Our Strategy as a church during the Economic Uncertainty

As a nation we are facing serious financial uncertainty. Even the "experts" will tell you that they don't know what is going to happen or when. Have we hit bottom? Not sure. Will things get a lot worse before they get better? Not sure. What does this mean for people looking for jobs or getting ready to retire or trying to pay for school? Not sure.

So amidst the "not sure", I want to let you know six things we are doing as a church to effectively steward God's resources and ministry. But first, two important notes:

1. The Church's Finances are Solid
   I am not writing this because the church is having financial problems. We are not. Our 150 Day Challenge is going very well as is our outside fundraising efforts. I will be able to give you a full update on both in the next couple of weeks--suffice it to say that the results so far are encouraging. You should also know that we are a debt-free church!

   It is also worth noting that we have met or exceeded our (aggressive) monthly giving goals every month this fiscal year (which started July 1). In fact, each of the last six months we have met or exceeded these goals! I am very encouraged about this and proud of you all for your faithfulness!

2. We are growing and God is moving!
   Not only are our finances healthy, but our church is healthy. Our Fall attendance numbers are up about 25% from last year and our annual attendance growth is up 40% from last year. We are seeing increasing numbers of people in small groups, serving, in missions, and giving. We have started new strategic partnerships with two counseling centers, will launch our Manchester campus this spring, and are moving forward on a number of exciting initiatives (not the least of which is purchase of both our current property and the Coventry property). You can read more about my thoughts on how we are doing as a church in my recent blog post Evaluating 40 Days of Purpose, One Year Later.

That said, here are SIX THINGS WE ARE DOING AS A CHURCH REGARDING THE CURRENT ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY:

1. DON'T STOP
   We are not stopping any initiatives or ministries, including the 150 Day Challenge, our pursuit of the Coventry property, Storrs property or launch of our Manchester campus. We don't think that God is surprised by the current economic climate and therefore trust that when He spoke to us several months ago to pursue these opportunities, He knew what He was talking about. While this does not guarantee success, we will GO UNTIL WE GET A NO--and we haven't heard no yet.

2. SCENARIO PLAN
   There are really only three things that could happen in the future regarding the economy: (1) things could get worse, (2) things could stay the same, or (3) things could get better.

   If you want to get more technical, there are actually 5 things: (1) significantly worse, (2) moderately worse, (3) the same, (4) moderately better, (5) significantly better.

   As leaders, we are preparing appropriate plans based on those scenarios so that we are prepared.

3. PRIORITIZE
   As part of our scenario planning, we are also prioritizing our expenses and budget. It is possible that we will do some re-budgeting in January (half way through our fiscal year) and we are always watching our cash flow, even in good times.

   In general, if we need to make tough decisions, here are our priorities: (1) Evangelism (including marketing and advertising), (2) Missions (with an emphasis on local causes such as MACC, WAIM, etc), (3) Infrastructure/Systems (such as staffing and facilities, working computers, etc), and (4) Growth Engines (such as our New Guest program, kids ministry etc).

   Lower priorities include stuff that is "for us" (as opposed to for our community), things that are bonus (nice, but not really life-changing) and things like equipment upgrades, professional development, fellowship events, etc.

4. INCREASE MINISTRY
   When economic times are hard, people often look to the church for help and guidance. We want to be there. This means increasing certain strategic ministries including things like Financial Peace University, counseling, and outreach/evangelism.

5. BE FAITHFUL
   We will continue to be faithful to God and the vision He has given us and called us to. We will also, without apology, challenge and encourage others in their faithfulness to God--including with their personal finances. Our weekly giving has gone up over 30% in the last 6 months and that is very impressive and I am proud of us. Many people took the "tithe challenge" last spring and even more increased the percentage of their income that they were giving to God's work -- including many who are giving more than a tithe or working towards it. As your pastor, I encourage you to make faithful giving a priority in your life that does not get shaken by the economy. We are called to give proportionally (that is, based on a %), sacrificially, joyfully, and from our first fruits. Let's keep doing that together!

6. GET HEALTHY
   We are more committed than ever to helping every member of our community get financially healthy! That means getting people to the point where they are EARNING, GIVING, SAVING and SPENDING in a God-honoring way (and in that order!), eliminating debt, building appropriate emergency funds, and understanding God's principles for money management. We will be making resources available online and also looking to offer an additional Financial Peace University small group soon. Also, if you need assistance with debt reduction, budgeting, or coming up with a financial game plan, please come talk to me!

One last note...

This is what we are doing as a church. I would also encourage you to do these 6 things as individuals and as families. Take some time to look at your finances and be clear about where GOD IS ASKING YOU TO GO, create SCENARIO PLANS (and if you are married, do this together!), PRIORITIZE your budget and spending, increase your own PERSONAL MINISTRY, continue to be FAITHFUL, and commit to being a FINANCIALLY HEALTHY individual and family--debt free, with an emergency fund, stewarding well all the resources God has given you!

In Christ,

Ben