Economy forcing Church budget cuts

Church budget-cutting: Prudent planning or excessive anxiety?

Excerpt:

As the nation’s economic crisis seeps further into congregations, budget cuts are the order of the day. But are churches reacting more to fear than facts?

The financial pain for churches is real. But evidence is mixed about how much member giving is suffering right now and how widespread -- or necessary -- budget cutting has become.

If you listen to the conversation between pastors, however, it’s clearly the topic on top of their minds.

“I know of one [church finance] committee that wanted to make 33 percent cuts based on computer projections,” reported Michael Smith of First Baptist Church of Murfreesboro, Tenn. “Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed, the need was shared with the church, and the need for such a major cut evaporated.”

The majority of churches contacted for this article -- such as Emerywood Baptist in High Point, N.C., and River Road Church, Baptist, in Richmond, Va. -- have made significant budget cuts already this year, typically between 5 percent and 10 percent.

Comment: We need to 1) Be faithful to our local church!; 2.) Give faithfully; 3.) Pray