![]() What do those roles earn? This should be the higher standard than what other churches in the community pay their staff members. Think about other roles in your community that require multiple degrees and experience. So how do we judge what’s appropriate? For pastors and other staff leaders, I think you need to begin by asking what other professionals in your community make. In fact, Scripture provides no caution for paying too much, but we do see this warning about paying too little. The bottom line is that church staff leaders should be paid well. For the Scripture says, ‘You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.’ And in another place, ‘Those who work deserve their pay!’” (1 Timothy 5:17-18, NLT) “Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. Let me do my best to address 5 of the common questions we receive on this topic. Finding your churches church’s position using this list provides the needed insight into a healthy budget range and puts you on track to create a healthy church budget.Ministry is all about people reaching people and disciples making disciples.īecause of that, it should be no surprise that the largest financial investment most churches make is on people, specifically the church staff.īecause this is typically such a significant financial commitment, it often raises a number of key questions. This list is not exhaustive but is a good start to determine what your church facility needs to remain clean and safe and create an inviting atmosphere for people to gather and worship. Use the prior year’s bills to project future use. Utilities – Electricity, natural gas, water, internet connectivity, etc., all come due each month.Think beyond just insurance for damage to the facility coverage should include fraud, misconduct, and protection for the officers. Insurance – I could have never imagined making an insurance claim for snow damage in our Southern California desert church location, but we did.COVID taught all of us the importance of using the right cleaner in the right places. Custodial – No one wants to use a dirty bathroom that is inadequately stocked.Safety – This category should include fire alarms, fire extinguishers, background checks, security systems, outdoor lighting, etc.Maintenance is not cheap but will pay for itself with the right vendor. The best way to maximize the life of an HVAC unit is with quarterly maintenance. Mechanical (HVAC) – The average life span of an HVAC unit is approximately 15 years.These are all factors on the facilities budget. Think about the paint on the curbs and parking spaces, leaking sprinklers, or dying trees and shrubs. Landscape – First impressions are so important, and like it or not, the parking lot is part of that impression.Repair / Maintenance – The facility’s age and location are significant factors in ensuring enough funds are budgeted to keep up on everything from touch-up paint to door replacements.Mortgage – If your church carries a mortgage, this likely takes up a significant portion of the facility’s budget and will put your church further up the scale.Understanding the line items that fit in the Facilities budget helps clarify the spread. The variance in the range accounts for the different needs and unique situations of each church. That is a pretty big spread, right? For a church with a $500,000 annual budget, the facilities portion could range from $100,000 to $200,000. A healthy church budget for facilities should range between 20-40% of the entire budget. There is an entire post dedicated to church budget percentages, but this post focuses on budgeting for the facility. If your church is outside the range, does that make it unhealthy? In the same way, being within the healthy percentage does not necessarily mean your church is healthy. Let’s start by acknowledging this is a loaded topic. Here are a couple of considerations to keep in mind: Healthy Church Percentages There is tension in determining how much funding is required to create a safe, clean, and distraction-free place to worship and still move forward on the mission. No wonder so many church financial teams are wondering how much of the church budget should go toward the facility. And all too often, the donations are not keeping up to feed the facility monster and fund ministry. The safety, maintenance, utilities, mortgage, insurance, etc., are ever-increasing line items on a budget. The church must provide adequate funding for what is arguably its most valuable asset after people. This disparity brings additional tension to the budgeting process. ![]() That means your church has more equity locked into the value of your property and facility than it has in liquid assets. If your church carries a mortgage, chances are your church is like many homeowners in Southern California, house rich and cash poor.
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