A key question in any capital campaign is, “Do we have the right people to lead this effort?” Jesus taught a parable about planning: “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?” (Luke 14:31) Good counsel. Know your team. Plan carefully.
But God told Gideon the opposite: you have too many men. The tension between those two ideas is where Christian fundraising actually lives. God reduced Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300 to make clear that Israel’s victory would come from His power, not human strength.
Finding 300 Men
God first released those who were afraid, leaving 10,000 volunteers. Then He tested and chose those who scooped water to their mouths. Those men stayed alert with their eyes up and hands ready while others knelt down and lost sight of what was happening around them. In a campaign, that distinction matters just as much. The most effective volunteers know why the work matters, read the room, listen carefully to donors, and stay spiritually and relationally aware. The right people who are engaged, discerning, and mission-aware can carry extraordinary impact even when your team is small.
Staff Size or God
Like Gideon’s army, our campaign teams can become a source of false confidence or unnecessary fear. We count staff, consultants, and volunteers, then feel confident or discouraged based on what we see. But are we trusting our team size or trusting God? He tends to show up most powerfully when our resources look insufficient. When the key volunteer steps back and a better one steps forward. When someone who never seemed engaged becomes the most effective advocate in the room because the Holy Spirit moved them. Don’t let a small team become an excuse. Let it become an invitation.
Same Vision, Smaller Army
God didn’t reduce the goal. He reduced Gideon’s army. Brother Andrew founded Open Doors and spent decades smuggling Bibles into communist countries during the Cold War. He knew something about stepping forward with inadequate resources. He once said, “If your vision doesn’t scare you, then both your vision and your God are too small.”
Gideon’s 300 men didn’t know what would happen when they broke those clay jars and raised those torches. They only knew they had been called to step forward in obedience. Your job in fundraising is the same: be faithful, prepared, and obedient. Make the calls. Write the proposals. Cultivate relationships. But hold all of it loosely, because God reserves the right to thin the army when He wants the glory.
Think About This: The goal of your campaign isn’t just to hit a number. It’s to tell a God story. Make sure you’re leaving room for Him to do something you can’t explain.
Response: Lord, forgive us for when we’ve trusted more in our plans than in Your provision. Give us the courage to trust that You will do what only You can do. Amen.
