large conferences to local and national networks, etc. - He has been good to lead us every step of the way! For many years, ministry leaders have regularly sent a note or somehow reached out to say variations of, “Thanks for seeing me. Thanks for ministering to me. No one else does that. I think I’m probably still in ministry because of how Exago served me.”

Furthermore, a great blessing erupted as Exago began to offer holistic coaching, and it continues to this day. Yet... that’s not the end.

Over time, a unique thing began to happen with increasing regularity. Ministry leaders started noticing something different about Exago. In various ways, leaders would ask for help with their finances, such as pulling me into a stairwell to quietly ask questions where no one else could hear their embarrassment about struggling with money. They knew I wasn’t independently wealthy, and that I wasn’t driven by finances. How was I able to fully focus on my ministry job and feed my family without going into debt or having to work a side hustle?

I knew exactly how they felt, as I clearly remembered the sense of crisis that came with not having the proper finances to fund our family and ministry. I began to resource them and often direct them towards Support Raising Solutions. But this just led to an influx of even more questions from all types of Great Commission-focused leaders who weren't just wanting a book or a training event, but also wanting to be personally coached - while in their support raising process as they built their own prayer and financial support team. At this point, Exago began to additionally offer support-raising coaching. I reconnected with Steve Shadrach for advice. Steve wisely pointed out that ministry leaders might have many needs which can contribute to turnover... but finances are often their MOST FELT need.

In 2014, Steve and Support Raising Solutions invited myself and Exago to formally partner with them. Though both organizations maintain autonomy, God has used the partnership to bless ministry leaders globally. Together, we have led numerous SRS Bootcamps, trained organizations to offer their own in-house training, and affected hundreds if not thousands of global ministries and their leaders in a multitude of ways. I also helped birthe and host the very popular “SRS Podcast.” At the time of writing, the podcast averages around 5,000 monthly downloads from ministry leaders across the globe.

Meanwhile, Exago continues to grow in its ability to serve ministry leaders, even beyond the partnership with SRS:

We continue to offer life-changing holistic coaching to ministry leaders. It is a fantastic hybrid of counseling, life coaching, career coaching, etc., all personally designed for each individual ministry leader or couple.
We continually improve our support raising coaching (mpd) for those who've gone through training already, but now want someone to run with them as they do the difficult task of building their own prayer and a financial support team which will allow them to focus on the vision God has given them for ministry.

In a unique way, Exagos ability to equip ministry leaders to “survive and thrive,” allows the ministry to be indirectly active in everything from orphan care, fighting human trafficking, Bible translation, etc., because God allows us to equip the leaders championing those great works for the sake of the gospel!

Though God saw fit to use Marque and I as the ministry originators, it has never been - and will never be - about us. Exago has an incredible and growing team of partners and gifted staff, and we are excited to see what God is going to do in Act IV!

Financial Stewardship

5/24/2021

by: John Nolan

Too many ministry leaders have a spiritually sound but often half-baked "let go and let God” approach to their finances that causes personal and ministerial financial hardship. Could it be that even if you dislike math or accounting, God wants you to take personal responsibility for the finances He has put in front of you? We don't get into ministry for the money - but what does it look like to have a healthy financial plan? God calls us to be good stewards with the finances we have. But where to start?

“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”
Proverbs 21:5 (NIV)

Proverbs 21:5 hits the nail on the head. There are no shortcuts when it comes to stewarding your finances well. A diligent financial plan consists of three main ingredients: clear and achievable goals, monitoring your cash flow through budgeting, and a healthy relationship with money.

Clear and achievable goals are critical to your long-term success with your financial plan. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Setting small goals to give yourself consistent wins will encourage you on the path of financial freedom. Your first goal may be to save $1,000 as an emergency fund or pay off the first of three credit cards. Break these goals down into small milestones and celebrate when you’ve accomplished one.

A monthly budget is a powerful tool in monitoring your cash flow. It allows you to tell your money where to go. Sticking to a budget allows you to cut down on expenses and put that income toward savings and paying off debt. Looking at financial coaching services like Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University Course, individuals who take control of their finances through following their budgeting and planning model save an average of almost $400 in their first month. That’s $400 towards being debt-free, towards your savings, or towards your retirement. There are many high-quality free budgeting software tools that you can use to track your monthly budget – I would give Intuit’s “Mint” budgeting tool a try, or even Dave Ramsey’s course.

