Episode 71 - How To Handle Financial Pressures In Your 200church

When giving goes down, it’s good for the church leadership to know… why. That’s right, why. Too many church leaders see that giving is down, bills are going unpaid, but they are not willing to take the difficult step into the discovery process. It’s time to define reality.

Jeff and Jonny talk with Dave Jacobs from SmallChurchPastor.com about the financial challenges that many pastors face in their small churches. Dave has been coaching small church pastors for eight years, and has a good handle on the angst out there when it comes to tight church budgets.

So, Dave encourages us to define financial reality in our churches. He says we should know what is happening and why it is happening when it comes to our offerings. He encourages us to do an assessment.

Some questions to ask might be:

• When did the financial difficulties start?
  
• Why has the giving to the church decreased?
  
• How many people in our church are giving appropriately?
  
• How many are not giving at all?
  
• How many were giving, but are not giving now?
  
• How many have decreased their giving, and why?
  
• What is the average per capita rate of giving in a church our size?
• Do we need to increase giving, or decrease expenses, or both?
• What are our church's budget priorities?

If giving has dropped because a few big givers have moved out of the area, that’s one issue, but if people are not buying into the vision of the church, distrust the leaders, and are voting with their wallets, that’s another thing. It would be good to know the reasons for a decrease in the offerings.

The guys talk about things like, Should the pastor know who gives what? and Why do I feel awkward about speaking publicly about money in my church?

The BOTTOM LINE is that the majority of small churches have to deal with financial pressure to one degree or another. YOU are not alone dealing with budget challenges. THEREFORE, you need to reach out and find another/others to help you deal with these challenges. Jeff and Jonny end this episode with a call to action for you to take – to reach out for help, advice, and assistance. Don't struggle alone!