Personally I have been greatly blessed by my reading of several of Hudson Taylor’s biographies. (I have just finished a republishing of his A Retrospect, autobiographical musings, recently published in 2003 under the title of Looking Back by OMF International.)

Taylor introduced a new emphasis in mission support that was followed by many “faith missions” for about 100 years. Hudson Taylor’s policy was that “The mission would have no fund-raising programs but would, like the orphanages run by George Mueller, depend on prayer and God's faithfulness for support. The mission would not guarantee the support of any work but funds that were received would be given out according to need” (http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/GUIDES/215.htm#508). He shared with his friends his needs but didn’t overtly ask for support.

Most “faith missions” today have taken a more aggressive form of fund raising, though all would claim that ultimately their faith is in God’s provision. The Plymouth Brethren, for example, serve their “commended missionaries” by “forwarding unsolicited, free will contributions to them and disseminate information on their activities to the Christians at home.” Thus, they appear to have no “required amount.”

Another example is that of the Latin America Mission that allows the missionary to select within a given range the amount of salary they would like to receive, though each individual is responsible to raise his or her own support. If over time this preselected amount is not received, the missionary’s salary is gradually reduced and the individual is asked to return to the homeland to build up their support account.

One of the major financial burdens of missionaries is the matter of the staggering cost of personal health insurance. Mission agencies need to make sure that their personnel are protected healthwise, and thus insist that they have adequate insurance coverage.

Colombia is a country where my wife and I have ministered for over 35 years and thus is very much on our hearts. May the Lord guide you as you seek His will for your future and under which auspices you will serve.