The email lands with a thud in the pit of your stomach: "The budget is down. We need to tighten up and reduce spending for the remainder of the year."
How are you supposed to do that? Not travel? Not offer programs? Not serve lunch at meetings? Would those strategies even be enough?
Many congregations and other Christian organizations have a substantial portion of their budget committed to "fixed costs," the personnel and building expenses the organization is committed to pay. The program expenses are often about 25 percent of the overall budget. These expenses are the easiest to reduce, yet it does not take long before the program staff does not have enough money to do its work.
Nearly every congregation and organization I know faces this challenge. The causes are varied, but the story is the same: the program director is expected to do the same work with less and less money.
How can we shift this conversation to something more productive? What questions could we raise before the email arrives and the cuts are required?
Read more from Dave Odom » |
A webinar hosted by The Church NetworkDecember 7, 2017Time: 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. EDT
0.1 CEU credit, 1 CPE credit
The year is rapidly coming to a close, and clergy and congregations need to make decisions and take action before December 31st on a number of things in order to take advantage of current tax laws. Join Frank Sommerville for a conversation about two of the most pressing -- contributions and housing allowances.
Learn more and register »
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| | IDEAS THAT IMPACT: THE ECONOMICS OF MINISTRY |
The conventional wisdom is that parishioners want to know how their money will be spent before they make pledges or gifts; that is, they want to see the budget. That is a myth. People want to know that their money will not be spent foolishly.
Read more from Michael Durall » |
| Congregations - like most organizations - face the ongoing challenge of how best to balance their income and expenses. Gauge how your congregation compares to best practices while deciding how much to spend on facilities, staff compensation and programs. Read more from Dan Hotchkiss » |
A pastor and former Alban consultant reflects on his congregation's learnings after the 2008 economic downturn in the United States, a downturn that jeopardized almost a quarter of their annual budget.
Read more from John Wimberly » |
Offerings of the Heart: Money and Values in Faith Communities by Rabbi Shawn Israel Zevit
"Offerings of the Heart." This phrase sets the tone for the Jewish spiritual perspective that money is a tool for actualizing God's presence in the world. Building on this core value and setting aside the financial/spiritual split with which many congregational leaders operate, Rabbi Shawn Zevit brings the depth and breadth of Jewish teachings on money and the spiritual life to all faith communities.
This book provides texts and tools to help clergy, staff, and lay leaders of congregations of any faith approach financial and other resources as core means to build and maintain whole and holy lives in a communal setting. Zevit demonstrates how faith communities can create values-based approaches to developing and managing financial and human resources that are rooted in the very sacred traditions, principles, and impulses that bring us together.
"Rabbi Shawn Zevit has gathered much of the wisdom of the Jewish community learned through four millennia of life with God. He shows us the rich thought and experience Hebrew scriptures and traditions contribute for all who seek to be faithful in the use of money in their communities. A deep understanding of generosity and giving is brought to bear on the practicalities of budgets, planning, and reaching out in deeds of justice and mercy." -- Loren Mead, founding president, The Alban Institute
Learn more and order the book » |
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