The final and most important key to a financial plan is ensuring that you have a healthy relationship with money. Everyone has a relationship with money; the question is whether or not it’s a healthy one. Our money relationship is established as children, in the home environment where we grew up. Many people’s relationship with money can be summed up with a feeling that there is never enough, or that it’s a limited resource that needs to be scavenged. Others may spend frivolously to reduce stress or feel that money has always and will continue to be there to spend freely. You may have a fearful relationship with money, where you hate looking at your bank account. These are unhealthy relationships with money that lead to your money controlling you.

A healthy relationship with money is a Kingdom money mindset, where you understand that your money isn’t actually yours. It’s God’s. Where you steward God’s money well, keep track of it, be generous with some of it, and save the rest toward your children’s legacy and your retirement. One of the keys to unlocking this understanding is tithing. By giving back to God what belongs to Him, we turn our promise of Stewardship into Action. This is the only way that I have found to actively change your relationship with money into that of a Kingdom money mindset. The amount to tithe is beyond the scope of this article, and I’ll leave that to you to bring to God. If you aren’t tithing, then start now with something, even if it’s $50 a month.

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
Matthew 25:21 (NIV)

By applying these principles that we discussed and living them, you will see a change in your finances. Make no mistake, you will have to put in the work. But in doing the work, you’re being faithful with what God has given you, which leads to Him blessing you with more. This may sound like a cliché to you, but it’s true. By being a good steward with God’s blessings, you will find that money comes in to your bank account, rather than out. You may even be pleasantly surprised by how much comes in. This is God responding to your stewardship. So, are you ready to start?

John Nolan is an accounting and finance specialist in the Bay Area, California. His passion is working with pastors and their staff to thrive financially and live out biblical principles of financial stewardship. In his free time, he enjoys hiking around the Bay Area.

1 Cruz, Rachel. “Money Mindset.” Ramseyplus, 2021, www.ramseyplus.com/learn/jump-start/money-mindset.

Slowing down into the new normal

5/3/2021

By Tonya Stanfield

The pandemic of 2020 forced the entire world to slow down. I’m a missionary in South Africa, and our hard lockdown was a 35-day, military-enforced command: STAY INSIDE. There were no walks, no outdoor exercise, and lots of unhappy dogs. After that, we were only allowed outside for exercise hours. Life ground to a halt for months. I gardened and listened to podcasts. My son learned to cook. My daughter led our daily workouts. We built (what we believe to be) the world’s largest blanket fort! I even created an interactive Good Friday service in our house.

I also had time to take more notes of my inner life as well. There was nothing to distract me from emotions, desires, and fears that might have popped up for a moment and floated away otherwise. But, because the world slowed down, I not only noticed but had time to take these ‘noticings’ to God in prayer. I began to do so regularly throughout my day.

There’s a book called Three Mile an Hour God. I’ve honestly never read it. I just love the title! Three miles per hour is the average pace of a man - the average pace at which Jesus would have experienced the world. Outside of a few boat rides, he never went faster. I believe this book encourages us to engage our world and life at a similar pace as Jesus: a formative pace that encourages us to pause, notice, and reflect. A pace that develops eyes that actually see and ears attuned to listen.

Jesus often refers to the Kingdom of God as something small that grows (like the mustard tree- Mk. 4:30-32), or something you have to stay alert and searching for, like a lost coin (Luke 15:8-10). Whatever the parable, it’s clear we have to pay attention for us to find and grow the Kingdom in our own lives and this world. The slow pace of lockdown ceased to be something I was forced into and, rather, became an invitation to live life alert and awake to what I might have sped past before, both in my family and in myself.

After the hard lockdown lifted and the world figured out how to work on Zoom, I maintained my slow, increasingly intentional rhythms. Mornings in the Word. Afternoon coffees with the Prayer of Examen. Prayer walking with my dogs. Family dinners revolving around the Church Calendar. A rhythm of intentional slowness rooted itself in my life, and I saw the fruit: increased self-awareness; increased God-awareness; deeper connection.

John Ortberg once asked Dallas Willard: “How can I help the people at my church grow more?”

Dallas Willard replied: “You must arrange your life so you’re experiencing deep contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God. The main thing you bring the church is the person you become.”

What counterintuitive gift did this pandemic offer you?

Tonya Stanfield has been a missionary for 20 years. For the past 15, she's called South Africa home with her husband and 2 children. Her focus has encompassed counter-human trafficking, serving marginalized peoples, and training missionaries in justice, peacemaking, and spiritual formation.

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