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February 18, 2010Church Finances Remain Pinched in Early 2010
Nearly a third say December giving fell short of expectations.
A “new normal” is emerging in the church world when it comes to giving, budgets, and generosity initiatives, according to an ongoing survey conducted by Maximum Generosity and Christianity Today International’s Church Finance Today and Leadership journal.
Nearly 800 churches have responded so far to the second annual “State of the Plate.”
Five major developments are emerging from the survey, which asks church leaders and pastors to report on how their giving efforts concluded in 2009 and began in 2010:
1) The poor economy is hurting a growing number of churches. While the headlines may say the economy is improving, its impact hasn’t shown up yet in the offering plate:
- The number of churches reporting a decline in giving this past year has increased to nearly 36 percent of churches surveyed, compared to 29 percent at the same time a year ago.
- Only 38 percent of churches saw giving increase this past year, compared to 47 percent a year ago.
2) Many churches say December year-end giving fell short. While Rick Warren’s December appeal to more than 100,000 e-mail recipients helped his church adequately close the gap on a year-end budget shortfall, many other churches weren’t so fortunate. In the “State of the Plate,” 30 percent of churches surveyed said that their December year-end giving “missed” their expectations. Only 24 percent of churches indicated that year-end giving surpassed their expectation. With nearly a third missing expectations at the end of 2009, many churches likely entered 2010 looking for ways to slow their church spending.
3) Some churches say budgets grew. While a growing number of church budgets are being trimmed, others increased theirs heading into 2010:
- In the survey, 32 percent said they made budgets cuts of 1 percent to 20 percent. A year ago, only 14 percent said the same. The top three cuts came in the areas of travel and conferences, ministry programs, and expansion/renovation projects.
- 24 percent of churches kept their budgets the same as last year.
- But surprisingly, 45 percent of churches increased their budgets for the coming year, compared to 23 percent who said the same a year ago. Churches that increased their budgets did so primarily in the areas of benevolence giving, ministry programs, and missions giving.
4) More churches plan to preach and teach on finances. The Bible provides more than 2,000 verses on finances and generosity and a growing number of churches say they are planning or considering to share God’s Word on these subjects in the following ways:
- Preaching, 75 percent
- Financial classes/courses/groups, 66 percent
- Sharing a Bible verse during the offering, 63 percent
- Pamphlets, 52 percent
- Making financial counselors available, 49 percent
- Running an annual stewardship drive, 48 percent
- Videos in the worship service, 46 percent
- Giving families a generosity devotional, 45 percent
- Estate planning materials/seminars, 44 percent
- Stewardship training for leaders, 40 percent
Regarding e-giving options, 36 percent of churches say they offer this already, and another 29 percent say they’re considering it or seeking additional information about it.
5) More churches want outside guidance. More churches say they’re seeking outside resources to help with church finances, giving, and generosity. The top resources identified by respondents:
- Dave Ramsey, 58 percent
- Crown Financial Ministries, 57 percent
- Maximum Generosity, 47 percent
- Denominational resources, 44 percent
- Church Law & Tax Report, 38 percent
- Your Church magazine, 34 percent
Churches can still participate in the second annual “State of the Plate.” Participants will receive free electronic resources, access to the full results, and an executive summary outlining graphs, charts, benchmarks, and trends.
Watch in March for a full final report covering the "State of the Plate" findings.
Brian Kluth is a pastor, author, speaker, and media expert on church giving and biblical generosity, and a contributing editor to Your Church.
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