Mission at the Margins:

The Role of Financial Resources in Mission Engagement

Abstract

To address missional gaps in already-reached territories, mission agencies are developing strategies and ministry interventions to target unreached people groups within these areas. However, a significant challenge arises from financial constraints, which appear to be a crucial factor. The pressing question is whether empirical evidence indicates that financial strength influences the effectiveness of mission agencies in reaching the unreached in these domains. This paper employs econometric analysis to explore the relationship between the financial capabilities of mission agencies and their performance in engaging unreached groups in already reached areas. Through a panel quantitative study of a Pentecostal church in Ghana, the findings indicate that substantial financial resources are indeed vital for effectively reaching unreached people groups in these regions. However, this effectiveness varies depending on the specific unreached populations being targeted. In addition to financial resources, a vigorous approach to evangelism, along with home cell activities tailored to the particular unreached groups, is critical for achieving success. Therefore, the paper recommends that churches and mission agencies strengthen their financial positions and budgets to enhance their efforts to reach the unreached and address missional gaps in already reached territories. Furthermore, missional organisations should consider adopting various targeted evangelism strategies and home cell approaches to improve their performance in reaching these groups. For future investigations, the paper recommends exploring the maximum threshold of financial capacity beyond which the effectiveness of reaching unreached populations within a reached territory may begin to decline.