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…
Browsing: Funding
Articles
Do Endowments Help or Hurt?
Some churches have endowments in which the principal is invested, with the earnings made available to support the work of the congregation. One pastor said…
Paperless Giving
More than ten years ago, I was introduced to “paperless giving” as a way to receive the offering in worship. A specified amount of money…
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…
Your Money Autobiography
There is a disaster in your community, and opportunities for giving donations abound. What is your response? You receive a cash gift for your birthday.…
Reasons Why People Give
In our U.S. Congregational Life Survey, worshipers rated the extent to which ten factors influence their decision to give to their congregation. The most important…
New Ways of Viewing Faith and Money
Many Christians tend to oversimplify the essence of scripture’s teaching with regard to money in such statements as “Christians must tithe” or “the faithful will…
Yours for the Asking
Recently I talked with a pastor about how to fund a $6,000 need beyond the resources of the church budget. I felt he had an…
Is Your Church the Best Place to Give?
The other day I was visiting with a key donor of a church along with the pastor. The pastor was asking the donor if she…
