Shying away from talking about finances is a running inside joke with the church as a whole for a reason. It’s typically uncomfortable to talk about money, where it comes from, how much is needed to run, and where it goes. However, good stewardship of the body of Christ you’ve been tasked to lead is just as much about financial stewardship as it is the shepherding of the people itself.
Once the correct systems are put in place and maintained in the financial realm of ministry, churches are able to thrive. In fact, it’s a lot less work to maintain a properly-established financial system than it is to try to correct a failing system or attempt to “freestyle” a solution as you go.
There are four main issues I see in most churches I work with from a financial policy perspective.
No or Poor Accounting for Tithing and Offerings
When the members of your congregation tithe or give money as an offering, they’re following what God has instructed them to do. You, as the leader of the church, are entrusted with making sure this money goes toward furthering the gospel, strengthening the community, and doing God’s work in the community.
Many churches fail to set up an efficient system for tracking the money that comes in from tithing and offerings, resulting in messy, inaccurate, or even nonexistent organization.
Taking the time to properly plan how you’re going to account for and keep track of tithe and offering money is an important step toward financial responsibility and stability for your entire organization.
No Digital Contributions
We live in a digital world. That has its ups and downs, both for churches as organizations as well as ministries. It’s simply a fact of life that, for many of the current and potential members of your congregation, being able to tithe or give offering money online is the easiest option.
Considering, planning, and executing the decision to add a digital option for your community’s financial contributions to the church is a process that requires careful attention and structure to set up. In addition, there need to be parameters and expectations put in place for how your new system is to be used, who has which responsibilities, and how this fits into your overall financial plan for your organization.
No or Outdated Website
This point ties in with the above statement that we do, whether we like it or not, live in a time and place where technology is crucial to the success of any business, organization, or community. Churches operate as all three, meaning they more than anyone need a correct, up-to-date, regularly-maintained website.
However, this isn’t necessarily an easy task. Websites require a decent amount of work to get started and frequent updates to ensure they remain accurate and in good working order. As a church leader, it’s crucial to have a plan in place for your church to not only have a website, but a functional, effective one at that.
Who creates and uploads content to the website? Who is responsible for updating the calendar? Who is the one to handle when the website crashes or glitches? Working these details out now will save you time, money, and frustration down the road.
No Social Media
Your church has a presence in the local community, but the internet is a new frontier of possible outreach. The vast majority of those in your congregation have some form of social media, and for many, it’s how they now connect with the world.
From keeping your current members up-to-date and engaged with what’s going on at the church to being an excellent avenue to find new potential attendees, social media is a vastly-untapped resource for churches.
As with any form of outreach, however, social media requires planning and attention in order for your efforts to pay off. Because of this, an important step to take before launching (or re-launching, if this is something you’ve tackled before) is creating a strategy.
Final Thoughts
Are you letting the stigma behind finances keep you and your church from tackling them head-on? At KBC, we’re passionate about taking the pressure off church leaders, helping with the heavy lifting, and instilling the resources your church needs to thrive. We’d love to tell you more.