Faith promise giving is a method of giving that many churches and ministries use to raise funds for missions, building projects, and other ministry initiatives. The basic idea behind faith promise giving is that people prayerfully make a financial commitment to give a certain amount over a period of time, trusting that God will provide the resources for them to fulfill that commitment. The emphasis is put on trusting God to provide, rather than just giving out of one’s current surplus. Let’s take a more in-depth look at what faith promise giving is and whether it has a biblical basis.
What Is Faith Promise Giving?
The concept of faith promise giving involves asking people to make a commitment to give a certain monetary amount to support a ministry or project, with the understanding that they trust God to provide the means for them to fulfill that commitment. Some key aspects of faith promise giving include:
- It is voluntary – No one is required to make a faith promise. It is completely up to each person’s discretion.
- It requires prayer and discernment – People are encouraged to spend time in prayer and reflection to discern what amount God might be leading them to commit to.
- The amount promised often exceeds one’s current ability to give – The emphasis is on trusting God abundantly rather than just giving out of surplus.
- There is usually a set time period to fulfill the promise – Many faith promise commitments are set up to be paid over a 1-year period.
- Givers trust God to provide – People depend on God through faith to enable them to fulfill their commitment through unexpected income, blessings, or provision.
Faith promise giving is commonly used by churches to raise funds for mission trips, support for missionaries, building projects, church planting initiatives, and other ministry needs. Many churches conduct an annual faith promise campaign where they challenge members to make faith promise commitments for the upcoming year.
Origin & History of Faith Promise Giving
While the general concept of trusting God to provide has deep biblical roots, the specific origin of “faith promise giving” as a defined approach is often attributed to Oswald J. Smith, a pastor and author who promoted the idea in the mid-1900s.
Smith was a leader in the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination and served as senior pastor of The Peoples Church in Toronto from 1935-1987. He was a vocal advocate of missions and heavily promoted faith promise giving as a way for churches to substantially increase their mission giving.
Under Smith’s leadership, The Peoples Church in Toronto conducted annual faith promise campaigns and gave millions of dollars to worldwide missionary efforts in subsequent years. Smith spoke and wrote extensively about the practice of faith promise giving through his sermons, articles, and books.
Following Smith’s example, faith promise giving was widely adopted by Christian and Missionary Alliance churches and also spread to many other evangelical churches and denominations. It continues to be promoted today by mission agencies and churches as a way to mobilize financial support for ministry initiatives.
Key Principles Behind Faith Promise Giving
Those who advocate faith promise giving usually emphasize a few key biblical principles:
- God owns it all – Everything we have comes from and belongs to God, so we can trust Him to provide (Psalm 24:1, Haggai 2:8).
- Give generously and sacrificially – God blesses those who give cheerfully and sacrificially, so we should give in proportion to how God has blessed us (2 Corinthians 8-9).
- Trust God in faith – If we step out in faith, trusting God to provide, He can bless our giving abundantly beyond expectations (2 Corinthians 9:8, Malachi 3:10).
- Partnering with God – God partners with and blesses those who are faithful stewards of what He entrusts to them (Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 16:10-11).
In summary, faith promise giving relies on trusting God to provide the means to give generously to advance ministry rather than just giving comfortably out of surplus.
Making a Faith Promise Commitment
If someone chooses to make a faith promise commitment, it usually involves a few simple steps:
- Pray – Spend time asking God what amount He would lead you to commit to.
- Discern an amount – Based on prayer and reflection, settle on a specific dollar amount to commit to.
- Make the promise – Formally make the commitment to give that set amount.
- Trust God to provide – Believe that God will enable you to fulfill your promise as you rely on Him.
- Give as funds become available – Allocate the funds you receive over time toward your faith promise until it is fulfilled.
Most faith promise commitments are structured to be paid out over a defined time period, such as one year. Some tips people are given for discerning an amount to promise include:
- Aim for a sacrifice – Consider an amount that will require serious dependence on God.
- Think in terms of weekly/monthly amounts – Break the total down into smaller increments.
- Review your finances – Assess your current financial situation realistically.
- Listen to the Holy Spirit – Be prayerful rather than analytical.
- Consider incremental increases – If new to this, incrementally increase amounts year-to-year.
Faith Promise Giving in Church History
While the specific terminology of “faith promise giving” only came into prominence in the 20th century, the general concept has appeared sporadically throughout church history.
