10 Things the Black Church Can Do to Be More Financially Solvent

There is no such thing as the perfect church but all churches and people must move toward excellence in every area of their life. In these lean times, churches have to learn how to do more with less and they are finding out that what they really thought they needed were not needs at all. Here are some pointers for getting The House in order.

1. No one should be a part of the Finance Committee/Trustee Board/ fancy name for delegator of the funds unless they have a credit score of 725 or better. One cannot be a good steward over other people’s money if they are not a good steward of their own. I know we like to give people a second chance but we must use wisdom at all time when handling God’s business.

2. There should only be a few hands looking over the books. Even then, there should be ample controls for accountability.

3. Shorten Sunday service or limit the amount of days the church is open. My old church was open 3-4 days a week but the heat was turned down and the only place that was in use was the foyer and the pastor’s office. The new church is on and popping ALL THE TIME…and we pay for it.

4. Just because every other church has it doesn’t mean your church has to have it. That church could have a day care or day school or screen with the songs and announcements. If your church cannot afford it, do not implement it unless you have the resources to pay for it. Move by faith if you want to. And if your church does have a day care and private school, charge what its worth not what you think the parents can afford. Please believe whatever the parents are not paying for the members will have to pay for and it will come out of the funds that should be available for other things. Don’t underprice your goods. Wisdom is key.

5. Merge or partner with another church. There are too many churches in America. However, church folks get territorial about their churches and so I understand merging can be difficult. However, if you have an aging congregation and there are three churches on one street in that same predicament, it’s time to consider moving in a different direction. We’re all the Body of Christ anyway, right? The churches can pick the largest location (or most efficient) and use those facilities. The extra buildings can be used for weddings and banquets as a separate business to bring employment into those neighborhoods….Think about it. If merging is out of the question consider partnering with other churches in some key areas. Most Black churches have a lot of the same characteristics-women’s fellowships/retreats, youth programs, men’s conferences, teen camps, etc. If similar churches partnered on some of these programs, it would save the churches a lot and cause the costs of these events to go down which would increase participation. More people would also be attracted as more people will be able to afford it. Unbelievers and disgruntled believers will see the love and comraderie of the saints being played out right before their very eyes. Churches have to stop seeing themselves as separate companies; competitors with one another. They must start seeing themselves as members, ministries of the Body of Christ, first and foremost.

6. Kill the small stuff. Does your church really need personalized envelopes? Is there a lot of busybody ministries/staff/etc that to need to be cut out? Trim the fat.

7. Streamline the amount of ministries and reorganize meeting times to save on energy.

8. Minimize anniversaries. One church I know has an anniversary ceremony every Sunday afternoon. The 4 ministries or events being honored can do all their celebrating on one Sunday out of that month and call it a day.

9. If putting a price tag on extra Bible classes (other than the typical Mid-week Bible class) is a conflict of interest (as it should be), find a creative way to fundraise off church grounds.

10. Teach financial literacy to the youth. People do not tithe because they are stingy. They do not tithe because they are broke or in over their heads in debt. Financial literacy must be taught before our kids go off to college and not after they have landed in a ditch that they dug and do not know how to get out of.