Let’s do the math. How much of your giving before the outbreak of COVID19 was electronic? That ratio will tell you a lot. Most of my clients see around 50% of their giving come through some electronic format. My church has an incredible 75% ratio, yet that leaves 25% of their budget lost or in danger. On top of this, many churches due to weather or other issues were already behind their budget numbers. COVID19 has created an even greater hole.
Next, factor in how many of your faithful givers are facing declines in their incomes due to COVID19. I have lost clients who cannot pay; thus, my tithe will be less, even as we still faithfully give. Multiply this many times over, and you can see that your church is in for a difficult time financially.
Every week without services digs a more massive financial hole for your church. In all probability, your church doors will remain closed for at least two to four more weeks. Depending upon the area of the country you are in, you will have lost anywhere from four to eight weeks of attendance. How can your church stand strong through COVID19? You must act immediately. Every day you delay endangers your ability to survive this. Right now, your immediate concern is the survival of your church.
My Immediate advice for churches:
- Cut spending. Immediately all non-essential spending should be frozen in place. Everyone in your congregation is cutting their spending. Every business in your community is cutting spending. Take their lead and cut spending as drastically as you can. Failing to cut your budget will make it challenging to encourage your members to keep giving if they don’t feel you have taken COVID19 seriously.
- Cut your budget. You are not going to hit your budget numbers. Why keep a budget that is impossible to meet? One of my clients cut their budget by 20% immediately in the first week of closures. Yesterday they cut another 15% out of their $2 million-dollar yearly budget. At 65% of their set budget, the Senior Pastor still wonders if they have cut enough. Our advice to churches is to reduce your budget even more than you think you need to. You can always add items back in when COVID19 runs its course.
- Turn the thermostat down! Seriously, have you reset the thermostat throughout your now-empty buildings? My point is to eliminate any waste possible. Even minor things can save you money. One of the few positive things about this time is that we are learning what is essential and what is not. My church decided to eliminate the printed Sunday bulletin, for instance. Sure we are not meeting now, but imagine the savings that will mean for the firsts weekend services are back to normal. Eliminate the non-important to help you save money not just for today but into the future.
- Think 30, 60, 90, 120 days out! We need to remember that this too will pass. We have been in crisis before. We will get through this. That much we know, but your goal is to minimize the damage so your church can survive and sustain the missions and ministries God has called you to do. Right now, you need to think about survival. The next few weeks and months will be the worst. You have to take care of the immediate, but don’t lose sight of the future.
- Protect your Assets! Your facilities are a vital asset not only for doing ministry today but for securing a stable financial future for your church. If you have a loan, do whatever you need to do to stay current on that loan. We are advising all clients to talk to their lending institutions. Many of my clients are seeing their banks grant them interest only for the next 90 days. One pastor told me this is saving his church $9,000. For him, that equals one offering.
- Talk about Digital Giving. I know this sounds obvious, but now more than ever, we need to talk about giving. People need to know that they can still financially support their church. They need to be reminded that even though our doors may be closed, ministry has not stopped. In fact, I believe that our opportunity to minister to our communities will be even greater than ever before. From church-wide emails, to social media posts, use every avenue of communication to remind your church that ministry is still happening and that they can still give online!
These six immediate steps will help you navigate through the present challenges presented to us by COVID19. They will also position you for the future after the inevitable, the passing of COVID19. Today is a time for action. Don’t delay to act and to act decisively. Your actions today better assure your success and growth in the future. The church that is standing strong in the future is the church that plans today for tomorrow!
How much of your giving before the outbreak of COVID19 was digital? That will tell you a lot. My church has an incredible 75% ratio, yet that leaves 25% of their budget lost or in danger. Check out my 6 immediate steps for standing strong through COVID19. https://t.co/1JehRDWvCT pic.twitter.com/etBU6xV806
— Online Giving (@onlinegivingorg) March 27, 2020
