Mission and funding from everywhere to everywhere
During the last two centuries, most missionaries and mission money came from the west to the majority world. However, in the last few decades, that has changed. Brazil, South Korea and India are in the top ten missionary sending nations. Additionally, South Africa, the Philippines, Mexico, China, Colombia, and Nigeria are in the top 20. No longer is missions “from the West to the rest.” It is “from everywhere, to everywhere.”
Over 60% of BGU’s students, alumni and partners are from the global south, sometimes called the majority world. Many BGU staff, board members, faculty, city immersion events, and mentors are located there as well. Even with discounts set to reflect the economy of these nations, all students pay at least 50% of their tuition. BGU students from economically challenged nations in those regions make huge sacrifices to attend BGU. BGU is supported largely by these fees.
BGU has been a strong example of missions and funding from everywhere to everywhere for the last 20 years.
Starting this spring, BGU would like to celebrate and demonstrate this reality in a new way. One of BGU’s training partners, Global Trust Partners (GTP), started a 100 Countries Campaign last year to display their value of dispersed mission and funding. That campaign has a goal for GTP to receive funding from 100 nations each year. So far this year, they are one-third toward their goal with the nations who have given listed on their campaign website https://www.gtp.org/give/
Following this example, BGU is also starting a 100 Countries Giving page at https://bgu.edu/giving/100
Any amount from a country qualifies that nation to be listed. As we start this week, the list of giving countries is small. It would be a significant encouragement to the BGU family to start seeing various nations give and for this list to grow over the next few months.
The 100 Countries Giving overtly communicates the significant mission that BGU was founded on. The church is growing fastest in the majority world and BGU was founded to provide the education, training, life-long relationships and strategic partnerships to support God’s global movements. BGU is not a USA school serving “internationals”. BGU is a global school with leaders, students, partners, alumni from everywhere supporting each other everywhere.
Please go to https://bgu.edu/giving/100 where a variety of ways to give to BGU are listed. Please make a note in the comments box where you are giving from.
Thank you for being part of BGU global family and sharing in the joyful giving culture that God has built to sustain His mission at BGU and in so many other organizations and movement.
Dr. Brad Smith
Chancellor