church budget

  Fund accounting is a specialized form of accounting that involves the tracking and reporting of financial information for separate funds or accounts. Each has a specific purpose for how the money can be used. Donors may set these restrictions with the church’s board or other stakeholders. Unlike traditional accounting, which is primarily concerned with

  By Chuck Klein Here are key areas to consider as you begin the process. Churches considering a large-scale building or expansion project often start with similar questions. The biggest concern is what questions should we be asking that we haven’t already considered? Your church’s project is unique to your needs and circumstance. It requires

  Few people are comfortable talking about money. Even fewer are comfortable handling the bookkeeping of it, especially church leaders. Now, sure. Church leaders aren’t the only people in the position of handling a task – a Herculean task if we’re being honest – but for them, it’s often so far beyond their depth, scope

  By Ken Sloane As I speak with leaders across the church, I’ve heard a lot of frustration and weariness. Leading in the area of stewardship and finance has been a rollercoaster ride. Panic and anxiety in March and April, some hopefulness in June and July (fewer people away during the summer months). As we

  By Andy Whaley For the first time in our lives, churches across the country have had to forego in-person services for several months. Many learned to pivot and reinvent themselves with livestream services and other creative methods to provide a weekly church experience. Fortunately, most churches stepped up and found new, innovative ways to

  By Michael Wilson  Direct spend refers to the purchase of more costly items necessary for a business or church to operate. For a church, this could be cleaning supplies, light bulbs and lighting equipment, desks in offices and classrooms, computers and tech-equipment, new sanctuary chairs, carpet, and other items when and as needed, etc.

Regardless of the scope of your project, it can be difficult to know how to start. We work with hundreds of churches each year on everything from minor improvement projects to major purchase and construction projects. In partnering with these churches, we have found the following seven steps to be instrumental to a successful project.

By Scott Noble What’s one challenge pastors and ministry leaders face that their education rarely prepares them for? It’s a topic that’s infrequently offered in Bible school or seminary. You don’t see this course title next to Theology I or Old Testament II or Introduction to Greek. Yet it’s an issue all leaders—and their churches—face.

Spending time outdoors is a vital part of children’s physical and mental development, which is why choosing the best playground equipment for your church childcare program is essential. The equipment installed on your playground should encourage physical activity and should be accessible to children with special needs. Whether your playground project is replacing playground equipment

By Kira Mudge Sixty-five percent of Americans contribute to charitable organizations, yet church contributions are on the decline. People are giving; they just aren’t giving to you. Why? Why is it only 20 percent church attendees are contributing financially to the church? That’s only 1 out of 5 families. This is alarming. But what’s even

By Andy Whaley Your church is growing. You need more room to welcome people, host ministry activities, and reach your community. You want to expand your facilities in order to support your ministry’s growth. Now, it’s just a matter of securing financing for your project. Where do you begin? Here are five things to consider

  This article originally appeared in the March 2014 issue. By Gary C. Smith Gary C. Smith is president & CEO of the National Association for the Exchange of Industrial Resources, www.naeir.org. It’s a given that with budgets tighter than ever, churches need to be creative in doing more with less. Yet many dismiss one

By Kari Boyce “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8 (NIV) We talk to church leaders every day. Our team understands your concerns about meeting your ministry’s

Decatur, Illinois When Aspen Group began to partner with First Christian Church Decatur to address their facility needs, it became clear that limited sanctuary seating had begun to impede the church’s ability to comfortably accommodate new attendees. Additionally, the church’s youth and children’s space lacked the kind of functionality and design that creates a safe,