Do I Need to Support Raise to Serve with SIM USA?
Yes, you need to raise your own support as a SIM USA worker—but you are never alone in the process.
Support raising is building a team of prayer and financial partners who will support you in ministry. Supporters partner with you in prayer, which is essential for ministry. Some of these supporters will also choose to partner with you financially.
Through support raising, you build meaningful relationships with individuals and churches. Every gift, big or small, is part of a larger story of partnership. Support raising allows the Church to celebrate God’s global work and to be part of cross-cultural ministry in a tangible way.
Your support team becomes a community that shares both the joys and challenges of ministry. You are strengthened through ongoing prayer, encouragement, and connection with your supporters. As you serve cross-culturally, supporters are also encouraged and invited to participate in God’s work.
Ultimately, raising support reflects the biblical model of ministry partnership, where the Church collectively supports global ministry.
The idea of support raising may feel daunting, but SIM USA provides support raising training, resources, and guidance every step of the way. This includes crafting a personalized support plan and connecting with potential partners.
“While we understand the anxiety that can be caused by the idea of support raising, we believe (and have seen time and time again) that if God is calling you to go, He will provide you with the means to go,” Mission Coach Ian N. said.
“I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.” Philippians 4:15-19
Why is Support Raising an Important Part of Ministry?
SIM USA views support raising as an opportunity for fruitful relationships. We call this Relationship Development Ministry (RDM).
When you decide to serve cross-culturally, you actively share your ministry with friends and family, inviting them to participate in what God is doing. As you do so, some loved ones choose to partner with you—prayerfully, financially, or both. That partnership is part of an ongoing relationship between you and your supporters.
“The worker is asking people and inviting people into the process of partnering with them—it’s a relationship development ministry,” Training and Development Lead Erin B. said. “It’s not meant to be transactional. It’s meant to be very team-oriented.”
Through RDM, you learn how to raise support in a relational way, not a transactional one.
This means you pray for your supporters and are genuinely invested in their lives.
In this model, you regularly pray for your supporters as part of ongoing relationship development, both in everyday life and in times of need. When a supporter enters a difficult season, you may offer additional focused prayer, encouragement, or a personal check-in. You may also send small, thoughtful gifts or notes as a way of expressing care and gratitude. In this way, you build a genuine relationship of mutual encouragement.
If a partner stops financial support, your first response would not be financial questions but personal care. You would reach out to check in with the supporter, express gratitude for their partnership, and make sure the individual is doing well.
“We want people who partner with our workers to feel like an integrated part of the team that goes alongside them,” Erin said. “It’s not really about the money. It’s about people using the resources they have, whether that’s time, finances, or a variety of other things, to advance the Kingdom in the way God has called them and put on their hearts.”
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” Philippians 1:3-5
What Support Raising Resources Does SIM USA Provide?
To equip you for support raising, SIM USA provides a variety of training resources. After being approved for service, you will complete a seven-module online RDM course.
Prepwork materials are divided into manageable sections and can take around seven weeks to complete. However, many participants finish sooner. During the prepwork, you will read The God Ask by Steve Shadrach and A Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri Nouwen and John Mogabgab. Reflection questions and Bible studies accompany these readings.
Prepwork also includes practical, hands-on assignments. For example, participants may write their first newsletter and receive feedback from others. Another activity is “name storming.” This is an exercise where you compile a list of people you could meet with and invite to join your prayer and financial support team.
You then participate in RDM Bootcamp, which combines online and in-person learning experiences.
Then you go to Onboard at the SIM USA campus. Here, you attend various sessions with Personnel, Member Care, and three dedicated days of support raising training. This training includes hands-on activities, group work, breakout sessions, and informative presentations.
After completing training, you begin building a network of prayer and financial support from churches, friends, and family. Around 98% of SIM USA workers who complete our training and trust God for provision successfully raise all needed support. In the small number of cases where workers do not move forward, it is usually due to life changes or unforeseen circumstances—not because they couldn’t raise support.
Armia and Alexsa serve in Southern Africa. They successfully raised their support in just three months with SIM USA resources.
“We really learned a lot in our bootcamp and fundraising. I think it was a very useful time, and we enjoyed the people we were working with,” Alexsa said.
What once seemed like an overwhelming goal became a reality through God’s provision. While SIM USA provided guidance and tools to help them navigate the process, it was ultimately God who opened the doors and supplied the funds.
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
Take Your Next Step with SIM USA
Are you interested in serving the Lord cross-culturally? SIM USA walks alongside those who are responding to God’s call to global ministry. We provide resources, training, and ongoing guidance to help you take your next steps.
From discernment through preparation and support raising, we desire to equip and encourage you at every stage. You do not have to navigate this process alone. Our team is here to support you with tools, coaching, and community as you move forward.
We also believe that when God calls His people into ministry, He provides for them. As you step forward in faith, you can trust Him to supply what you need—spiritually, practically, and financially.
If you are exploring cross-cultural service, we invite you to learn more, ask questions, and take the next step with SIM USA. Connect with a SIM USA mission coach and attend a Connect event to learn more.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Maggie Watts
Content Creator
I am a content creator with SIM USA. It is a joy to use writing and multimedia to glorify God and tell stories about how He is working around the world.