“The dollar goes up, the dollar goes down.  Recently, it’s down,” writes William Pool, former President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.^[1]  Jeff Cox, senior writer for CNBC.com, states, “The greenback is approaching pre-financial crisis lows and threatening to smash through its all-time low when measured against the world’s predominant national currencies.”^[2]

Like their American supporters, missionaries experience the normal ups and downs of inflation, but what complicates their financial picture is the exchange rate between the US dollar and their local currency.  When the dollar is weaker, they must not only deal with their in-country inflation, they must juggle their finances with a reduced income.  Andy and Melissa Johnson, for example, who serve as missionaries in the West African nation of Burkina Faso, have seen a considerable drop in their income due to the weakened US dollar.  “When we moved to Burkina, one dollar bought us about 700 francs,” states Andy.  “These days it’s hovering around 450-460 francs.  That’s effectively a 35 percent pay cut.”^[3]

Justin and Jennifer Cherry report from Auckland, New Zealand that the weakened US dollar has definitely made things more difficult for them.  “We lose anywhere from $500 to $700 a month with the exchange rate dip,” says Justin,  Similarly, Jeff and Penne Hatcher, serving in Santiago, Chile, commented that in the past 18 months their effective salary has been reduced by 30 percent because of the change in the value of the dollar.  “I'm still receiving the same salary I was at the beginning of 2010,” says Jeff, “but when I change it to Chilean pesos, I really feel the impact.”

As a consequence, missionaries are forced to cut back on their living expenses.  The Hatchers state, “We are much more frugal in all of our purchases of food and we rarely eat out.  We've changed how we heat our house, using kerosene heaters instead of gas heaters.  We're trying to cut down on water usage, and we are using our cars much less.”   

To complicate matters for supporting churches, the exchange rates between the world’s currencies, like the American stock market, are constantly changing.  Further, the exchange rate is not consistent from one country to another.  Though the Johnsons in Burkina Faso and the Hatchers in Chile experienced serious drops in their incomes, the situation is quite different in Cambodia where missionaries Chris and Casey Allison report that the weakened US dollar has not affected them much at all.  Heath and Rebecca Amos, evangelizing in Rwanda, find that the dollar continues to be strong there.  They state: “In fact, in the two years we've been here, the Rwandan franc has gone from 560 Rwf to 600 Rwf per dollar, which is great for us!” 

Some large denominational mission agencies avoid these problems by paying their personnel in the local currency rather than in US dollars, but this requires more time and expertise than most congregations have available. 

How, then, can local churches deal with this conundrum?

First, churches need to be sensitive to these ever-changing circumstances.  It’s just the price of doing ministry in the global marketplace. 

Second, churches can provide spiritual encouragement to their missionaries during difficult times.  Even if it is impossible to increase the support level, missionaries are heartened by knowing that the church is aware of the circumstance, prays for them regularly and sends notes of encouragement.  Jeff Hatcher says his sponsoring church “at least listens, encourages and prays.”  It’s always nice to know that stateside partners care. 

Third, churches can show their concern by financially assisting their missionaries during steep drops in the dollar.  They may need to track the value of the dollar monthly, which can be done quite easily online, or by asking missionaries to report adverse changes. 

There are resources available to help congregations know and understand the cost of living equivalencies in a foreign economy.  Some even provide reports with data adjusted to the missionary lifestyle, rather than the corporate world.  Please contact MRN if you would like more information on such resources.

Missionaries are not trying to get rich but they do need a livable income.  Heath and Rebecca (Amos) state that their sponsoring congregation has been steady in its financial support.  “We've been awestruck by the amount given, the sacrifice, in the face of difficulties,” they commented.  “The weakening dollar has caused us to be encouraged and blessed by the sacrifice of others.  It has caused us as a family to give more because of the examples of others.  God has given what we need through the generosity of others.  We thank God and our supporters for providing for our needs and wants.  We are a blessed family.”

Andy and Melissa Johnson tell a similar story.  They have foundthat giving to their mission effort has actually increased through the difficult financial times in the States.  They report, “We have seen that, the worse the news coming from the States, the more generous God’s people have been with us.  God’s people seem, at least in our case, to be giving more generously now that it hurts more.  We know that’s not necessarily the case everywhere, but it’s what we’ve experienced, and we thank God for it.”

Praise God for missionaries with grateful hearts and sending churches who care for them, and are especially attentive in light of the weakening US dollar’s impact on the mission field.