In the end, all of this financial pressure may just lead to a healthier, true-to-mission church. Then all the small congregations meet once a month for a larger worship time–in an economical rented public space.Īnd, in order for the church to be the church in a more meaningful way, congregations will need to re-prioritize their budgets to emphasize direct forms of ministry that givers will agree directly respond to Jesus’ two Great Commandments. They simply coordinate their worship and program schedules.Īlso, some churches are already succeeding at dispersing their people into small congregations that meet weekly in homes, restaurants, and other free locations. The Mormons, by the way, figured this out long ago, housing multiple congregations in one building. More congregations will need to combine under one roof. With buildings, churches will be forced to consider becoming better stewards of brick and mortar. And the idea of bi-vocational ministers is making a return to the American landscape. What does this financial squeeze mean for the future of the church? To right-size personnel costs, churches are increasingly looking to volunteers to carry ministry roles once held by professionals. When you look at it this way, is it any wonder the public questions the church’s return on investment? Local and national benevolence receives 1 percent of the typical church budget. According to the ECCU study, churches use 3 percent of their budget for children’s and youth programs, and 2 percent for adult programs. It’s made worse by looking at how churches allocate funds to direct ministries.
But the enormous disparity is striking, especially to the public. You could argue about comparing a church’s expenses to a public charity’s expenses. Compassion International spends 16 percent.Ĭomparatively, what do churches spend on personnel, buildings and administration expenses? Those items consume 82 percent of the average church’s budget, according a study from the Evangelical Christian Credit Union. For example, the American Red Cross spends 8 percent of its revenues on administrative and fundraising expenses.
They are aware that charities that do the most with donors’ dollars keep their administrative costs relatively low. They are accustomed to evaluating the effectiveness of non-profit organizations. But they intuitively smell something foul about how many churches’ offerings are being used. They do understand that ministry requires funding. I’ve lost count of the number of times that people have told us, “Churches just want your money.” They’ve picked up on the financial pressures facing most churches today. The shrinking tithes and offerings can’t cover the two major expenses–personnel and buildings. This sad scene is becoming increasingly common across the country, as the old financial models no longer work for many churches. Our cameras (for a documentary on the state of the church) caught this church’s last gasps. The church itself closed a few weeks ago, a victim of declining attendance and daunting fixed costs.
We watched as the contents of this Missouri church emptied out during the auction. But in the end, the pews sold for $25 apiece. The auctioneer tried everything he could to increase the bid.