Faith and Finances

One Hundred Percent

TBM does not take a percentage of donations for administrative fees. When you give $100 to a TBM missionary, that missionary receives $100. No portion is withheld for overhead. No administrative fee is deducted. One hundred percent of your donation goes directly to the missionary project you designate.

This is unusual in the missions world. Most mission organizations operate on a percentage model, taking 10%, 15%, or more of every donation to cover office expenses, staff salaries, and organizational overhead. That makes financial sense from a business standpoint. How else does the organization pay its bills?

TBM's answer: the same way our missionaries do. By faith.

Faith-Based Operations

Every TBM missionary, including home office staff, trusts God to provide through mission-focused churches and individuals. Home office staff do not receive a salary funded by missionary donations. They raise their own support just like missionaries serving overseas. They trust God to provide through partners who believe in the mission of TBM and want to support the administrative work that makes everything else possible.

This approach to operations has sustained TBM for decades. It reflects the conviction that God provides for the work He calls us to do. It creates a different kind of accountability than a budget model does. The organization doesn't survive by building a larger base of missionaries from whom to draw fees. It survives because God provides for it directly.

Biblical Foundation

Paul reminded Timothy not to fix hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things. God is the source. Money is simply a means He uses.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). Not this year. Not this month. This day. God provides what we need when we need it. He doesn't promise abundance ahead of time so we can relax and stop depending on Him. He promises daily provision that keeps us daily dependent.

Paul knew this dependence personally. "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:12-13). Paul experienced both abundance and need. In both, he depended on God.

TBM stands in a long tradition of faith-based missions. George Müller ran orphanages in England without ever asking for money, simply praying and trusting God to provide. Hudson Taylor pioneered missionary work in China on the same principle. These were not naive men. They were men who had learned from experience that God funds the work He calls people to do.

Partnership in Ministry

TBM's financial model creates genuine partnerships in ministry. When churches and individuals support TBM missionaries, they know their giving makes a direct impact. Every dollar reaches the work. That transparency builds trust.

These partnerships are more than financial transactions. They are expressions of the body of Christ working together. Churches in North America partner with missionaries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and beyond. The church provides support. The missionary carries the gospel into new places. Together they accomplish what neither could accomplish alone.

Paul described this kind of partnership to the Philippians: "It was good of you to share in my troubles... you sent me aid more than once when I was in need" (Philippians 4:14, 16). The Philippian church partnered with Paul through their financial support. Their giving enabled his ministry.

The Same Boat

Because home office staff raise their own support, they share the same financial reality as the missionaries they serve. They know what it feels like to trust God for provision. They are not a comfortable headquarters administering the work of people on the front lines. They are ministry partners who understand dependence from the inside.

This is more than a financial strategy. It is a theological statement about who God is and how He works. He provides for His people. He sustains the work He calls us to do. He uses the generous giving of His church to accomplish His purposes in the world.