They show how to use money for God

Global Trust Partners trains the world in honest fundraising and money management

Participants in the “Stations of Generosity” course taught by Global Trust Partners in Lahore, Pakistan, last February. Asif Calib is in the center, wearing a gray shirt; Global Trust Partners CEO Gary Hoag is fourth from left.

As a follow-up to my May 9 and 16 posts urging greater excellence and transparency, today I highlight people who can teach you how to use money well.

Global Trust Partners (GTP) is the global analogue to the US Evangelical Council on Financial Accountability (ECFA), which encourages best practices in financial administration, fundraising, and governance among Christian nonprofits. It was born in 2019 after the ECFA decided to spin off its global activity into a separate entity.

GTP CEO Gary Hoag has assembled a global staff of 18—he’s the only American—who support the establishment and operation of “peer accountability groups” in dozens of countries around the world through teaching, training, teaming with local leaders, and a toolbox of sample resources. (One distinctive aspect of GTP’s very disciplined culture: just about every report or description contains alliteration.)

Last month, Hoag asked if I would write an impact story on GTP’s interaction with Asif Calib, pastor of an international church in Lahore, Pakistan. Calib, who has both a master’s degree in theology and an MBA, offers various training programs for Christians in the Lahore area. Always looking for new additions to his set of offerings, Calib attended a “Stations of Generosity” course in February and met Hoag there. He has since replicated the program for several local audiences.

Stations of Generosity emphasizes giving “with both hands”—i.e., being generous with our money but also with our relationships, time, and abilities. “Often, we give with one hand while withholding the other,” Calib stated. “True generosity engages both in a way that demonstrates our Christian faith and strengthens our witness.”

Hoag is unyielding in his application of biblical principles to financial management and administration. In The Choice: The Christ-Centered Pursuit of Kingdom Outcomes, which he coauthored for the ECFA in 2014, Hoag distinguishes between five features of “the common path” typical of secular institutions—and of many Christian ministries as well—and “the Kingdom path.” The common path values productivity, expansion, and results-based management. It measures success in earthly ways and adopts a utilitarian view of resources, which could be summarized as using people to achieve your goals rather than using your resources as stewards to love and serve people.

In contrast, Hoag describes ten marks of ministry consistent with the Kingdom path, including submission to God, accountability, transparency, humility, mobilizing spiritually gifted people, and radical generosity.

Three aspects of GTP’s message deserve special attention. First, GTP emphasizes reliance on indigenous resources for sustainability, as marvelously illustrated in its “Palmful of Maize” video from Malawi in which each church member’s small gifts add up to a large pile that can support effective ministry. Second, GTP approaches fundraising as a task of presenting a ministry in an honest, transparent manner and inviting others to embrace the privilege of partnering with the ministry through their gifts. This approach trusts God for the results and removes pressure to meet dollar goals, exploit givers, or use fundraising gimmicks.

Third, GTP’s efforts to foster financial accountability are crucial, since Christian ministries’ questionable use of funds so often undermines our gospel message.

I encourage you to learn from GTP in order to enhance the financial and governance effectiveness of Christian work in your area.