This is one of the biggest concerns for smaller & older congregations: how to pay the bills. I wish I could give you a quick 1, 2, 3 list that will always work. I can’t, but I can tell you some places to look.
Build and Maintain a Budget, and manage cash flow. Look at the monthly costs of annual expenses; don’t just pay the bills as they come in. You can’t go without insurance, or safety inspections. The pastor and staff want to be paid. The utilities have to be paid.
Start with your expenses. In one church I found we were paying liability insurance for a staff of 6 but were down to three. Does the sanctuary need to be at 65 degrees all week long if it’s only used Sunday morning? Maybe you spend a thousand to zone off the office area. Add some insulation. Replace some inefficient equipment.
Then do an accounting of all the special funds you have. I worked with one church that had a couple hundred dollars squirreled away in the flower fund, and a hundred thousand in a future building fund. The church held 300 but only had a few dozen each week, and wouldn’t need that 20-year-old fund for a new building anytime soon.
And look around at what you don’t need. At one church, I wondered what was in one of the closets. What I found was a 3-octave set of handbells, in great shape, with sheet music – it hadn’t been used in 20 years, and I got permission to sell them. Only $3500, but it was a fair price for their age and condition, and it bought a laptop, a video projector and a screen, with cash left over.
Ask for help.
Are there things you pay for that volunteers could do? (Yes, volunteers. I’ll talk about that next seminar.) Maybe someone can handle the janitorial. Use a missions team to do needed repairs. Ask for more donations.
Give them something to give to: state a vision bigger than the present.
I still remember the meeting 15 years ago when we were facing laying off a staff member. Then we figured that $5 more dollars each week from each family could make up the shortfall. So we asked everyone if they could give a little more. $20 a month from 20 families was enough, but some gave more. Kept us going.
Find partners. Maybe you make a bulk purchase for cleaning supplies or office supplies with other churches of your denomination or you neighborhood association. Maybe you share a secretary. Maybe you share your building with another congregation.
Teach money management. That church recently instituted Financial Peace University. They found that people wanted to give more, but there wasn’t enough left over. When the church helped them get their personal finances in order, they started giving. The congregation is now giving more than what they need to pay the bills, enough to spend more on ministry. Pretty good for a church that was in danger of going broke just a few years ago.
Preach and Teach giving. George Barna tells us that if the pastor preaches on giving once a year, people will avoid or ignore that message. “Churches in which pastors preach a series of messages about giving are nearly two-and-a-half times more likely to experience an increase in giving.
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