The Salween-Mekong Project · Budget & Giving
Now, we send 25 native evangelists
$200 a month supports one evangelist for one month. Below are the ways to give, how the project grows, and the full budget.
Step 2 · Starting now
Support the first 25 native evangelists: $200 a month each
We are starting with 25 native evangelists: five from each country, in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam and China. Each one needs $200 a month. All 25 together need $5,000 a month, which is $60,000 for one year.
$200 supports one evangelist for one month. It lets him travel from village to village among his own people, teach God’s Word and start a church. Every evangelist sends us a report every month and gets support until his local church can support him.
The goal at full scale
70
native evangelists and pastors once the project is fully built out: 20 in Thailand, 30 in Myanmar and 20 in China. The first 25 are the start.
25
Evangelists we send first
Five from each of the five countries
$200
A month supports one evangelist
$5,000
A month supports all 25
$60,000
Supports all 25 for one year
Who we send
Every evangelist we support has graduated from Bible studies with Asians for Christ (AFC). We choose each one carefully, because what they preach matters to us. They preach the same message the apostle Paul preached.
“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
1 Corinthians 2:2 (NIV)
One-time gifts
Pay for one part of the work with a one-time gift
Each one-time gift pays for one specific thing. All gifts go through our secure Tithe.ly giving form.
One-time gift
Pay for one camp
$13,000
$13,000 pays for one week-long camp for church leaders, women or youth, with Bible teaching and training.
One-time gift
Pay for one week of outreach
$6,000
$6,000 pays for one week of sharing the gospel by a team of 30 or more people.
One-time gift
Pay for one church building
$50,000
$50,000 pays for one church building in a village where at least 10 households have become Christians.
Talk with us
Support all 25 evangelists for one year
$60,000
Email us about giving $60,000 to support all 25 evangelists for their first year, or about paying for a larger part of the work.
How the project grows
Step by step, from 25 evangelists to a church in every Lisu village
Training is done, so sending the first 25 evangelists is step 2, and it is where we are now. Each later step starts as more support comes in. The years count from when the project starts. A gift given today is put to work now, not years from now.
Done
First: we trained evangelists and leaders
Every evangelist we support is a graduate of AFC Bible studies, chosen carefully. They study the Bible for at least four years, in short intensive classes held every two months, and each evangelist teaches at least 10 other people every year.
We are here
Next: we send 25 native evangelists
Five Lisu evangelists from each of the five countries, 25 in all, each working among his own people and sending us a report every month.
Then: new churches and camps
When at least 10 households in a village become Christians, we help them start a church. We hold camps and conferences for church leaders, women and youth.
At full scale: 70 native evangelists and pastors
20 in Thailand, 30 in Myanmar and 20 in China. Each gets support until his local church can support him.
Within 20 years of the project starting: a church in every Lisu village
Every Lisu village along the rivers hears the gospel. No village is left out, and every village with Christians has a church.
Within 30 years of the project starting: Lisu churches send their own missionaries
The local Lisu churches train their own leaders and send out missionaries from their own members.
The full budget at full scale
The full budget, line by line
This budget is for the whole project once it is fully built out: 70 native evangelists and pastors, three field directors, Bible training, camps, church buildings, children’s homes, rehab ministries, a media center and the staff who keep the work accountable. Board members, churches and partners can also ask us for the complete written proposal.
See the full project budget at full scale
This is what the Salween-Mekong Project will cost once it is fully built out: all 70 native evangelists and pastors, training, church buildings, camps and ministries running across the region. We are not asking for this today. We are starting with 25 evangelists, and the project grows step by step as God provides.
Full-scale project budget
$1,202,000
The cost once the project runs at full scale, not what we are asking for today.
Separate from this: $150,000 once every 3 years for a large general, revival or Christmas convention, where we expect 10,000 to 50,000 people.
| What it pays for | How many | Cost of each | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Field directors | 3 | $12,000 | $36,000 |
| Short intensive Bible courses for students and evangelists | $100,000 | ||
| Monthly support for evangelists and church pastors | 20 Thai, 30 Myanmar, 20 Chinese | $72,000 (Thai), $72,000 (Myanmar), $72,000 (China) | $216,000 |
| Week-long outreach by teams of 30 or more | 3 per country | $6,000 (9) | $54,000 |
| Church and other needed buildings | 2 | $50,000 | $100,000 |
| Other ministry buildings (children’s home, rehab center, etc.) | 2 | $300,000 | |
| Camps for church leaders, women and youth | 3 per country | $13,000 (9) | $78,000 |
| Christian media center (audio, music and video studio) | $70,000 | ||
| Project staff (accounting, secretary, etc.) | 10 persons | $6,500 per month | $78,000 |
| Travel for professors and the committee that leads the project | $50,000 | ||
| General fund and emergency fund | $50,000 | ||
| Overhead (general running costs) | $40,000 | ||
| Administration | $30,000 | ||
| Full-scale project budget | $1,202,000 | ||
| Separate: general, revival or Christmas convention, once every 3 years | $150,000 | ||
More about the project
Read the overview, the story and the plan
Overview
What the project is, where the two rivers are, and why we start with 25 evangelists.
Our Story
How Stephen grew up in a Lisu village that feared spirits, came to Jesus, and has seen more than 5,000 people baptized in the past 10 years.
The Plan
The five kinds of work, the goals for 20 and 30 years after the project starts, and how we report on every gift and worker.
