Customer Reviews

Giving Wisely: Killing with Kindness or Empowering Lasting Transformation?

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Jonathan Martin, through multiple examples and stories, walks us through the maze of giving money overseas. We are to be generous but also wise in our giving. It's easy enough to write a check but what if we understood that doing so could bring ruin to the life of the recipient rather than anticipated fruitfulness. Jonathan outlines four financial principles for generous and wise giving:
1. Relationship first--never lead with money
2. Accountability--never give to an individual pastor or indigenous missionary. Give to organizations that provide oversight and accountability. Good people are ruined by easy access to money, no matter how good intentioned they are.
3. Indigenous Sustainability: "Ask yourself: Will the project I give to require ongoing and continual foreign funds to keep it alive, or are these funds seeding a plant that can be eventually watered and grown by locals?"
4. Equity--"The financial gift should not create economic inequities in the place it is given." We may think, "This pastor shouldn't have to live in this shack...let's build him a house." That may be the right thing but know this, his congregation will never learn to financially support that pastor. Why should they? In this new era of missions we need to re-think finances. This book is a great help in navigating the journey.

What happens when we give with our hearts, but not with our minds? Martin beautifully and provocatively encourages Christians to closely examine our compassionate endeavors. Are we "killing with kindness" or "empowering lasting transformation"?

I wish everyone could read the first chapter of this book...as the stories he shares are an incredibly powerful and compelling encouragement. Would we ever have the courage to tell our church or local ministry that sending clothing to an orphanage might not be the best way to help? How could someone have the audacity to challenge the good intentions and generous hearts of God's people?

In the first chapter, Martin shares a heart-wrenching story of misguided compassion. In 2007, an American Christian church sent truckloads of nice clothing to a Mexican orphanage. The older teen orphan boys accepted the clothing with smiles on their faces. After the church left, the boys sold the clothing in the local market. What did they do with the money? "The boys were able to purchase prostitutes thanks to the generosity of the American churches." While perhaps an extreme example, it sets the stage beautifully for this book. A convicting and timely book!

This book gives a great insight into how our mission dollars impact third world countries and how to best give your resources. How much of your money actually gets to the project? As good stewarts we need to know this information and so much more.

I serve on the Missions & Policy Committee of our Church, where we allocate approximately 1/2 million dollars yearly to Missionaries and Related Missions organizations. I am in my 8th decade and am also a retired Missionary.

Jonathon's book has PRACTICAL & BIBLICAL advice that will serve any & every Church that struggles with the every day difficulties faced with limited dollars and un-ending requests for funds.

My advice is to purchase one for every person responsible for dealing with the Misisons outreach (local and foreign) from your Church, then gather together prayerfully and reconsider your fund allocations and their effectiveness on site.

Prepare to make adjustments for better results!!

Giving Wisely was an eye opening read for me. I have the privilege and responsibility to provide leadership for a large missions budget and I want to make sure we are investing those resources wisely. Jonathan's book was very helpful and encouraging toward that end. I am taking all of my mission team leaders through the book as we discuss the future of missions at our church. Thanks!

"We're all called to be generous (in our giving), but we're also all called to be wise in our giving - not ignorant or misguided. When it comes to understanding the impact of our generosity upon others, choosing to remain ignorant isn't just slothful and hurtful; it is simply wrong." -- Jonathan Martin

When I came to Zambia almost two years ago, I was a man on a mission ready to save the world. I had energy, friends in the states that were ready to give and lots of ideas on what I could do to help Zambia. I am so thankful that I had experienced missionaries overseeing me at the time that restrained me and limited my vision. At the time, I was frustrated and angry, not understanding why they wouldn't let me help these people, but I grudgingly submitted. And, now with a couple years of experience and a bit more wisdom, I am humbled and deeply grateful for these leaders in my life. I couldn't see what they knew, but I am thankful I trusted them. If I would have been free to do whatever I wanted to do, I would have hurt these nationals even as I thought I was helping them and decimated my ministry even as I thought I was ministering. They were to me what this book I am reviewing will be for you.

