Customer Reviews

Friend Raising: Building a Missionary Support Team That Lasts

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
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If you are raising support or are getting ready to. This book is a must have. My wife and I have recently got this book and it is revolutionaling the way we view support raising. It not only goes into the biblical and theological purposes for raising support but also gives practical how to dos on raising support. This book has changed how me and my wife do it and I know it will change yours. Spend the 8 bucks and make a very worth while investment that will benifit you the rest of your life! God Bless and go reach the world!

Thanks to Betty Barnett for her excellent book on personal support raising. Her emphasis on trusting God and building relationships with donors is right on. When raising support, it is all about sharing your vision and life, and Betty helps us understand how to do both. Thanks Betty!

I was recommended to read this, (borrowed it from a friend) to assist in my support-raising ... not even halfway through, i have already seen the truths of what she talks about, many of the points she makes are ones that I have had to learn already. Very much recommended for anyone starting out who needs some good advice or encouragement.
I have bought my own copy of the book and plan to take it with me on the mission field for its reminders of God's promises, support-raising tips, and uplifting stories that confirm my own experiences.
Get a copy for your church, yourself or any friends who rely on God's use of other people to supply for ministry expenses.

www.missionarygirl.org

I enjoyed reading Friend Raising by Betty Barnett. The book compelled me to continually pray and search my feelings and motives. Jesus' correlation between our treasure and our heart definitely holds true for every person, including me. The topic of money and finances is never far from our thoughts and words. That being said, I learned many valuable concepts from this book. To list a few succinctly: 1) that people will sometimes expect spiritual help from missionaries, 2) that communication with supporters will require a sizable investment of time, 3) that generosity must exude from all I do, 4) that God's economy of giving/receiving is a far superior to the world's economy of buying/selling, and 5) that my weakness provides me opportunity to give God praise. Unquestionably, Betty's axiom of interdependence within the body of Christ holds true for me just as for any other person. I am weak. I need Christ. I need the body.

This book is not a detailed step-by-step method for fund raising. It is a book designed to help set the attitudes of your heart in a place where you can begin to pursue your call from God as a faith based missionary. In essence she builds her teaching around four pillars of truth. Each of these pillars represents a specific principle which she effectively opens up with plenty of clear illustrations and scripture to reinforce the point. The book is written in a style that is easy to read and will impact your heart. The four pillars she gives are: Friend Raising, Generosity, Communication, Prayer with Promises.
After these she goes into practical issues, identifying and removing hindrances, showing it can work anywhere, and building your faith with stories of these teachings working. She also gives some tips on newsletters that are helpful.

Perhaps my favorite part of the book is the section where she gives a string of scriptures to help you overcome discouragement. It's placed at a point in the book where a missionary will naturally start to become discouraged unless they are boosted by God. She put a long list of scriptures there with some text so that you get the encouragement on the spot.

The author has a long experiential history on this subject and so she writes with a kind of authority that is far from ivory tower teachings. She is like a veteran soldier writing from the trenches to tell new soldiers what to do and how to survive in the trenches of the spiritual war that we are fighting...no more than survive...how to thrive. I think this is a GREAT book.

I am transitioning from the pastorate to a faith based mission. So I personally am struggling with many of the issues that she raises in this book. A friend who is coaching me recommended this book. I also picked up a few others on this subject. After perusing them all, this one drew me in. I'm now thinking it's so good that I need to have my whole family read it so we are all on the same page. I don't know if I will actually do that, but it gives you the feeling I have as I've read it.

This book really has impacted me the most in knocking out unhealthy attitudes about fund raising from my heart...convicting me and leading me to change rather quickly...laying a biblical foundation for fund raising (she focuses on friend raising), and providing practical tips for immediate use. (She talks about writing thank you notes immediately after receiving donations). However, some of her tips are antiquated electronically and need to be updated. It's just one or two little things though.

I think that this book should be at the front of the line for any missionary or campus minister who is raising support to do a good work for the Lord. If you have only a few bucks to spend on this topic (a reasonable guess I suppose), get this book. It probably be one that you keep nearby as you raise support for your work for God.

if you need to raise support for a ministry or learn how to fund raise better, buy this and read the whole thing. it's so helpful!

The concept of raising my own support is very scary; this book really gave me some practical advice and encouragement to get started.

the book gives great advice in all aspects of support raising. i find it very helpful.

Tired of hype? Read this book