Be counter cultural. Be a fundraiser.

Last century – and I realize that is a very weird thing to say – I started reading Sojourners. For this proud Jesus-Freak girl from Southern California (the epicenter of the Jesus Movement), this magazine was a startling revelation.
 
Jesus was concerned about the poor?
He wanted me to do something about poverty?
He wanted me to love for the sake of loving His people?
Mind blown.
 
Then in June of 1981, Sojourners published a piece by Henri Nouwen: “The Selfless Way of Christ.”*  
 
These words were seared into my consciousness:

[Jesus] moved from power to powerlessness,
from greatness to smallness,
from success to failure,
from glory to ignominy.
The whole life of Jesus of Nazareth was a life in which all upward mobility was resisted.

This was and continues to be a challenge. If only I lived in a monastery! Or a convent! No temptation to accumulate or be “like the Joneses” (or the Clooneys or the Winfreys). Unfortunately for most of us, as it was for me, retreating from the world was not an option.
 
So, imagine my surprise many years later, after I had fallen into being a fundraiser to discover that more of Nouwen’s writings found their way into a little 64-page and now-classic book: A Spirituality of Fundraising.
 
I think there was always a hint of guilt that I – who had looked down my nose at the rich because they were (obviously) upwardly mobile – was now trying to raise money from those very people. Henri Nouwen had been grappling with that very thing as well.
 
To my astonishment, Nouwen helped reframe my understanding of money and asking for it:
 
Fundraising and development work is ministry.
 
And it’s counter cultural.
 
This morning, I started a five-week webinar series sponsored by the Henri Nouwen Society and World Vision: A Spirituality of Fundraising for Those Who Give & Raise Funds.
 
My main takeaway today:
By providing people the space and opportunity to give away their money to fund life-changing, potentially world-shaking ministry, you are participating in a subversive act that is counter cultural.
 
To give that space and opportunity for transformation to happen requires being in relationship with that person. It’s ministry to see that person as a child of God who wants to join in healing and renewing people and places. It’s ministry to know the one who is sitting across from you.
 
So many of you came into ministry to change the world. You certainly didn’t get into it for the paycheck. I am here to assure you that the work you do in inviting people to be generous with their resources can be – and should be – deeply spiritual work.
 
In a world that constantly whispers in our ears “you can do better” and “you should have more” – resisting upward mobility should also have our ear too. Sharing our time, talent, and treasure with others in need is a powerful way to start rebelling against the world’s call.
 
People of faith, you are invited to welcome others – with open arms and hearts – into this counter cultural journey.
 
 
* Nouwen’s Sojourners series can be found in The Selfless Way of Christ: Downward Mobility and the Spiritual Life (2007).
 
See these related posts:
Fundraising as a Form of Ministry
Henri Nouwen Says: Gratitude is a Discipline
Fundraising as a Spiritual Practice
Henri Nouwen and A Spirituality of Fundraising

Cesie Delve Scheuermann (pronounced “CC Delv Sherman,” yes, really) is a Stewardship Consultant for the OR-ID Annual Conference. She is also a Senior Ministry Strategist with Horizons Stewardship. For 25 years, while working as a volunteer and part-time consultant, she has helped raise over three million dollars for numerous churches and non-profit organizations. If you want a sweet moment of pure joy, check out Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs singing her iconic "Fast Car" at the recent Grammys.
 
You can reach Cesie at inspiringgenerosity@gmail.com, at CesieScheuermann.com, or at cesieds@horizons.net. Want to schedule a meeting? She’s got you covered!
 
Schedule a meeting now.
 
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