This book titled, "Giving Wisely? - Killing with Kindness or empowering lasting transformation?" has been circulating among some of ACTION Zambia missionaries and friends here in Zambia. This is a book that is both earth-shaking and confirming. It is true that there are a lot of books out there. Even Solomon said this when he wrote in Ecclesiastes 12:11 - "Of making many books, there is no end." And there is a lot in the Bible on how we are called to be generous and share our money. Jesus said, "Store up your treasures in Heaven where moth and rust will not destroy." And there are a lot of great books written about how we should give money for the sake of the poor and for eternity. My favorite is the "The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn."

This book is the only book among the many books on giving that I know of that focuses not on WHY we should give (it assumes that) but helps us know HOW to give. Jonathan Martin teaches us how to be wise and strategic and helpful in our generosity and how not to be ignorant, naïve and foolish in our generosity. After all, what good is storing up treasures in Heaven when the money causes harm here on earth? And you might wonder, "What harm can come from my giving?" Read this book and your heart will break as you read examples and stories from generous givers that destroyed churches, ruined pastors and divided villages. You will no doubt see yourself in some of these stories. I gave this book to one of the mom's of my friend who read it twice in a week. I asked if it was a good book. She said it was great, and then she said, "And I learned how I have been doing everything wrong for the last fifty years." You will learn how not to be generous and it might hurt a bit like it did her. But, as she later expressed and how I felt after reading it, it will also give you hope because you will not only be helped to know how you should give, but it also stirs you with passion to want to give. Jonathan uses experience from his missionary years as well as a mission's pastor of a large church to give principles in an acronym RAISE that is both practical and biblical. He charges the readers and in essence us as a mission to measure the wisdom of our giving through Relationships by creating Accountable structures as well as helping create Indigenous Sustainability in our programs and projects so that we maintain Equity in our giving. As a mission, we have learned the hard way more than we care to admit. Now, we are moving in the right direction. I think I love this book so much because it not only continues to shape how do we ministry here in Zambia, but it also confirms to us that we are doing the right thing and we are making decisions that will honor God and help people. Whether you are here or there, this book is a must read so you, too, can store up treasures in heaven will helping God's treasures (his people) on earth.

Why would you purchase this book, because the bible instructs us to have compassion and give of our time and resources? The author gives excellent inspired guidelines and tested patterns of outcome, with field tested and proven methods for long lasting results and stewardship. If you haven't done any traveling into a third world country this book will help you understand what happens in a foreign culture with our gifts. This book is not an exhaustive study of the bible to give, but directs us into the answer of Christ's statement `Give' and give wisely. If you give to a local ministry work you may ask is it doing more harm or good? If taken to task this book should inspire and question all levels of giving and administration in any philanthropic organization, church, or layperson.

Who should buy this book? Anyone doing a long term or short term mission trip, anyone who has an indigenous ministry home or abroad, pastor, elder board, deacon, layperson. Any Christian organization, leader, and board of directors dedicated to the work of Christ. This book is the mortar to the stone of giving for the true benefit of the recipient and the giver, if you have ever had the uneasiness when you give asking yourself `Why does this not feel right?' or `Is this going to help this person?' most of the answers are in this book.

Pastors in attendance at Mission ConneXion Northwest 2009 in Portland were given a copy of this book by the author so I read it. The following people ought to read this book - believers in Christ who don't give of their finances; believers who give with the desire to maximize their giving for the Kingdom of God; believers who attempt to justify withholding giving for whatever excuses they can come up with; believers who give to overseas missions bypassing legitimate financial accountability. By far the strength of the book is Martin's years of experience in missions and helping us wealthy westerners see our arrogance when it comes to indiscriminately funding missions abroad. Want to know why it's perhaps not the wisest thing to go to another country and physically build a church? Read this thought provoking book.

I read this book when it was in draft form. I said to myself, "This is a very valuable idea for teaching Biblical generousity." Now, here it is published and it is even better. A worthwhile read, and a better exhortation to genuine Christian giving. I pray that it will have a wide audiance and impact giving worldwide.

Giving Wisely is well organized and easy to remember the main points. It is supported by real stories. The main point is that giving can do more harm than good if one is not careful to follow the RAISE principle.