Local vs. global: How do you decide?

Generosity has the power to transform local communities, freeing people from chains, like poverty, homelessness, addiction, or human trafficking. But it can also transcend geographical boundaries, reaching the world with clean water, the message of the gospel, or hope in the wake of a disaster. But how do you know if giving locally or globally is right for you?

Close to home

Some givers naturally have a local focus. They direct their giving to their immediate community. Believing in the power of relationship building, they seek to make a tangible difference in the lives of those nearest to them. Supporting local organizations allows givers to use their time, skills, and connections to become the hands and feet of Christ in their own neighborhoods.

Peter and Kendra Amicoopens in a new tab have become deeply passionate about foster care in the Orlando area. Foster parents themselves, they also support a number of organizations that serve foster parents and the children they care for. Along with their local NCF team, they helped launch an Impact Allianceopens in a new tab to bring their community together around this important cause.

“This is what faith lived out means,” Kendra says. “It’s being generous financially, generous with our time, our talents, and our family.” The opportunities for spontaneous giving and the ability to integrate generosity into every aspect of their lives is what draws the Amico family to local giving.

For John and Connie Mooreopens in a new tab, giving locally means serving and empowering the marginalized Native people in their community, whom they have come to know and love. Drawn to the mission of bringing the gospel to unreached people groups, God opened John and Connie’s hearts to the local Zuni tribe, some of whom don’t speak English and did not have access to the gospel in their native language.  

Even though they might have envisioned taking the gospel to a faraway place, John says they don’t want to miss the mission opportunity right around the corner. Giving locally has allowed them to act on their hearts for unreached people groups while building personal relationships with the people they serve.

The ends of the earth

Those with a global focus are moved by the universal need for God’s love and compassion, regardless of geographic location. Many come to know of a need through missions organizations or just feel God calling them to a certain place.

Inspired by Jesus’ command to “go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15), they engage in international missions and support initiatives that reach beyond their local sphere. By sowing seeds of generosity in different parts of the world, they contribute to the growth of God’s kingdom on a global scale and seek to fulfill the Great Commission.

Richard Baxteropens in a new tab, a pediatric dentist in Alabama, has dedicated his practice to getting the gospel message to unreached people all around the world. By decorating his office with a global mission theme, including a lobby-sized Great Commission rug and directing a portion of all his profits to organizations working in this effort, Richard has educated and involved both his staff and the families they serve in the work of spreading God’s message of salvation to all the world.

Richard believes these unreached people groups have God’s heart. “It’s all over Scripture,” he says. “Let the nations be glad and sing for joy … Let all peoples praise you …” (Psalm 67:4-5).

Doug Cobbopens in a new tab is highly motivated by Jesus’ promise recorded in Matthew 24:14: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

Believing in the mission Jesus laid out for us at the end of his time on earth, Doug, along with a group of givers, has created the Finishing Fundopens in a new tab to support ministries getting the gospel to places it hasn’t yet reached. Their goal is to expedite the completion of the Great Commission by pooling their resources to support ministries working to reach the world’s unengaged people groups.

Though it does seem to be a recurring theme, giving to the spread of the gospel isn’t the only aim of global giving. Some globally focused givers long to meet physical needs, too, like access to clean water or health care. Others feel called to a certain people group, making sure they are able to get a good education. There are many ways givers can serve people across the globe.

Both local and global giving play vital roles in sharing God’s love and transforming lives. Those who want to have consistent impact on a cause often choose local charities. But those who dream of solving big, global problems or are motivated to reach the ends of the earth find global charities the best match.

No matter which type of giving God has called you to, helping people experience God’s love and the hope found in the gospel is important, whether they are your next-door neighbors or families thousands of miles away. In the end, the best way to decide is to pray.

Cody Hobelmann

Cody Hobelmann (a Certified Financial Planner), along with his brother, Kealan (a physician), are Founders of The Finish Line Pledge, a website dedicated to helping people determine how much is enough for them and what to do once they set their finish lines. They are also Co-Founders of a non-profit real estate fund that purchases and rehabs homes to rent exclusively to refugee families and generates income to support organizations advancing the gospel in hard-to-reach places.

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