Participants in the Stand Up & Walk microloan program in Burundi. Photo by Chris Elliott.
Investing in locally led projects to build sustainable resources for ministry
“…they shall all sit under their own vines
and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.”
—Micah 4:4 (NRSVue)
Across the Global Church of the Brethren Communion, churches are developing enterprises rooted in their own communities—from agriculture and food production to locally identified businesses and services. The Under Their Own Vine and Fig Tree initiative helps provide the startup resources that can turn those ideas into sustainable sources of support for ministry and mission.
Give to the Global Mission Development Fund
Mission from everywhere to everyone
Global mission is not a one-way exchange. Brethren around the world have gifts to offer one another—including leadership and insight, prayer and encouragement, and experience and resources.
These relationships are mutual and interdependent. As churches grow stronger locally and regionally, our shared global fellowship grows stronger, too.
How it works
The approach is simple: locally identified opportunities, startup support, and resources that continue serving ministry over time.
Local ideas
Churches identify opportunities rooted in their communities.
Startup support
Shared resources help promising projects get started or grow.
Sustainable resources
Enterprises generate income to support ongoing ministry and service.
Why startup support matters
A promising enterprise may eventually support itself, but it still takes resources to get started. Equipment must be purchased, crops planted, inventory acquired, or people trained before a project can begin generating income.
That’s where the Global Mission Development Fund can make a difference, by providing startup support designed to help locally developed projects become ongoing sources of income.
Growing together
Locally generated resources can strengthen more than individual projects. They can help churches pursue priorities shaped by their own communities and context—and expand what they’re able to contribute to the wider Global Church of the Brethren Communion.
As resources grow in more places, so do the possibilities for shared ministry across the global church.
Help an idea take root
Your gift to the Global Mission Development Fund can help a locally developed enterprise move from plan to reality. Depending on the project, gifts may help provide seeds or livestock, equipment, supplies, initial inventory, training, or other resources needed to get started.
Give to the Global Mission Development Fund
Other ways to participate
Pray
Pray for global Brethren leaders and congregations as they discern opportunities to serve their communities.
Share
Share stories from this initiative with your congregation, small group, or others who care about the global church.
Shape
Have experience developing a new venture or turning an idea into a workable plan? Global Mission is seeking volunteers to help shape the foundation for this new imitative.