When people think about missions, certain things often don’t come to mind, including making budgets, tracking spending, depositing checks for missionary support, and everyone’s favorite - filing taxes.  

Those are definitely not what I thought about when I started to feel called to work in missions. I had imagined backpacking through Asia, leading Bible studies, and spending late nights with neighbors while drinking tea and discussing the Bible. I even got a degree in education just so that I could have a legitimate way to live and work among unreached people groups. However, the more time I spent working in missions, the more I had thoughts like, “I don’t know how I can keep doing this,” “How am I supposed to keep up with so many new friends?” and “Is it even possible to be an introvert and do meaningful work in the Kingdom without being exhausted all the time?” 

Thankfully, I was surrounded by some really wise, Jesus-loving people who also worked in missions. They expressed how much they wished there were more people to take on the administrative roles so that they could focus on the more outward ministry tasks that they loved to do. They suggested to me that maybe God had made me a math-loving, analytical, introverted person on purpose so that I could serve God’s Kingdom with those gifts. And by the way, they were also looking for a bookkeeper in their US office. Was I interested in seeing if that was where God was calling me?

That’s how I started my job in ministry. I do bookkeeping and run payroll and file taxes. My job is roughly 20 hours a week outside of the tax season and a little over 40 hours during the tax season. From the job description side of things, it looks basically the same as it would if I worked for any other business or non-profit. Just like any other job, it comes with its own set of stressful situations and challenging tasks, but working in an environment where everyone sees what they do as meaningful work alongside God expanding the Kingdom makes those harder moments easier to handle. I’ve been blessed to work in an office full of brothers and sisters in Christ, which has been an incredibly life-giving and joyful experience. On top of that, I know that the work I do is having a direct impact on how much time disciple makers, church planters, and teachers get to spend using their gifts for ministry.

A passage of Scripture that has been really encouraging to me is Acts 6:1-7:

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

The apostles knew that it was important that the administrative work of caring for the widows be done with excellence. They also knew that they were called to a different work. So, they appointed people who were trustworthy and Spirit-led to take care of it. And the result was that God’s Word continued to spread and more people’s lives were radically changed as they trusted in God.

Often, we as the body of Christ value certain gifts like teaching, preaching, or giving more than other gifts. That means that those of us who don't have those specific gifts sometimes think that we don’t have any gifts and therefore have no contribution in the Kingdom. Praise God that this is not the case! 

If you have experience working in financial planning, bookkeeping, accounting, or any other financial administrative field, please hear me. We need your gifts in the Kingdom. Think about what your company would look like if no one was there doing your job. That’s what would happen in missions organizations all over the world if these organizations didn’t have financial administrative staff in their home office. 

So, what could it look like for you to offer your time and skills to serve the Kingdom directly? Just like those who serve in overseas missions have to count the cost and make sacrifices to do their work, serving the Kingdom with your gifts will probably cost you something too. It might mean taking a lower pay, raising your own support for your salary, or bearing other inconveniences. 

Take some time to talk to God and see where He may want you to use your gifts, considering the potential cost to you and the potential benefit it could be to the Kingdom.

Written by: Anna S.

Interested in using your skills to serve at GFM?