About Manna
Our Story
Manna began in Southern California in 2018 with a heart to strengthen seedling, rebuilding, and small churches, along with the pastors who lead them. While we celebrate the flourishing of all churches, our focus is on those in the earliest and most vulnerable stages of ministry.
We recognize three realities:
→Seedling and small churches are often under-resourced, under-equipped, and under-supported.
→Seedling churches experience the highest rates of failure.
→These churches are the future of the church in our world.
We believe many church closures and pastoral struggles can be prevented with the right encouragement, resources, and support. Because most churches will never become large churches, health and sustainability—not size—must be the primary measures of success. Manna exists to help seedling, rebuilding, and small churches become healthy, sustainable, and faithful for the long haul.
"Manna seeks to cultivate healthy, sustainable churches that faithfully serve their communities with acts of justice and mercy."
Our Mission & Programs
“Strengthening seedling and small churches to health and sustainability so they might fulfill their God-given calling.”
We accomplish this in several ways:
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Resourcing Mission: Since 2018 Manna has distributed over $800,000 in grants and gifts to small and seedling churches around acts of mercy and justice and sustainability. Our grants are meant to embolden churches on mission and also be a wind to the back of churches and their pastors.
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Sustainable Church: Relationship is key. Disciples of Jesus are marked by their relationships with God, church family and the world beyond, so too, similar concentric circles mark our holistic approach to healthy and sustainable church.
We offer three tracks that aim at strengthening pastors and their churches. These tracks are done in the context of relationship and are expressed through coaching, cohorts, and consulting.
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Pastoral Track – helping pastors and their marriages to have healthy rhythms
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Church Track – giving pastors and their teams the tools to strengthen the life of their church
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Movement Track – empowering churches to be on mission in their communities and beyond.
In the spring and fall, Manna gathers together pastors regionally to hear from a leader that is doing ground-breaking work in the area of church health and sustainability. We also provide 24-hour getaway retreats locally to bring pastors together, with their families, for exhortation and strengthening. Warmth and encouragement are staples of all of these gatherings.
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Gospel Partnerships: God works powerfully when His church comes together and makes much of Jesus. Our partnerships go both ways. We welcome churches across denominations and networks that we can resource, encourage and strengthen. Our heart is to see these churches firmly rooted and thriving.
We also partner with and continue to seek out established local churches, gospel organizations and leaders that will dynamically equip and coach the next generation of pastors and their churches. Further, we are incredibly grateful for gospel patrons and kingdom-minded churches that support this work. May God continue to send more partners!
"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God."
Our Values
Manna takes its name and inspiration from 2 Corinthians 8–9, where Paul calls churches to care for one another so that no church has too much and none have too little. Just as God provided manna in the wilderness, we believe God uses His church to strengthen His church.
1. Jesus and His Church
Everything begins with Jesus and His church. Manna exists to serve the body of Christ, not to build an organization for its own sake. Paul reminds the Corinthians that the ultimate example of generosity is Christ Himself:
“Though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Because Jesus gave Himself for the church, we want to strengthen pastors and congregations who are faithfully serving Him. When the church flourishes, Christ is honored and communities are transformed.
What this means:
• Pastors – let us come alongside you for encouragement and support
• Churches – partner with us to strengthen seedling and small churches
• Supporters – invest in the work of building up Christ’s church
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2. Grace and Generosity
In 2 Corinthians 8–9, Paul calls generosity a work of grace. The churches gave not out of pressure but out of gratitude for what God had already given them. “Excel in this act of grace,” Paul says (2 Corinthians 8:7).
At Manna we want pastors and churches to experience that same grace. Because Christ has been generous to us, we want to be generous to others. Our grants, gatherings, and relationships are meant to encourage pastors and strengthen churches so that “many thanksgivings to God” overflow (2 Corinthians 9:11–12).
What this means:
• Pastors – reach out if you need encouragement or support
• Churches – practice open-handed generosity toward others
• Partners – help us resource churches that need it most
3. Mercy and Justice
Mercy and Justice
A ministry of the Church
God’s mercy and justice are meant to flow through the church into the world. Mercy looks like compassion in action. Christ-centered justice seeks fairness and the flourishing of people made in God’s image.
Through Manna grants and partnerships, we’ve seen churches serve their communities with generosity, compassion, and creativity. It’s a powerful picture of the gospel at work. This is mercy and justice within the body of Christ. Churches care for churches so that all can flourish. Manna wants to encourage that kind of partnership and generosity among churches today.
What this means:
• Pastors – if your church needs support, we want to help
• Churches – consider how your abundance could strengthen another church
• Partners – help ensure no church has to carry the mission alone
4. Relational and Contextual
Manna is relational at its core. In 2 Corinthians 8–9, Paul appeals to real relationships between churches as they care for one another. Ministry isn’t transactional—it’s personal.
We believe the best way to strengthen churches is by walking alongside pastors and building real relationships. And because every church serves in a unique place, our support is always contextual. We want to understand the realities of each community so we can serve pastors and churches in ways that truly help.
What this means:
• Pastors – connect with us so we can understand your context
• Churches – build relationships with other churches through Manna
• Partners – invest in long-term ministry that strengthens pastors and churches
