Several years ago the International Mission Board encouraged churches to give more generously to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering by using the theme, “Is Lottie Moon Starving Again?” The promotion generated a backlash from many who considered this disrespectful of Lottie Moon who literally starved to death. She was a pioneer missionary to China in the 19th century and challenged the Woman’s Missionary Union to take an offering at Christmas to send more missionaries. Eventually this annual mission offering, begun in 1888, was named for Lottie Moon and has raised almost four billion dollars for missions.

More than 50% of the budget of the International Mission Board comes from this voluntary annual offering. Contrary to the perception of some, none of the offering is used for administration or promotion but 100% goes directly overseas to support over 5,000 missionaries and their ministries. In the past, a significant portion of the offering was used for capital projects overseas such as building churches and providing homes and vehicles for the use of missionaries. But with subsidized dependency being reduced and record numbers of missionaries being appointed, most of the offering is for missionary support.

This has always been true, even from the very beginning. Lottie Moon asked that $1,000 be raised to send an additional missionary, but the initial offering reached $3,000 and three missionaries were sent to China. Obviously the cost of missionary support is much more today! In the latter years of her ministry Lottie gave away most of her food and resources to feed starving Chinese people in the midst of a severe famine. In failing health, she boarded a ship to return to the U.S. but died enroute in the harbor at Kobe, Japan in 1912.

The Lottie Moon Christmas Offering is literally the sustenance for Southern Baptists fulfilling the Great Commission and reaching a lost world. In addition to the portion of the Cooperative Program received by the IMB, this annual offering determines whether or not new missionaries can be appointed and whether or not field strategies can be funded.

A few years ago Southern Baptists gave more than $150 million dollars two successive years, but since then receipts have continued to decline. Three years ago opportunities for short-term service through the International Service Corps had to be discontinued, eliminating hundreds of positions that provided vital service to mission strategies. The number of career missionaries being appointed had to be restricted to be compatible with financial resources. The appointment of two hundred qualified missionary candidates had to be deferred.

Limited resources have continued to reduce the missionary force around the world from a peak of 5600 to 5000 at a time of unprecedented opportunities for evangelistic harvest. The continuing engagement of unreached people groups with an Christian witness has languished due to the lack of new personnel and resources for strategic advance.

Yes, it is a difficult time economically when church budgets are strained and personal resources limited, but will we not recognize the priority of reaching a lost world. We continue to indulge in expensive Christmas gifts and providing for our own comforts and needs while a lost world is starving spiritually. In failing to give generously and sacrificially, resources for sending missionaries are being reduced. Lottie Moon is, indeed, starving again!