Should We Support Home Missions?

I've worked as a church planting missionary all over the USA, helping start churches or working to help young churches grow.

I always worked a secular job to support myself.

I've noticed that many folks these days want to be missionaries inside the United States - to the Jews, to the Mormons, to street people, to drug addicts, etc. BUT they don't want to work to support themselves.

Instead, they want to be "missionaries" who are supported by other folks.

I am not inclined to support home missionaries in the above context, since they are perfectly capable of working to support themselves while they minister.

I've known many men of God who went to a city where they felt God had called them, got a job and worked to support their family, while they started a church.

They began to "live of the gospel" (I Cor 9:14) when the church they started had grown enough to support them.

I can understand supporting missionaries abroad, where frequently, it is not possible for the missionary to work to support himself and his family, while they minister.

But to pay someone to be a missionary to the Jews in New York or Detroit or to be a missionary to the Mormons in Salt Lake City, seems kind of like supporting a moochinary instead of a missionary.

If the Lord called me specifically to minister to the Jews in Boston or Miami or where ever, I would tend to go there, prayerfully locate the Bible Believing Baptist Church the Lord led me to and work through that church, while working a secular job to support my ministry.

I did that for years around this country and always wonder why others are not willing to do that after experiencing what they describe as "God's call to be a missionary."

If there are any "Home" Missionaries out there, I'd like to hear your rationale: Why do you expect others to work to support you here at home?