What is MPD?
Ministry Partner Development (or "MPD") is the process through which Greenhouse missionaries raise up a team of partners that pray for and financially support their ministry.

How does it work?
MPD is a highly focused time of face-to-face meetings with friends, family, acquaintances, and anyone else with whom they connect you. Each meeting is an opportunity for the missionary to renew their personal relationships (and sometimes to make new ones), share the vision of their ministry, and invite people to ongoing financial and prayerful support. Each request should be tailored based upon the relationship, but the default request is for a recurring monthly gift of $100 / month for three or more years.

How long does MPD take?
Most mission staff need an initial period of 4-12 months primarily devoted to MPD in order to raise their full salary and accompanying expenses. We advise our missionaries not to continue working other jobs or prematurely begin their ministry responsibilities during this initial phase, because doing so dilutes focus and prolongs the amount of time it takes to become fully funded, which is essential to a mission staff's long-term sustainability in their role.

As a missionary continues to serve in their role over many years, they will occasionally need to return to periodic, but usually much briefer, seasons of MPD to keep their funding at a healthy level for the long-haul.

Why is it important?
Because Greenhouse does not have a central source of funds, our mission staff can only receive paychecks from the donations which have been made to their missionary account. Therefore, during the initial months of support raising before a staff member has reached 100% funding, they may often receive short-checks (no pay or partial pay) until enough funds have built up to issue regular paychecks. For this reason, we advise that families have a minimum 3-6 month financial plan for covering all their living costs during the initial season of MPD.

Is MPD feasible?
Absolutely. Although it requires caution and discernment, MPD does not need to be a source of fear! Many individuals, couples, and families have successfully raised ministry funds using the MPD model. And it's a faithful and beautiful way to live for the Kingdom of God in contemporary society, where the marketplace often doesn't reward gospel ministry sufficiently, and so more and more ministers are relying on the generosity of God through his people instead.

To better ensure their MPD process will be a success, Greenhouse equips each incoming missionary with a multi-day training session (known as "Launch Week") to prepare them to begin. This training, led by veteran Greenhouse staff who have successfully fundraised themselves, trains incoming staff on the biblical foundations for MPD as well as the practical components of the MPD process, and walks incoming staff through honing their particular ministry vision and mapping out the best way to present it. Spouses are welcomed (and encouraged!) to attend.

MPD can be risky, because it requires wise financial planning alongside an unusually focused time of living by faith. But it can also be immensely rewarding, as you invite a team of loved ones to participate in the calling God has laid on your life, and partner with you to bring it to fruition.