In 2016 our Parish Council had a desire to see our church’s grow in its ministry and impact. By analysing our offertory we discovered that our members’ giving in proportion to the area’s income was less than generous. We both planned and led a strategy to equip members with stewardship skills and financial literacy.
It started out as a trial-and-error project, but using our expertise in financial/budget management, and communication we have developed strategies and systems in place that ensure members are aware, engaged, and encouraged to be as generous as possible towards the work of the gospel through church and our mission partners. Our approach has always been helping members with Godly, Kingdom-centred stewardship skills, and not fund raising.
We established:
- A targeted system of communication and reporting for both Parish Council and congregations;
- Tools and systems for better planning and budgeting;
- Financial literacy workshops for different demographics within the church.
In 18 months:
- Our offertory increased by over 50% at a time when our attendance increased by 7%.
- We have been able to budget and project our income and expenses more accurately,
- We are able to project cash flow, income, and expenses at any time using any scenario with our budgeting tool.
But more importantly, we have more and more members who have embraced Christian stewardship as a way of life.
We are confident the systems and tools that we have developed can be replicated in other churches, obviously tailored to your unique situation.