What it costs to support your missionary
Supporting the Whole Missionary
SEND aims to provide an adequate but modest income to your missionaries based on the cost of living in the country where they serve. We understand that each missionary family faces unique needs, so we offer some flexibility in our support structure, not wanting finances to keep anyone from cross-cultural ministry.
- SEND values the spiritual, physical, and emotional health of your missionaries, knowing that thriving missionaries have the energy needed for Kingdom transformation.
- We support choice in education, offering a flexible support plan that reflects each family’s needs for their children.
- We want to see missionaries step into retirement with sufficient funds so that you can release your support money to another missionary.
A SEND Missionary's Financial Needs
- Housing: Rented or mission owned.
- Pension: Plan aims to set missionaries up for financial self-sufficiency in retirement.
- MK Education: School costs for missionary children.
- Insurance: Medical and life coverage.
- International Administration: Leadership team provides training, coaching, supervision, and accountability to meet SEND’s mission and vision for ministry. They also oversee global security, training, personnel, and communications.
- Travel: The cost of travel to and from ministry area, taking into account the possibility of emergency travel.
- Work Expense: Ministry costs such as evangelism materials, travel, teaching supplies, and other outreach aides.
- Salary: An adequate but modest amount to meet living expenses while maintaining a culturally appropriate lifestyle. Salary based on location and family needs, not position. Because the world constantly changes, we periodically adjust salary to reflect new costs of living and currency exchange rates. Our salary structure can flex to accommodate some school loans for recent college graduates or elder care needs, as appropriate. Salary also includes Social Security or Canada Pension Plan.
- Home Administration: Member care includes coaching and training new missionaries during their journey to cross-cultural service; processing donations; managing health, retirement, and disability plans; recruiting new missionaries; and providing media resources. This percentage provides about a third of the home office’s operational costs.
*Current individual need charts are available for each SEND missionary on request.
SEND's Financial Principles
Faith
The members of SEND look to the Lord to fully supply their needs. The work of SEND depends entirely on God’s gracious provision.
Local church
The local church sets apart and commissions missionaries to service. SEND respects that special relationship between the sending church and its missionaries.
Partnership
God achieves his purposes through his people. SEND is grateful for the many friends who support SEND missionaries and seeks to strengthen its partnership with them.
Support commitment
Support commitments from churches and individuals inform SEND of a donor’s intentions. These commitments are not contracts and are not legally binding. This information helps SEND determine if a missionary has enough financial backing to thrive in ministry. Support commitment cards are available on request.
Jurisdiction
The laws relating to finances established by the governments where SEND members live and work are carefully applied to both mission and personal finances.
Voluntary disclosure
Anyone who writes or calls SEND International can receive details of SEND International’s Constitution, doctrinal statement, operating policies and procedures, financial audit reports, or other information.
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