Four years ago I was pastoring and planting another church. I heard the Holy Spirit say to me, "I don't want you to do this anymore." I knew it was coming, I just didn't know how it was going to come or when. I said, "Well, Lord, what do I do?" He said, "I want you to lay down this work, and I want you to distribute the people you have to other churches. Encourage the people toward different churches in the city that you have a relationship.  I thought, "But, God, I have a mortgage and I've have all these kids and a wife. What do I do?" And so He began to teach me to wait upon Him.

Now I have good news. Yes it has been a challenge and there have been some tough things, but I just want to say that God has never skipped a beat. You know, I have not been behind in my mortgage payment. We have financial challenges as most, but God has been there to help us.

What He began to show me is that I had to think outside the box. And by example, I had to help other people think outside the box. And so I left pasturing a congregation and began the present ministry known as "City Church Ministries" which is a networking ministry among churches and pastors throughout San Diego. The ministry began by focusing on pastors gathering for prayer and building relationships of trust and cooperation. This has developed into other ways of building bridges of unity, such as the San Diego Healing Rooms with Thirty Five Churches represented and about ninety workers. The East County School of Ministry, an equipping school with local pastors as the faculty. The school is affiliated with an International network of schools called "Vision International University". There are other wonderful things going on through - City Church Ministries that we don't have time nor space to talk about here.

But I had to wait on God for the finances and some pastors began to catch the vision. And they would give us a little offering out of their missions which was a beginning point. Now we are coming to the place where some pastors who know that I am providing pastoral care for them and a service to their local congregation have begun to tithe of their income to City Church Ministries in order to help Becky and I to continue living of the Gospel.

I continue to believe for not only my personal needs, but for the funds to support others on our team. As a team we trust the Lord for the necessary funds through offerings to finance the dedicated projects that God has raised up. And of course to always give to the poor, especially helping the household of faith in times of need.

I have learned in this process that I also needed to tithe. As people were giving to me, I needed to tithe, away from myself. I began to tithe to a brother who is both national and international in the scope of his ministry. I did this out of obedience to the Lord's direction after bring this brother to San Diego and letting him share his ministry with pastors in San Diego. The pastors and their congregations responded so positively, I saw this was a God thing. The Holy Spirit said, "I want you to begin to give away into his ministry." So there is an order. It is not legalistic, but covenantal. It is from the heart with great joy that I give and with joy and grave responsibility that I receive.

When I consider relating with the head of a ministry, and they want to relate to me there are two areas we must agree: Firstly, total honesty, I don't want to be surprised by sin problems you may be struggling with. Let's talk about whatever you may be dealing with. Let's work it through. That is what pastoral care is about. Secondly, I ask them to give to City Church Ministries and help me in what I am doing in the larger picture. 

God is working. And as pastors begin to move their thinking and begin to shift in this area of giving, the whole church is going to shift. The apostolic and the prophetic aren't going to have to run around begging for money. But their need is going to be met out of relationship. It is going to come out of a right response from the heart. It is going to come out of covenant. It is going to affect a change that will get the work of the Kingdom accomplished more effectively and productively.

This is such an important subject and I hope, by the grace of God, this booklet has been able to provide some level of help in thinking about finances as it relates to the ministry and the move of God's Spirit toward an apostolic church and the support of the Five Fold Ministry. Please pray that the Lord will personally show you more and more of this great subject and how He desires you to respond.