Budget & financial management

My church is a beautiful waste of money

By the metrics of business management and capitalism, the work of churches and pastors is redundant.

By Melissa Florer-Bixler Pastor, Raleigh Mennonite Church

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Mark Elsdon: The church is not broke

Yes, the church is in decline in some ways -- but religious institutions control billions of dollars of assets. What if we invested that money in mission?

Money, mission and meeting in person -- a new study looks at COVID-19's effect on churches

More than 550 congregations took part in Lake Institute’s survey about the pandemic. While their finances have been impacted, many faith communities are adapting, which will be critical moving forward.

By Edie Gross Journalist

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A North Carolina nonprofit helps churches convert property from liabilities into assets

Leaders of a community development corporation believe that even struggling congregations can survive and thrive if members take stock of their assets and put them to use as resources for their communities.

By Yonat Shimron Journalist

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Church's money management lessons lead to transformation in an impoverished neighborhood

Eastern Star Church is helping bring hope to the 46218 ZIP code in Indianapolis through housing initiatives, social services, a grocery store, financial coaching and more.

By Shari Finnell Journalist

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Dave Odom: What to do when money gets tight

Don’t begin the conversation with the expenses to cut. Instead, focus on your organization’s assets and how they can be leveraged in service of your missional impact, writes the executive director of Leadership Education at Duke Divinity.

By David L. Odom Executive director, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity

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10 tips for starting a buying group or cooperative

Values, vision and information are important for organizations seeking to band together to purchase goods and services, say experts in the field.

By Yonat Shimron Journalist

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Where does the money come from?

By David L. Odom Executive director, Leadership Education at Duke Divinity

The changing economic environment requires all stakeholders -- staff, members, boards, clients and partners -- to understand the source of funding for an institution’s work.

Questions of compensation

By Nathan Kirkpatrick Principal, Saison Consulting, LLC

Salary-setting can be a delicate subject in any industry but is especially fraught in faith-based institutions. Christian institutional leaders have to reframe the conversation.

Innovation and the bottom line

By Brendan Case Writer

Maintaining a creative institutional culture doesn’t mean abandoning the budget. A free resource explores how innovation and business thinking can -- and should -- exist together.

Quiz: Investing for sustainability

By David Briggs Journalist

Many congregations have endured staff cutbacks, salary freezes and deferred maintenance in response to the recession. But one budget area that may need to be increased, even in hard economic times, is programming, recent research suggests. Take our quiz to test your knowledge of the relationship between economics and congregational health.