Churches Spend More, Raise Less
The headline reads: Churches Report Drop in Offerings; Few Tighten Budgets. The Christian Post reports that nearly half of all churches anticipate a decrease in tithes and offerings while many still increase their budgets this year. Source
It troubles me to think about what will happen to some churches in the months to come. According to the forementioned report, more than two-thirds of the churches surveyed either intend to increase or maintain their current budget. All the while forty-percent of the churches were experiencing a decline in regular giving. The report was careful to point out such details as churches were only likely to consider salary freezes while unlikely to actually do so, and that eighty-seven percent of the incomes to these congregations were tithes and offerings.
Every reference included a bit of Ed Stetzer’s advice and yet I am skeptical how many churches will actually recieve it. Stetzer is quoted as saying: Effects of unemployment tend to lag a bit for churches that emphasize tithing, but as the unemployment rate continues to increase, more congregations will get hit financially. Churches need to be ready for this impact.
I suspect what we have here is a classic clash between faith and finances and Christian stewardship. We are called to live by faith and always acknowledge God’s provision even in the midst of difficulty. We know and understand that God provides for our every need and that this includes the finances we need for mission and ministry. And yet, we are also called to be wise stewards, willing and able to make financial sacrifices in times of difficulty. These two lessons are often taught on seperate Sunday’s and rarely do we ask ourselves whether we have come inconsistencies in here somewhere. I am certain a closer look at scripture and a quick dose of humility would eliminate any confusion real quick.
Last week we met with and solicited an executive at a successful engineering company. Unfortunately, he was unable to commit a corporate donation to our campaign as he explained that the entire company had recently agreed to across-the board-salary-cuts in addition to a variety of spending freezes. These decisions came as a result of the company’s decision to avoid layoffs as best they could. Graciously, we did not leave empty-handed as the executive generously committed a personal gift and volunteered to resume the corporate gift discussion when times were better.
What occurs to me is whether or not our churches are being as prudent as this engineering group. It occurs to me that churches may not be positioning themselves to give more than they have in the past. Realistically, churches can expect to be called upon for help more than ever before. And not from the church employees- nor those who have simply have jobs. For those churches that insist on increasing their budgets, I am curious to know where we might find the increases.
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