How can your church help?

We are praying that God will give us a great network of churches that will support this program and help us prepare the next generation of missionaries for effective service.

There are a few options for supporting this program:

Support the Sahara Initiative Fund monthly
Give an annual one-time offering.
Invite the missionary candidate to come present their call to your church and support the candidate directly for the duration of his internship.

Who has access to the fund and what is the money used for?

The money sent through BIMI to the Sahara Initiative Fund (acct. #421) will be available to help cover some basic expenses for hosting the candidate.

The funds are released to the missionary on the field and the amount is both determined and approved by the respective countries Director and the missionary on the field. Accountability is important, so each church that supports the program will receive a yearly accounting of how and for whom the funds have been used.

The candidate is responsible for raising his own personal support. This support will be given to the candidate's local church to whom he is accountable. While the candidate will need to complete at least one week of Camp BIMI and go through an approval process, he will not be an official BIMI missionary.

It’s important to note that the Sahara Initiative Fund will not to be used for any full-time missionary who has already raised support. This program is designed for the missionary candidate who wants to receive practical training before becoming an official missionary with an agency such as BIMI.

How much support does the candidate need for this program?

We want to keep our costs as low as possible.

God led us to construct a Ministry Center in the heart of our city where the majority of our church planting efforts take place. We included an apartment for couples and a dormitory for single men who are participating in the program. With lodging already provided, we can keep our necessary living expenses low.

We estimate the average candidate will need between $16,000 to $20,000 for the year, including their airfare.

Contrast this with a missionary who raises full support of $54k+ per year. Many of these missionaries have a high rate of leaving the field after just one year (especially in the 10/40 window).

From a purely financial aspect, there is an overwhelming advantage to sending a candidate to train through the Sahara Initiative before raising full support. For more reasons why the Sahara Initiative makes perfect sense, purchase Josh Mead’s book: The Next Step. All proceeds help fund this important Initiative.