In the early church, Tertullian (160-220 AD) spoke of the concept of giving in anticipation of future provision from God rather than just out of what one already possessed. The famous missionary Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) encouraged believers to give sacrificially in dependence on God to missions in China through his faith mission known as the China Inland Mission.
In the late 1800s, A.B. Simpson, founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination, emphasized trusting God through faith to provide financially for advancing the gospel. So there were some precursors to faith promise giving in earlier eras, though not with the defined structure it has today.
Potential Benefits of Faith Promise Giving
Proponents of faith promise giving point to a number of potential benefits, including:
- Mobilizes greater giving to ministry – People may commit to give more than they would otherwise.
- Strengthens faith and trust in God – Requires radical dependence on God to provide.
- Breaks over-reliance on self – Moves people from a scarcity mindset to trusting God’s abundance.
- Fosters spiritual growth – As people see God provide, it builds their faith and intimacy with Him.
- Encourages vision and boldness – Ministries can launch new initiatives in anticipation of funds.
With an atmosphere of prayer, faith promise giving can be a powerful experience as people see God graciously provide in miraculous ways.
Criticisms and Concerns About Faith Promise Giving
Faith promise giving has received some criticisms and raised concerns for some, including:
- Unbiblical basis – Since the terminology of “faith promise giving” is not in the Bible, some argue it is an unbiblical, man-made concept.
- Unrealistic promises – People may promise unrealistic amounts and then be unable to fulfill them.
- Dangers of debt – If people promise too much, it could lead them into serious debt.
- No miraculous guarantees – God does not promise miraculous financial provision for every faith promise.
- Manipulation and gimmicks – Without care, faith promise campaigns could become emotionally manipulative fundraising tactics.
- Inequitable pressure – Lower-income people may feel undue pressure to try to match larger faith promises.
To keep faith promise giving biblical and avoid potential pitfalls, wisdom and sensitivity are needed in how churches approach this type of giving.
Biblical Examples and Principles Related to Faith Giving
While the exact terminology of “faith promise giving” does not appear in the Bible, Scripture does provide many examples and principles connected to the idea of trusting and depending on God to provide financially:
- Widow’s offering – Jesus upheld the widow who gave sacrificially out of her poverty, trusting in God’s care (Mark 12:41-44).
- The Macedonians – Paul pointed to the Macedonians who gave abundantly despite poverty according to their ability (2 Corinthians 8:1-5).
- Sowing generously – The Bible encourages sowing generously, trusting God to provide the harvest of resources to give more (2 Corinthians 9:6-11).
- God’s provision – Scripture is filled with examples of God faithfully providing resources to carry out His work (Exodus 36:2-7, 1 Kings 17:8-16).
- God as owner – All that we have comes from and belongs to God, not us (Psalm 50:10-12, Haggai 2:8).
While “faith promise giving” utilizes modern financial terminology, the principles of trusting God to provide and giving generously are thoroughly biblical.
Balancing Faith Promise Giving with Other Biblical Principles
While there are definite biblical precedents for the attitudes underlying faith promise giving, there are other important scriptural principles to balance it with, such as:
- Give within your means – Don’t give irresponsibly beyond your legitimate resources (2 Corinthians 8:12; Proverbs 3:9-10).
- Give voluntarily – Giving should be voluntary, not coerced (2 Corinthians 9:7).
- Don’t neglect family – Caring for family takes priority over other giving (1 Timothy 5:8).
- Maintain integrity – Keep financial promises and avoid debt that compromises your testimony (Psalm 37:21).
- Glorify God – Faith promise giving should reflect His generous, wise character (Matthew 5:16; James 1:5).
Faith promise giving works best when carried out responsibly with wisdom, sensitivity, integrity, and a desire to glorify God.
Is Faith Promise Giving Biblical?
In light of scriptural principles and examples, here are some concluding thoughts on whether faith promise giving is biblical:
- The exact terminology is not found in the Bible.
- However, the concepts of trusting God to provide and sacrificial giving are very biblical.
- It depends on how it is practiced – done responsibly it has biblical precedent, but it could be abused.
- Stepping out in faith while using wisdom honors God more than comfort and earthly security.
- Done right, with Christ-centered motivations, faith promise giving can be used by God to bless ministries.
So in essence, faith promise giving as a defined approach is not explicitly biblical or unbiblical – it depends on how the principles involved are put into practice. When conducted carefully and prayerfully, with a desire to glorify God and bless others, faith promise giving can be a biblical model for generously supporting ministry.