DALLAS, April 8, 2009 – Even in these tough economic times, God expects His leaders to engage His people to support His work.

The biblical principles, unlike the economy, are unchanging, as charitable giving expert Rick Dunham explains in his timely book, “If God Will Provide, Why Do We Have to Ask for Money?”

As president and CEO of Dunham+Company, Dunham has helped Christian organizations around the world raise critical funds that enable them to fulfill their missions. Over his 30-year career, he has served hundreds of ministries, including World Vision, The Salvation Army, Insight for Living and Open Doors with Brother Andrew, among many others.

On a trip to Australia, Dunham met Jim Wallace, the former commander of the Australian Special Forces, similar to the U.S. Army Green Berets or Navy SEALs. When Dunham told him about the spiritual warfare surrounding funding Christian ministries, Wallace explained that military battles are won by destroying the enemy’s ability to supply its troops.

“That is exactly Satan’s strategy: to keep ministries from gaining the resources they need to do the work God has called them to do,” Dunham writes in the revised, second edition of his book. He goes on to explain why even though the Bible tells us that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, He has chosen to have His people fund His work on Earth.

The reason is at the core of a Christian’s spiritual growth: God’s desire to have His children’s whole-hearted devotion. Dunham writes, “What God wants is the one thing you own and have complete control over – your heart.” That, he goes on to explain, can only come through investing in God’s Kingdom work.

Dunham notes that the first fundraising campaign is recorded in Exodus 25:1-2, which sets the biblical precedent for God telling a leader to challenge his people to give. When God handed Moses the Ten Commandments, He began the conversation by saying, “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from each man whose heart prompts him to give.”

God immediately identifies giving as a matter of the heart. “A non-giving follower of Christ is an oxymoron,” Dunham writes. “You can’t proclaim to be following Christ and not invest in His Kingdom work to push back the spiritual darkness of Satan’s kingdom.”

Dunham further identifies three basic principles that provide Christian leadership with a foundation for any biblical fundraising campaign:

• clearly direct people where to give;
• be willing to challenge them to give to the work God is doing through the ministry; and
• show donors the impact of their gifts in people’s lives.

“If your ministry is going to have the impact God intends, it’s pivotal to engage His people in the work He is doing in the world today,” Dunham writes.

Dunham+Company consults with more than 40 ministries on four continents. The message Dunham shares in his book is even more important in these difficult economic times.

 — 30 —