Editor’s note: In this exclusive interview, Bonar Tanudjaja, Southeast Asia and East Asia Regional Director of Generosity Path, shares the core principles of biblical generosity and how the Journey of Generosity has transformed individuals, churches, and communities across Asia through sharing stories of people who are radically generous. In August, he traveled to Hong Kong to promote this message, calling believers to look beyond themselves as an antidote to prosperity gospel and other false teachings within the Church.
China Christian Daily: Could you introduce yourself and your ministry?
Bonar Tanudjaja: Born in Indonesia, I grew up in Australia and moved back to Indonesia in 2017 when I decided to start a family. I’ve been with Generosity Path since December 2020, and now I serve as the Southeast Asia and East Asia Regional Director.
Generosity Path is a Christian ministry began in the United States in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when giving among Christians was low. Our founder, coming from a wealthy background, wanted to inspire other business people, entrepreneurs, and Christian leaders to be more generous.
After interviewing people who were radically generous, he noticed they experienced great joy in their giving. Many of these individuals, despite being businesspeople, live in modest or even poor communities, challenging people to reconsider what true generosity entails.
He began organizing Journey of Generosity retreats, gathering friends to hear these stories to explore the role of generosity in their lives. It’s not a teaching program to indoctrinate people but rather an opportunity to showcase examples of radical generosity.
China Christian Daily: In your opinion, what is true generosity?
Bonar Tanudjaja: Generosity isn’t about having or not having; it starts with God. John 3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son." We serve a generous God, and as His children, generosity should be part of our DNA. Our lives are meant to serve both God and those around us.
Generosity is about living a generous life—what we call L.I.F.E., which stands for labor, influence, finance, and expertise. We want Christians to realize that life isn’t just about themselves but about the good life God calls them to live. During our Journey of Generosity events, we don’t ask for money or anything else. Instead, we create a safe space for people to explore what generosity means to them. One of the core questions we encourage people to ask is: “Why should I be generous?” We want them to figure it out for themselves.
China Christian Daily: Share with us a story of radically generousity.
Bonar Tanudjaja: There’s a region in India called Mizoram where a movement known as "A Handful of Rice" began in 1910. This initiative was launched to support women missionaries who were sent to preach in an unreached area.
The local church started this practice where each family, when cooking a meal, would set aside a handful of rice for the church. On Sundays, they would bring the saved rice to the church, which would then sell it to support these women. For over 100 years, this "A Handful of Rice" movement has been practiced across the region. Churches are built, and missionaries are funded without relying on external support.
China Christian Daily: How do people change when they attend the Journey of Generosity program?
Bonar Tanudjaja: I’ll share a story about a businessman who attended one of our retreats.
He initially came to figure out how to run his business in a godly way. His goal was to treat his employees well and use his company as a vehicle for doing good. However, during the Journey of Generosity, he felt the Lord challenging him to do more. He struggled with this, asking, “God, I’m building this business for You. How can I give more when I’ve already invested everything in helping others?” But the Lord put it in his heart that he still had something to give—his house, which was like a mansion, comparable to Beverly Hills in Manila. For him, his house represented security and status.
He shared this conviction with his wife, and soon after, they sold the house. Amazingly, the first person who contacted them bought it. Another thing happened: the wife’s long-time servant was about to lose her home because she had missed the payment, and her daughter had lost job. They realized this was part of God’s reason for selling the house. The wife said, "We sold our house so that our maid could keep her house." There was such excitement and passion when they could help this servant.
Another story involves passing on the right values to the next generation.
After Covid, when we held our first in-person retreats in Manila in 2022, a church invited couples in their 40s and 50s. To my surprise, three young adults in their 20s also attended. Their parents had passed away from Covid, and the church invited them in honor of their parents. By the end, one son shared how the retreat impacted him.
He explained that when his parents were alive, he often disagreed with how they used their money for the church and philanthropy. But when he became the CEO of his family company, he wanted to buy more things for himself, such as Roll X watches and a Ferrari Jet Ski. But after listening to their parents’ friends and peers’ stories at the retreat, he felt his parents didn't waste their money or live in vain. He said that he needed to be more generous and not just think of himself.
China Christian Daily: How can churches apply generosity within their communities?
Bonar Tanudjaja: Generosity calls us to look beyond ourselves—personally, as families, and as churches. When we hold Journey of Generosity retreats in churches, they often open people’s eyes to needs beyond their own congregation.
Sometimes, churches become focused on their own Sunday services and programs, but when they hear stories about the poor and needy, they’re reminded of the greater need outside their walls. This is how we become a blessing, not just within our church but also to our neighbors.
In general, Asians tend to be generous compared to the West, where people can be more individualistic. In Asian cultures, we take care of our extended families—parents, cousins, uncles—because it’s seen as the right thing to do. However, this can sometimes come from a sense of duty, tied to honor-shame culture. Biblical generosity brings back that joy of being able to be more like the Lord.
China Christian Daily: Some rich countries have many resources, such as Australia, but there are so many people who suffer from depression just because they have so many. What’s your take on this?
Bonar Tanudjaja: Prosperity gospel is all about what can the Lord do for me. If I join the church, I want to be blessed. Some people are generous, but we want to make sure that they have the right motives.
Some people can give because it's like insurance. Hey Lord, I'm going to give to you, so please protect my family, protect my business. Or it could be an investment. Hey Lord, I'm going to give money to the church, so please give me a blessing and return my investment ten times, 30 times, a hundred times.
God loves a cheerful giver, the Bible says so. Giving is not to manipulate God, but should be an outflowing of your heart because you've received the love of God, and you want to share that love as well.
China Christian Daily: Could you share more about churches in Indonesia?
Bonar Tanudjaja: Churches in Indonesia are growing because the Lord is moving across the country. Many non-believers are coming to Christ, often through visions and dreams of Jesus.
The church needs to catch up as Christians are a minority, we can have a victim mentality and can play safe in our own area. The church is waking up to become more missional and proclaim the name of Jesus for Indonesia. We see the harvest is great in Asia, and we’re praying and training people to become a sending nation. The Lord has been good to Indonesian churches, so we want to be missionaries to other churches that to hear about the gospel.
China Christian Daily: Could you share with us the takeaways from your August trip to Hong Kong?
Bonar Tanudjaja: This trip was to connect with churches, ministries, and business leaders who are interested in biblical generosity. There have been so many false teachings within the Church that are harmful to the body of Christ. Our goal is to encourage people to give not out of obligation but as good stewards of what God has entrusted to them—whether it’s finances, time, expertise, or other resources. We want people to live out their calling with freedom and responsibility.
China Christian Daily: Do you have any words for China?
Bonar Tanudjaja: When we first started this Journey of Generosity, our founder went to Hong Kong and China's mainland. During these retreats, his Chinese friends would invite non-believers, and many were deeply touched by the stories of radical generosity. Some even expressed a desire to be baptized after hearing these stories. It's been amazing to see that this message of generosity touches people’s lives everywhere. We hope that we can be a blessing to the Chinese churches, and we'd love to be in China again.
