I love my wife. She is my dearest and best friend. We know each other better than anyone else.
How often do you think we communicate with each other? Can you imagine me and my wife having a deep and loving relationship but only talking once per month?
Ok, so you’re not married to your gospel partners, but the same human principles apply. Relationships are built and grown through trust and regular communication over time. Your relationships with your gospel partners will only grow if you’re communicating often.
I’ve written about this before, but this is so important that it bears saying again. And again. And again.
Your gospel partners need frequent reminders to pray and opportunities to hear about the work God is doing through the ministry they’re supporting. And once per month isn’t nearly often enough. Writing for four consecutive weeks and then taking two week off isn’t consistent enough.
Writing updates for your gospel partners does not have to be complicated. In fact, the simpler you keep your updates the more effective they’ll be. And I guarantee that establishing a habit of frequent communication with your gospel partners will improve your relationships with them. It’s also extremely likely to increase your support.
If beginning to send regular updates to your gospel partners sounds daunting you’re probably overthinking it. Let’s look at five things every email you send should include.
#1 - Focus on a single topic
Since you’re going to be writing every week you don’t need to feel pressured to fit “everything” into a single update. And you shouldn’t try, either!
By focusing your updates on a single topic you’re helping your audience to concentrate. When readers have to bounce from one subject to another they’ll tune out very quickly and may even read fewer of your updates. But if they know that they’re not going to be overwhelmed they’ll be much more inclined to open and read your updates right away.
Constraining yourself to a single topic has another significant benefit, which leads us to another practice to embrace.
#2 - Keep your updates brief
Remember: your gospel partners are living in a fast-paced and distracted world. You need to keep communication with them digestible and relatively short so that you can keep their attention. If your supporters open an update email and it looks like it will take a long time to read, the chances of them reading right now (or ever) decrease dramatically.
With the very best of intentions, your reader will “snooze” the email for when they “have more time”. But I can tell you from personal experience that the day “when I have more time” never really seems to arrive and that long email is unlikely to ever be read. You’ve probably been guilty of this yourself, too.
Give your gospel partners the gift of brief updates! The sweet spot seems to be in the range of 150 to 250 words, which will take the average reader 2-3 minutes.
The bonus of short updates is that they’re easier and take less time for you to write.
#3 - Tell a story
Why use a story format? Because humans are hardwired for story! God created us for a story, in a story that is much bigger that ourselves. Story engages our hearts, souls, and minds in a way nothing else can. And really, we’re just following Jesus’ example here - Jesus frequently used stories to connect with his disciples’ hearts and minds.
Here’s a repeatable pattern to follow as you prepare to tell a story:
- Start with the problem. Every story has some sort of problem to be overcome. Whether the thing you’ve selected to write about is a praise, a request, or something else, there is always some sort of problem to be faced.
- Did the problem get worse?
- Why is this just wrong? What makes this a bad thing?
- What could the solution be, or what was the solution?
- How can God get the glory in this situation? Can you foreshadow the triumph on the other side or show how the story ended well?
Using this pattern every time will help you to communicate consistently and provides a framework for engaging the hearts and minds of your readers with every email you send.
#4 - Invite your readers to take action
Every single update you ever send should include a call to action. Why is this so important? You want to have an engaged audience, not just an informed audience. So, let’s give them a clear action they can take to participate as a gospel partner in this work.
What is it that you want your gospel partners to do next? Be very specific about the next action you want your reader to take.
Do you want them to commit to praying for something specific? Do you want them to share this update with another Christian or their church? Do you want them to support the ministry financially?
When you write your call to action, do your best to keep it to three or four words. For example: “Please pray for _____”.
Important note: As you’re getting started with more regular updates, I recommend waiting on a call to action or any topics that directly relate to any financial needs you may be experiencing. If your gospel partners haven’t heard from you in a while, you don’t want the first thing they hear from you to be a request for money. This does not mean that you shouldn’t ask eventually! But you do want to establish a pattern of reminding them of their part in the work and sharing the work with them first, so that when you do ask it comes from a place of relationship and shared ownership in the work. For this reason, I recommend you wait until at least the seventh consecutive week of sending updates before tackling the issue of finances. I know that might seem like a long time to wait, but investing in your relationship with your gospel partners must be your first priority at the beginning.
#5 - Close with gratitude
Again, you should keep this extremely brief. But always take time to express gratitude for the part your gospel partners are playing in the work God has called you to.
They need to be reminded that they are participants with you in this work.
Start today
Just start! I know this may all feel a little bit daunting at the beginning. Don’t be overwhelmed.
Your gospel partners will be very gracious as you get started with more regular updates and they’ll appreciate your efforts to include them.
As with most things, this is a habit that will become easier and more natural the more you do it. It’s also a habit that will have greater benefits the longer you remain consistent. The very best time to start is today.
Soli Deo Gloria
Zach
Life as a missionary is hard enough. Financial stress and lack of support make it harder. I can help. Schedule a free call to find out how you can build better relationships with your gospel partners and increase your support.