By Jeff Harvey, Content Strategist
Every church administrator knows the importance of strategic budgeting — as well as the risks of running a ministry without one. Good budgeting can help your church fulfill its mission, while poor budgeting (or no budgeting at all) leads to confusion, canceled projects, and even church closures.
Your church has a mission, and finances play a critical role in reaching your goals. That’s why having a well-planned church budget ensures that you prioritize resources for what matters most: sharing the gospel and making more disciples.
Get all you need to create a church budget
Creating a budget for your church doesn’t have to be complicated, even if you don’t have a finance background. Our team at Subsplash partners with over 17,000 churches and organizations to reach billions of people around the world with the gospel message through mobile church apps, websites, live streaming, church management software, and much more — all on one unified platform. Our goal is to provide churches with the tools they need to better know, grow, and disciple their people.
That’s why we created a free 27-page ebook, The Church Budgeting Guide, with downloadable budget templates, worksheets, and practical tips to help you excel in financial stewardship.
Whether you’re new to church budgeting or a seasoned financial pro, this ebook will provide practical insights into budgeting best practices, templates for creating your budget, and tips from actual pastors. By downloading this ebook, you’ll have all the knowledge and resources you need to create a budget and jumpstart your ministry’s annual planning!
Learn best practices for church finances
There are many checks and balances that every church should use in order to keep their church finances safe. Here are just a few examples of practical steps from The Church Budgeting Guide that your church can start taking today.
Use the “four eyes principle”
A fundamental practice that can make a world of difference for your church is requiring at least two pre-selected leaders to review and approve any significant financial transactions. This can be something as simple as requiring two signatures on checks over a certain amount or having multiple people go over contracts from vendors or contractors before signing.
Pull regular financial reports
A simple budgeting practice is providing monthly and quarterly financial reports. Your treasurer or church accountant can submit a monthly overview to leaders overseeing church finances, along with a more detailed quarterly report to your board of directors or trustees. This demonstrates transparency and accountability, which builds trust with your leadership and congregation.
Create a plan for investigating suspected theft or fraud
Did you know that 80% of church theft cases go unreported? This is often because churches lack any plan or process for reporting and investigating suspicious financial activity or discrepancies.
Churches should create procedures that are enacted when something is reported, along with an oversight committee to ensure they are investigated and followed up.
Discover how Subsplash can help your church
As a leader in church engagement technology, Subsplash is passionate about equipping every church with powerful, simple-to-use tools including mobile apps, TV apps, websites, online giving, live streaming, and more — all to help churches grow and engage their communities.
But our passion for helping churches doesn’t end there. By sharing this free resource, we hope to support churches everywhere as they set out to fulfill their missions.
To learn more about how churches are growing their churches, increasing generosity, and making more disciples by partnering with Subsplash, schedule a call with one of our ministry consultants today!
Jeff Harvey lives in Austin, TX and is a husband, father, and bonsai enthusiast.
He’s served churches for over 20 years as a pastor, teacher and missionary. He also holds a MBA from George Fox University and is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish.
