Tim Barker, Founder of ROI Ministry, on Embracing Trials in the Generous Life (Ep. 153)

Tim Barker is the founder of ROI Ministry and author of BOOM: What To Do When Life Blows Up Around You. His journey into generosity began after rising from humble beginnings to great success—only to lose everything during a season of deep trial. In the middle of that valley, God answered a “dangerous” prayer Tim had prayed years earlier: that the Lord would do whatever it took to multiply his family’s kingdom impact. Out of that refining season came ROI Ministry, an organization that has since helped direct millions of dollars to high-impact ministries around the world. In time, God restored what Tim had lost and entrusted him with a voice of influence in the global generosity movement.    

Through ROI Ministry, Tim and his team identify the Top 10 ministries producing the greatest measurable kingdom impact per dollar, helping givers steward their resources with confidence and purpose. In his book, BOOM, Tim shares his own story as a living testimony that God can bring blessings out of brokenness and truly work all things together for His glory and our good.   

Tim was one of the very first guests on The Finish Line Podcast nearly four years ago, and much has changed since then—for ROI Ministry, for Tim, and for us here at Finish Line. In this conversation, Tim digs deeper into the heart of high-impact giving and reflects on what it looks like to trust God through both abundance and loss, offering wisdom for all who long to walk faithfully in the life of generosity.  

Major Topics Include:

• Making a difference from where you are now
• The need to be honest with God in tough times
• Moving from failure to fruitfulness
• Blessing others by letting them help you
• Hearing the Spirit’s leading in the midst of trials
• Seeking God in times of silence
• Giving from your mind as well as your heart
• Embracing both Spirit-led giving and cost-effective generosity
• A call to invest more in the local church 
• What to look for in a high-impact organization 
• Thinking through measurable Kingdom impact per dollar

QUOTES TO REMEMBER

• “God, what do you want me to do?”
• “My story is really about not giving up, because you don’t know what God is doing through times of refining and where He’s going to take you.”
• “It’s ok to want to give up as long as you’ve decided in advance that you’re not going to.”
• “Be honest with God.”
• “Ninety-seven percent of all Christian giving is going to nations that have already been evangelized, and less than one-third of one percent is actually making it to the billion lost, poorest people in the world who are 3,000 times more receptive to the gospel.”
• “I believe in testing God with the tithe.”
• “You will find joy, hope, and purpose in helping others in ways that make the greatest impact.”
• “If you have an opportunity to impact thousands of people rather than just a few, then impact the thousands.”
• “Eternity is going to be a long, long time, and the more people we impact here, the more we’ll meet over there. And not that we get the credit—God gets the glory. He just gives us the opportunity to be in the game.”
• “When you’ve been faithful, you know that you’re doing what God’s called you to do, and you’re doing it for the right reason, eventually you will see a harvest.”
• “As stewards of God’s wealth, are we encouraging others to do the same thing?”

LINKS FROM THE SHOW

• See our first interview with Tim Barker here
• BOOM: What To Do When Life Blows Up Around You by Tim Barker
• EQUIP
• ROI Ministry
• National Christian Foundation (see our interview with President Emeritus, David Wills)
• Ronald Blue and Co. (see our interview with founder, Ron Blue)
• Generous Giving (see our interviews with cofounders Todd Harper and David Wills and CEO, April Chapman)
• Eternal Perspective Ministries (see our interview with founder, Randy Alcorn)
• Cru
• The Finish Line Community Facebook Group