I recently had someone email and ask me about budgeting challenges they’re having at their church. Here are the questions I asked in return:

  • Is your vision big enough? People give to vision, not budgets.
  • Do you have too many programs competing for limited resources? It’s hard to budget in program-heavy churches.
  • Do you have too many on staff? You should be able to take care of your staff financially. If you can’t, you probably have too many staff.
  • Have you read this book by George Barna? It’s an older title, but it contains some great insights on this topic.
  • Do you have a plan in place to provide financial
    counseling and training?     People
    who don’t know how to steward the resources God has given them aren’t
    able to give. If not, you need to check out Joe’s site.
  • When was the last time you taught two or more
    messages in a row on tithing?     You
    have to provide biblical teaching on tithing. The Bible has a lot to
    say on money issues.

What questions would you add to the list?