Gospel Truth Ministries (GTM) has been sending Christian material throughout the world for many years, 99% of the time without any remuneration from the recipient.
Dr. Kostelnik, the founder of GTM, also pastors a church in Cincinnati, Ohio: White Oak Chapel (WOC). WOC's members inherently have a heart for missions, so part of their tithes and offerings go to fund this world outreach. However, as WOC is situated within an area that is predominantly one denomination, most of whose members have no interest in the Full Gospel of Christ, finding new members with our vision is a rarity. But, God has called us to be a lighthouse for the Full Gospel in this northwest area of Cincinnati and so we remain.
This means that we pay the expenses of printing (paper, toner/ink), postage (often expensive Airmail overseas), and packing materials out of our church's pockets. However, their giving has not been meeting our expenses for many years now. How can we continue to do that?
However, as you can imagine, credit only goes so far. Eventually, creditors must be paid. As GTM/WOC continue to operate at a deficit, spending more than they receive, the debt continues to accrue. We know that we are where God wants us, giving the Gospel freely, especially to those who cannot pay anything anyway, so we cannot stop the work to which He has called us.
WOC's members are not giving enough to support this work, let alone the monthly bills of the church itself, so we are looking to the rest of those who receive from this ministry.
Your one-time gifts to catch up on immediate, pressing bills and obligations, as well as your monthly partnership, could be the answer we are seeking from the Lord.
The financial needs are many and varied, due to the scope of our ministry. Here are some:
All of these needs can be easily met by the generosity of people like you!
What is the answer to our need? We believe at least part of it is to let our students and recipients know that we are in need. It is cause and effect. If you do not give, we will not have enough to continue. Our credit is running out, but spiritually hungry people across the world continue to ask for our material.
You can make a difference. Because of the numbers of people who benefit from our ministry, no one person has to be overly burdened.
Many of our ministry school students are ordained ministers and pastors, with their own congregations. Our material is being used to train and equip them for the work of that ministry, so they are able to build up the Body of Christ and prepare it for His Second Coming.
Pastors and ministers, if you brought our need before your congregations, letting them know that the ministry that helped train them was in need, we believe they would have the desire to join with us in meeting our obligations.
You could take an offering, and then send it to us, to help overturn the deficit we've accrued by training ministers just like you!
A one-time gift of $50, if made from just 100 of our readers/listeners, would catch us up on our immediate, pressing obligations.
A monthly pledge of $30 from just 100 of our recipients would provide the necessary support to what our church members are not providing.
And, one-time gifts of just $80 from 500 of those we reach would wipe out all of our past debt!
For sure, it is biblical, even commanded, for those who are taught the Word to share in return with the one teaching in all things (Galatians 6:6-7). This means that anyone who receives biblical teaching should be giving back to that teacher; not just us, but any minister or teacher of the Word.
For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it for the oxen that God cares, or does he say it assuredly for our sake? Yes, it was written for our sake, because he who plows ought to plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should partake of his hope. If we sowed to you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we reap your fleshly things? If others partake of this right over you, don't we yet more? Nevertheless we did not use this right, but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the Good News of Christ. Don't you know that those who serve around sacred things eat from the things of the temple, and those who wait on the altar have their portion with the altar? Even so the Lord ordained that those who proclaim the Good News should live from the Good News (I Corinthians 9:9-14).
The above is a given, and many do not obey God in that respect even though they know better.
But, what about those outside of our church congregation supporting our local church and its expenses? Is there any precedent for that? Indeed.
Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached to you God's Good News free of charge? I robbed other assemblies, taking wages from them that I might serve you (II Corinthians 11:7-8).
Clearly, the apostle Paul took from the offerings of other churches to preach to the Corinthian assembly, in order not to stumble them with preaching. We do the same here, by not requiring anything in return from those who receive online from us, we show them that our desire is their spiritual benefit, not our material increase. Yet, the material needs of our ministry do not disappear. So, what is the solution?
You yourselves also know, you Philippians, that in the beginning of the Good News, when I departed from Macedonia, no assembly shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent once and again to my need. Not that I seek for the gift, but I seek for the fruit that increases to your account (Philippians 4:15-17).
We are praying that the Holy Spirit will testify to open hearts that our need is real and pressing; but beyond that, we seek the blessing of those who partner in the Lord's work with His ministers, that they might share in the harvest (Matthew 10:40-42).
You have two options to help us overturn this deficit:
You also have two ways to physically send that support:
PayPal allows the use of a checking or savings account, credit cards, as well as their own balances. They charge us a fee of approximately 3% on gifts received this way, so please use this as a secondary option in order for your gift to have the maximum impact and benefit.
You may send your gifts via postal mail, whether through personal or cashier's check or money order. Because of the risk of theft in the mail, we do not recommend sending cash. Please include a note that your gift is for our decifit defeating campaign.
Send your offerings to:
If you would like to give securely over the Internet, you may use PayPal by simply clicking the button below:
As noted above, you may postal mail your support every month in the form of check/money order. Please include a note that your gift is for our decifit defeating campaign, and make payable and address to:
You may also use PayPal's subscription feature to have your gift sent automatically each month from your choice of funding source at your PayPal account.