November 6, 2025
To focus outward means that the church’s primary concern is the people outside its walls and influence. It means that the church’s assets—its money, its talent, its time, and its facility—are focused toward reaching into that group.
While a minister may not want to know what individuals in their church give, it’s wise for them to know about the annual budget, the average weekly or monthly giving, how much debt, if any, the church has, and what percentage of the budget is being spent to service the debt.
From 1935 to 1944, Joe B. Maffett penned a monthly column called “It Worked for Us.” Maffett, a minister from North Tonawanda, N.Y., sought input from readers for the aptly titled column. Here are three short items from 1941. . . .
August 15, 2020
By Kent E. Fillinger The COVID-19 pandemic has dominated our time and attention for much of 2020. This month’s article provides an overview of church finances based on our 2019 survey of 439 churches, while next month’s article will share findings from a separate survey that seeks to determine the impact of COVID-19 on the financial health of our churches. How Much Money Was Given to Churches Last Year? The total amount given last year to the churches we surveyed was $872,134,383. This included giving to the general fund, capital campaigns, building funds, and other sources. This reflected less than
By Kent E. Fillinger September is a prime time for churches to start planning next year’s budget, as most use a calendar year (January to December) budget cycle. To assist in your church’s budget projections, I’ll share some statistics and summaries on giving and debt from our 2018 church survey. Among church leaders, there are two distinct schools of thought about debt. Some are anti-debt and make being debt-free a primary goal of their church, while others see debt as a strategic tool to help finance the church’s vision. Whatever your thoughts, my hope is this data will help guide
January 16, 2018
By Kent Fillinger In a typical workplace, and in churches, workers don’t publicly discuss salaries and certain benefits they receive. But this trend is changing among millennials. Benefits consultant Mary Ann Sardone recently told the Wall Street Journal, “Pay and promotions are not secretive topics anymore. Companies are spending more time ensuring their pay decisions are fair and highlighting career paths under the assumption that the information is going to be widely shared.” Recent research showed “roughly one-third of U.S. workers ages 18-36 say they feel comfortable discussing pay with their co-workers, more than any other age group and about
January 12, 2018
By Brad Dupray We lived in fear. It could happen at any time. We stood with our freshly shined shoes on the edge of the carpet scanning the mall. Waiting. Watching. Our shoe store’s district manager would show up only about once a month, but when he did, we knew we were in for it. He had a knack for finding those things we didn’t see. We were “store blind.” Store blindness happens when the proprietor or employees of a retail store walk into the environment so many times that they simply don’t perceive the little things—the crooked table, the
January 2, 2018
By Jerry Harris I live every day with the tyranny of numbers. It’s everywhere I look, around every corner, in every closet, reminding me of the truth, the oftentimes painful truth. When I get up in the morning, the tyranny of numbers is waiting on the bathroom scale display. It’s in my Weight Watchers app on my phone, in my budget, my bills, and my bank balance. As a pastor, I face the tyranny of numbers when I see last week’s attendance, the offering number, and the number of baptisms. I live with the tyranny of numbers when I look
December 29, 2017
How to Build an Effective Church Budget and Choose the Right Tool By Chris Boue Building a church budget can be hectic and complicated. Even if everyone agrees on how much the church should spend 12 months in advance, technical and administrative issues always seem to crop up. We send files back and forth, miss important email attachments, and lose track of the “right” version of that Excel file or tab. These types of problems can give everyone a bad case of heartburn. You know the budget process is going poorly when you hear statements such as, “I”ll just put
Here are some statistics gleaned from the 2014 CHRISTIAN STANDARD megachurch report. AVERAGE SIZEÂ Megachurches: 4,622 Emerging Megachurches: 1,354 Combined average weekly attendance: 390,436 GROWTH RATES Megachurches: 3.5 percent (down from 5.6 percent in 2013); overall, 68 percent of the megachurches grew (down from 73 percent in 2013). Emerging Megachurches: 5.4 percent (up from 2.4 percent in 2013); overall, 65 percent of emerging megachurches grew (up from 52 percent in 2013). Large churches: 4.9 percent (up from 4.7 percent in 2013). Medium churches: 3.1 percent (up from 0.9 percent in 2013). FASTEST-GROWING CHURCHES New City Church, Phoenix,
January 8, 2015
By Don Anderson Thank you for even starting to read an article about an important topic that is seldom considered exciting. I am certain I could find church leaders who would argue that an indebted church cannot be considered “healthy.” And others would argue that debt has little to do with a church”s overall health. I think the truth lies somewhere between these two extremes. Debt can be like a noose squeezing the necks of leaders, or it can be a useful tool for eliminating real obstacles to growth, such as the lack of seating or parking. Debt and commercial
Senior minister Rick Evans applies lessons from the innovation life cycle as he leads Cross Creek Christian Church beyond established traditions toward new ministry methods, community outreach, small groups, and future growth.
May 16, 2012
A hypothetical megachurch story illustrates the opportunities and challenges of rapid church growth, from multisite expansion and staffing to facilities, outreach, finances, and the demands of long-term leadership.
May 15, 2012
A composite look at an emerging megachurch explores how leadership changes, sustained growth, relocation, outreach, staffing, and financial challenges shape a congregation moving beyond 1,000 in attendance.
November 12, 2008
Mark A. Taylor urges churches not to retreat during economic downturns, but to see hard times as an opportunity for mission, benevolence, and faithful stewardship.
Sponsored
Sponsored
Sponsored
Learn how to turn the sermons you’re already preaching into searchable, shareable content that helps people discover and connect with your local church. Access Be Seen, Be Heard on demand with Wes Woodell and Trey Sheneman. A two hour course for preachers, church media and website teams, and anyone who wants to help their church reach more people online.
October 6, 2026
Rick Cherok
October 6, 2026
Landon Shuman
October 6, 2026
Doug Redford