STRENGTHEN YOUR CHURCH COMMUNITY’S FINANCES

          My last blog talked about things to do to strengthen your church’s finances, which included being bold and honest. This blog will talk about strengthening your church community’s finances. This isn’t about your church’s budget, or ministry shares, or direct bills, or raising funds. This is about helping your church’s community instead.

          As churches, and as disciples of Jesus Christ, we have a responsibility to assist our members. It’s not about us; it’s about God; it’s about Jesus; and it’s about our community – whether it is the community that sits in the pews (when we are doing that again), or the community that participates virtually with us, or the community that is “outside the walls”.

          You should consider starting a  stewardship ministry, if you don’t have one; or should expand your stewardship ministry, if you have one.

          These stewardship ministries should address the areas of need that we encounter. They could include:

1.   Unemployment – Particularly during this time of COVID, and shut downs and reduced hours, and closed business, there are people looking for work, or looking for help in how to apply for unemployment, or prepare a resume, or apply for jobs. There may be groups in your community you could partner with. Perhaps someone in your community has this insight.

2.   Reducing debt – Many of us have debt, ranging from credit card debt to mortgage debt to student loan debt to… The problem becomes apparent to folks when paying only minimums on debt doesn’t decrease it, but actually increases it. When debt prevents you from being comfortable with your financial life, then this is an issue that needs to be worked on.

3.   Estate planning – We have a responsibility to make sure that our folks have wills, or trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, etc. You would be surprised how many haven’t made plans for any of this. You could host wills workshops, or provide webinars, or have attorneys or accountants share information to assist our folks in doing this work. It’s not about getting the church named in a will, but about getting folks to do what needs to be done to care for their families, themselves, and of course, their churches. It’s not the point of this work, but it should be discussed. If the church is important enough to support while you’re alive; wouldn’t it still be important after?

4.   Investing – It might be a good time to introduce folks to a biblical approach to investment.

5.   Budgeting – No matter how much or how little money someone has or earns, a budget is important. It helps everything we’ve talked about so far:

a.   Planning for times when our income changes (up or down);

b.   Making the necessary payments to reduce debt;

c.   Determining what can be left once we no longer have need for assets for ourselves;

d.   Setting aside funds for emergencies, and for long-term needs;

          We have responsibilities as a church to care for our folks. It isn’t only about prayer and meetings, or about church dinners; it’s about helping folks in their path to discipleship and in discipleship.