Gospel patronage

The gospel patrons are often the least glamorous and the most easily forgotten people, but they are completely crucial to the gospel ministers and the culture disciplers.

Example roles

Gospel patrons are those generating resources to fund ministry, often whilst coming alongside the ministries with their time and talents. They are people who are invested and involved in gospel ministry.

Three elements

1. Be sacrificial. This should be a costly ministry where we sacrificially submit everything to God. Practically, we encourage setting a lifestyle cap beyond which all income goes to gospel ministry. Therefore, we earn to give – as our income increases, we raise our standard of giving not our standard of living.
2. Gaining to give – cautiously seek a high income. John Wesley famously suggests we gain all we can and save all we can, solely to give all we can.
3. Give effectively. We should give strategically as well as generously to use our resources to have the biggest disciple making impact.

Gain all we can, give all we can, give as well as we can.

Biblical basis

Gospel patrons appear throughout the New Testament. For example, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna and others supported Jesus and his disciples “out of their own means” (Luke 8:3Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.Luke 8:3 (NIV)) and Paul was supported by Phoebe, a “benefactor of many” (Romans 16:2).

Paul himself suggests we should earn so we can give to those in need: “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” (Ephesians 4:28)

Partner with time and talent too

Gospel patrons should sacrificially partner with their time and talent too, giving relationally.

Whilst not all giving in the New Testament is relational, giving in the relational “patronage” model is particularly encouraging for both givers and receivers.

Come alongside those you’re supporting. Ministry is difficult, so your friendship will give strength and encouragement. You can act as a sounding board, but be careful not to seek to control ministries. Give permission for ministry leaders to run them as they see fit.

Gospel patrons often have skillsets which are hugely complementary to those in church or parachurch organisations:

• Strategic, financial, legal and managerial abilities are highly valuable to ministries, so consider how your unique talents can be used.
• Becoming a charity trustee is a great example of this, as good trustees are hard for ministries to find and bring enormous value without requiring a huge time commitment.
• And remember, being a gospel patron is sacrificial, so expect considerable time and perhaps reputational costs, while remembering “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

Potential impact

If we have the gifts to do it, gospel patronage is an easy way for many of us to make a very tangible, significant kingdom impact. For example, with full-time indigenous church planters needing to live off less than £1,000 per year in many unreached countries, imagine the impact of Christians seeking high incomes, solely to each fund dozens or even hundreds of gospel workers.

A word of caution

Gospel patronage often means working in demanding, high-pressure settings where wealth and status are prized. These environments bring real temptations that can quickly pull hearts from Christ. This path requires sober discernment and firm accountability – and even with the right skills, it is not for everyone.

To manage these temptations:

1. Start as you mean to go on. Remember, if we’re faithful with little, we’ll be faithful with much (Luke 16:10).
2. Have a plan for how to deal with success, such that if it comes, it doesn’t shipwreck your faith.
3. Have relationships of accountability.

Gospel Patronage

Josh and Megan

Josh is an investment analyst and Megan works as a relationship manager in a ministry called Stewardship.

“Right from the word go, we wanted to make sure that generosity is embedded in how we set up our finances.

Our giving is first and foremost a response to God’s gift of his Son. But the bible is also clear that giving to gospel ministries can have an eternal impact. Luke 16:9 says ‘Use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.’

Wealth is dangerous. It’s so easy to always want more, and lifestyle creep is a very real challenge. We think, “I’ve worked hard for this, so I deserve nice things”, but that’s feeding the flesh and not coming under obedience to the Spirit. To help guide this daily wrestle of how much to spend versus give, we’ve found that a lifestyle cap is a useful disciplinary tool. The idea is that if you’re capping your spending then it’s a really easy way to allow the percentage that you’re giving to expand as your pay rises.

And it’s so much easier to start giving now than later. We cannot imagine what it’d be like, now we’re seven years into work and marriage, to wake up to the fact that we need to be generous. So start now – even before your first pay cheque.

But we want to be more than just donors, we want to be friends on the journey with those we’re giving to, hearing about their joys and challenges. This allows us to support ministries with our skills as connectors and community builders, which can be even more beneficial than our finances.”

Explore the other pathways

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