Sixty Seconds That Could Change Missions Forever

By Brandon Roysden

Really? Changing Free Will Baptist missions in 60 seconds? Is that even possible? At Randall House and Vertical Three Ministries, we believe it is, and we believe Buck-A-Week is a great place to start.

Established in 2006, Buck-A-Week is a fundraising initiative developed in cooperation with Randall House, Free Will Baptist International Missions (FWBIM), and North American Ministries (NAM) that challenges children, students, and adults to set aside $1 each week for an entire year to support missions efforts across the denomination. The question is whether a single dollar could really make a difference.

Miracle in the Math

According to www.nafwb.org, there are nearly 300,000 members of the National Association of Free Will Baptists. Imagine for a moment that we could get even 5% to participate in Buck-A-Week. This would mean for every church of 100 people, five would join this effort. With only that small number, Buck-A-Week would take in over $750,000 dollars each year.

Why Buck-A-Week?

Great question! Obviously, FWBIM and NAM still need all the support they get. Buck-A-Week is simply meant to be icing on the cake. It’s $4 per month that few would miss. It’s the cost of a tall frappuccino or value meal at your favorite fast food restaurant. For some, it literally may be the amount of change lost somewhere in your couch cushions right now.

The beauty of this opportunity is not simply the ease with which most of us could give $4 each month. Buck-A-Week is also set up to allow the money given now to continue to give in the future. Not only are two missionary projects (one FWBIM and one NAM) chosen each year as recipients of a portion of this offering, but a percentage is deposited into a Buck-A-Week endowment that continues to grow with the hope of supporting Free Will Baptist missions for many years to come.

New (And Old) Ways to Give

With the Internet at our fingertips, it is now easier than ever to be involved, which is why we are excited to announce the ability to participate in Buck-A-Week through online giving. This is where that 60 seconds could really make a difference. Setting up recurring gifts for each month is simple and can be done online (verticalthree.com/buck-a-week) or by texting ‘Pushpay’ to 77977, downloading the app, searching for Vertical Three, and signing up to give.

For children or those who prefer to participate with cash, we have personal savings banks that can be ordered from Randall House. Money collected can be brought to the National Youth Conference, sent by check to Randall House, or deposited and given through the online giving portal at verticalthree.com.

The Bystander Effect or the Diffusion of Responsibility

Of course, we are excited about the possibilities for Buck-A-Week, but unfortunately, we also fear the bystander effect. The bystander effect refers to the phenomenon that exists when people do not offer to help because there are others around who they assume could or might do it instead. It’s that voice in our heads that tells us, “Someone else will take care of it.” “Someone else will give.” “Someone else will make up the 5%.” In this case, though, we want you.

We want to teach our children and students a posture of planned giving. We want to support Free Will Baptist missionaries because of everything they have done and all they will do for the kingdom of God. We want to provide a simple but profound way to change the course of missionary support in our denomination. Will you join us?

About the Writer: Brandon Roysden is director of the National Youth Conference and Vertical Three ministries. Learn more: www.VerticalThree.com.