A Simple Step-by-Step Process for Creating a Narrative Budget
Church finance expert Bonnie Ives Marden says presenting your budget in narrative form provides a powerful tool for stewardship, evangelism, and marketing. She outlines a…
Browsing: Budgets
Articles
Funding Forward: Developing New Revenue Sources for Your Congregation — An In-Depth Interview with Grace Pomroy
Grace Pomroy from Luther Seminary shares research findings on how congregations are developing new and creative funding sources. In this in-depth interview with Ann Michel…
“Funding Forward: How Congregations Can Develop New Revenue Sources” featuring Grace Pomroy
Podcast Episode 133 Is your congregation too dependent on Sunday morning offerings? Grace Pomroy from Luther Seminary shares research findings on congregations that are developing…
5 Guideposts for Reshaping Your Staff Team
Susan Beaumont says many churches see a need to reconfigure their staffing in this new era. She outlines five guidelines to frame a better conversation…
Where Churches Spend Too Much and Where They Spend Too Little
In working with more than 500 churches, The Unstuck Group identified certain expenditure areas where churches commonly invest too little and those where churches tend…
Is Your Church Spending Too Much or Too Little on Personnel?
How does your church spending on personnel compare to other churches? Lovett Weems reports averages of the percentage of total expenditures that congregations spend on…
Adding New Income Lines to Your Church Budget
As you plan your budget, does your church focus primarily on expenses without considering the revenue side of the equation? Stewardship expert Grace Pomroy outlines…
8 Financial Lessons for the Post-pandemic Church
Lovett Weems and Ann Michel share eight key lessons to help churches deal with the financial aftershocks of the COVID crisis. Now is the time…
A Transformational Approach to Church Finance
How can church leaders approach stewardship and finance in ways that inspire generosity and encourage the sound use of church resources? Lewis Center Director Doug…
Episode 79: “A Transformative Approach to Church Finances” featuring Lovett H. Weems Jr. and Ann A. Michel
How can church leaders approach stewardship and finance in ways that inspire generosity and encourage the sound use of church resources? Lovett H. Weems Jr. and Ann A. Michel share practical strategies and discuss how our belief structures around generosity, stewardship, and abundance speak to these challenges.
Generosity, Stewardship, and Abundance: A Transformational Guide to Church Finance
God’s purpose in calling us to lives of faithful stewardship and generosity isn’t merely to sustain the church. Rather, the continued existence of the church…
Is It Time to Right-Size Your Staff?
This might be the time to have a conversation about right-sizing your staff, says Jim Kitchens. He outlines different ways to approach the task depending…
COVID-19 Reminds Us of Crucial Church Finance Safeguards
Lovett Weems says the pandemic reveals the importance of certain essential financial practices for churches. Maintaining a reserve fund, expanding giving options, and setting realistic…
Is Your Church Ignoring Capital Needs?
Lovett Weems says a separate capital budget can help assure adequate funding for the upkeep of a church’s property, facilities, and equipment. In starting a…
9 Questions to Assess Your Church’s Financial Health
Lovett H. Weems Jr. says paying attention to various indices of your congregation’s financial health is a key practice in remaining economically viable and sustaining…
What are the True Costs of Church Programs?
Are key leaders in your church covering project costs out of their own pockets? Lewis Center Director Doug Powe says owning up to the true…
Does Your Church Need a Capital Budget?
Lewis Center Director Lovett H. Weems, Jr., describes how formulating and funding a capital budget can help a church stay on top of building maintenance…
Games People Play During Budget Season
Is budget season in your church plagued with political maneuvering and game playing? Watch out for some of these common ploys that Richard J. Vargo…
The Importance of a Narrative Budget
Narrative budgeting has a critical role to play in any comprehensive parish stewardship program. Basic philanthropic theory indicates that people want their money to have…
Models for Budget Building
Churches use a variety of budget building models. No one model or combination of models is right for every church. What approach might best fit…
Remaining Fruitful in the Midst of a Financial Reset
I think the American Church is undergoing a reset. America is getting older; and the Church is even older. For a generation, expenditures have increased…
Denominations Face Major Reset
Most congregations know the financial squeeze of recent years from the economic recession. What is more striking is that the financial downturn for denominations is…
Faith and the Use of Church Money
I have heard many stories of pastors telling their congregations they need to go into debt or stretch themselves financially as “a matter of faith.”…
Working Through the Stages of Grief when Cutting Your Budget
Our church was not reaching its budget and had to make difficult changes to reduce expenses by 16 percent. The finance committee realized a reduction…
Saving Money without Sacrificing Ministry
In light of the current economic environment, how are churches reining in their budgets without reducing the quality of ministry? Last month, the Lewis Center…
