Upside Down ƃuᴉʌᴉפ

“… just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,   and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Matthew 20:28 NIV

We tend to think that if we had the right people in our corner—billionaires, influencers, CEOs—Kingdom impact would skyrocket. But Jesus never built that way.

Take a quick inventory of the wealthiest people alive today. How many of them love Jesus and are all-in as his followers? It’s rare for God to partner with the ultra-wealthy. He doesn’t need them to accomplish his will.

Jesus chose twelve mostly poor, uneducated disciples. He once said it’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the Kingdom. If Jesus were here today, who would he pursue—twelve high-capacity donors, or twelve prayer warriors? What does your heart say?

Meanwhile, much of the modern church has built a massive engine around fundraising. It’s estimated the American church spends $3–5 billion and over 90 million hours each year to keep money flowing. Even with that, churches spend far less on fundraising than secular nonprofits—and yet we’ve imported a deeply transactional mindset.

If stewardship is truly discipleship, is our current fundraising culture drawing people into deeper faith, or just optimizing a revenue stream?

I’ve grown uncomfortable with the word “donor.” In most ministry spaces, it frames the relationship in transactional terms. We ask people to give, and they ask what they’ll get: recognition, status, tax advantages, emotional satisfaction. Ministries respond with promises—naming rights, updates, or spiritual ROI.

That is upside down.

God’s right-side-up model is not transactional, but covenantal. It’s not ROI but ROL, which is a return on life. In every area of influence—home, work, church, community—Jesus modeled the right-side-up way: to serve and to give. He gave his life as a ransom. That’s the kind of currency that builds the Kingdom.

So, let’s stop viewing people as donors, projects, or prospects. Let’s view every interaction as a divine opportunity to disciple, serve, and love without expecting anything in return. Let’s release our strategies and agendas and trust the One who owns it all.

God doesn’t need the wealthy to accomplish great things. He wants to partner with humble people after his own heart.

Run the play. RTP for ROL.

“God’s right-side-up model is not transactional, but covenantal. It’s not ROI but ROL”

Finding Our Place in the Story

Alignment: In my own giving journey, have appeals felt more like invoices or invitations to partner with God’s work?

Stewardship: If my church/ministry redirected just 1 % of its fundraising budget to frontline ministry, what kingdom stories might emerge?

Participation: How could I move from being a “transactional donor” to a true co-laborer—offering time, talent, and prayer alongside treasure?