The joy of partnership in mission

What does it look like when generosity becomes more than a transaction? When giving and receiving become part of a shared calling?

In a recent episode of the Active Generosity podcast, we spoke with Stephen Read, who has spent nearly twenty years serving with Ambassadors Football, helping churches connect people to Jesus through football.

Alongside coaching, mentoring and outreach, Stephen has spent many years raising personal support for his ministry. What might sound daunting at first has become, for him, one of the most life-giving aspects of his calling.

His story reveals something deeper about generosity, partnership and the way God invites the whole church to take part in mission together.

From obligation to invitation

Like many Christian workers, Stephen began his support raising journey with very little guidance.

“When I joined, I was simply told to write a good newsletter and pray the money in,” he says. “I had no training on how to raise support.”

That approach led to difficult seasons. At one point, funding challenges meant he was reduced to working only three days a week just as his first child was due to be born. Yet those early struggles also became the starting point of a deeper transformation.

Things shifted when Stephen received ministry partner development training based on Stewardship’s approach to support raising. “I really got the heart of support raising,” he explains. “I don’t have to do it. I get to do it.”

Instead of viewing it as asking people for money, he began to see it as inviting people into partnership. Supporters were no longer distant donors but fellow participants in God’s work.

“I’m asking people to come into partnership with me,” he says. “We get to walk life together. They pray for me and we do this journey together.”

The result has been relationships that extend far beyond financial support, including friendships, prayer partnerships and even people stepping into leadership roles within the ministry.

Generosity that changes lives

Some of the most powerful stories Stephen shares are not about large gifts but transformed hearts.

One recent example came from a woman who had just come to faith through an Alpha course. After hearing about the ministry through Stephen’s newsletter, she immediately gave a gift.

When he followed up, she replied simply: “God’s changed my life… I just wanted to give and be part of it.”

Moments like this remind Stephen that generosity flows from gratitude, not pressure.

He has also seen how a single conversation can lead to years of partnership. One couple he nervously phoned after his training became long term supporters. Over time, the relationship grew into friendship, volunteering and leadership within the organisation.

What began with a hesitant phone call has grown into shared ministry.

A bigger vision for generosity

Behind these stories lies a bigger Biblical vision.

Stephen often returns to the picture of the early church:

‘All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. There was no needy person among them.’ - Acts 4:32,34.

For him, this passage captures the connection between generosity and mission. When the church cares for one another and shares what God has given, it creates the conditions for the Gospel to spread.

“If we get generosity right,” Stephen says, reflecting on this passage, “people are on fire to share the Gospel.”

His hope is to see that same spirit grow across churches, ministries and networks throughout the UK and Europe.

The full conversation explores many more insights, including how churches can cultivate a culture of generosity and how Christian workers can invite others into meaningful partnership.

If you want to hear more stories and practical wisdom from Stephen’s journey, listen to the full episode of the Active Generosity podcast.

Listen to this episode of Active Generosity