Podcast Episode #291
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Today’s episode may be a dream for many church leaders. But often, more money for churches can lead to more problems for churches if not handled well.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- Today’s podcast episode may be about the dream scenario for many pastors and churches.
- Faster growing churches tend to have lower per capita giving.
- Giving patterns of families often follow life stages, so determine if increased giving is ongoing or temporary.
- I prefer the lag approach to church staffing rather than the lead approach.
- High cash reserves can discourage giving and show a lack of faith.
- Low cash reserves can indicate a church is not prudent or not planning for the future.
- In many churches, we erroneously treat the previous year as the base for what will happen the next year.
The nine responses to increased giving that we cover today are:
- The surprising place where many churches get in trouble
- Find out why
- Ask for an age breakdown
- Determine if ongoing or temporary
- Be careful before adding personnel
- Check reserves
- Be exceedingly careful with one-time gifts
- Make certain next year’s budget is accurate but conservative
- Postscript: Faith or prudence?
Episode Sponsors
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Feedback
If you have a question you would like answered on the show, fill out the form on the podcast page here at ThomRainer.com. If we use your question, you’ll receive a free copy of Who Moved My Pulpit?
Resources Mentioned in Today’s Podcast
- Belay Solutions (affiliate link)
I once belonged to a church that found it was balancing the budget on death memorial gifts. It was accidental, but it creeped people out when they realized it. Talk about one-time gifts. Also, if there is a bump in giving, even if temporary, eliminate as much debt as possible, as a kindness to future generations. I agree that transparency is not optional. If members don’t see the leadership carefully using God’s money, God’s people will feel that only fools would give even more. Enjoy the well-deserved cake.
I like info on money. I’m a pastor of a small black church and most of my people don’t work and they are on disability. We don’t have anyone who have enough to live.. my church has been getting more people who has started giving and I have seen a increase. The church is not able to give me a salary with that said so have soloution for a small church.
It sounds like the Holy Spirit is alive and well in your small church. If that is true, you will soon have a much deserved salary!
Trey, I don’t think the two are necessarily related. Your comment sounds more like a piece of paper found in a fortune cookie than any sort of Biblical truth… (if only it were that simple, right?)
The biggest church fight I ever witnessed was when a member won the lottery and wanted to donate a large amount to the building program…Whew boy! The voted and fought on three different occasion until they decided that they would take the gift. Crazy stuff
Would reserves be defined as cash in operating account + cash in savings or just cash in savings?
David –
An operating account by definition is not a reserve account.
One point that Jack Hyles got right in his “Church Manual” was that church budgets should operate in the “black.” Stay out of debt as much as humanly possible! This does not mean go without, it means be creative. For example, our small church (under 40 in total) was unable to fund vacation Bible school. Instead of doing without, we partnered with another church who could afford it. They came with their youth as a mission trip. We both got a win.