5 Effective Cut Back Tips

Added to the concerns of how the state of the economy will affect our own personal finances, we, as financial administrators, are watchful as to how it will affect our church also.

With a smaller church, when just a few of your church members are affected by the economy, you are going to feel the sting.

So here are some ideas to help your church continue to minister to your community during these tough economic times.

Prayer: As church administrators, we personally know of the challenges that our churches are facing, so, who better to pray those needs. After all, our church belongs to the Lord and He will take care of His own.

Fundraisers: Let the youth director organize some bake sales and car washes to help with the youth ministry expenditures. Call a meeting with the ladies of the church and see who could help organize a Fundraising committee if you don't already have one.

Most people would be glad to help in any way they can. They just need to be asked. I will make a quick suggestion here: Don't let just one or two people handle all your fundraisers. Mainreason...you'll burn them out quickly by dumping all the responsibility on them.

Offerings: If giving is down, you should give people a chance to give at every service or event. Some churches only take up offerings once a week; however, not everyone may be in that service, so always give people an opportunity to be blessed.

Also, encourage your church members to continue giving theirfaithful offerings. This can be done through the preaching and also by letting your members know that their church is feeling the squeeze of the economy also.

Some people do not think when they let their offerings go for awhile that it will affect the church very much, but what they may not realize is if several people at the same time cut back on their giving is can really hurt the church. Let them feel a part of keeping the Word of God going forth. Let them help. It is their church too

Cut back on spending: Little things can really add up, like asking the ladies of the church to donate the snacks for your church meetings or events, making sure all the lights are turned off when not in use, adjusting the thermostat, and asking members to donate their unused nursery, kitchen, and office supplies.

Cut back on purchases also: Reevaluate your purchases. Is there something you could do without? Do we really need the expensive Dixie plates in the church kitchen, or could we make do with the cheaper generic paper plates?

How about the liquid soap in the bathroom? Maybe we don't absolutely have to have the SoftSoap and could make do with refilling that pretty SoftSoap container with a cheaper brand and while we are at it, we might have to forgo the nice hand lotion in the ladies bathroom too.

Remember, a few cents here and a few cents there will eventually add up to some nice savings.

Save on office supplies.
7 ways to cut cost on your church's office supplies.

This is just a few of the ways you can save and raise money to keep the Light on in your community.

Additional Resources

See this informative article on Ideas for Church Budget Cuts.

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