Giving Gap
From Crosswalk:
Christian News Wire reports that a recent survey of almost 1,100 church leaders revealed an increasing gap between income and projected expenses for churches. According to the survey results from Your Church magazine, tithes and offerings, which comprise an average of 87 percent of the average church's budget, have declined for 40 percent of the churches surveyed within the past six months. At the same time, 32 percent say budgets have increased between 2 to 10 percent over last year's expenses. "Historically, evangelical Protestant churches tend to be tithe-driven," says Ed Stetzer, president of Lifeway Research. "Effects of unemployment tend to lag a bit for churches that emphasize tithing, but as the unemployment rate continues to increase, more congregations will get hit financially. Churches need to be ready for this impact."
Christian News Wire reports that a recent survey of almost 1,100 church leaders revealed an increasing gap between income and projected expenses for churches. According to the survey results from Your Church magazine, tithes and offerings, which comprise an average of 87 percent of the average church's budget, have declined for 40 percent of the churches surveyed within the past six months. At the same time, 32 percent say budgets have increased between 2 to 10 percent over last year's expenses. "Historically, evangelical Protestant churches tend to be tithe-driven," says Ed Stetzer, president of Lifeway Research. "Effects of unemployment tend to lag a bit for churches that emphasize tithing, but as the unemployment rate continues to increase, more congregations will get hit financially. Churches need to be ready for this impact."
Comments
Post a Comment