Churches across Alabama are in the final throes of approving budgets for 2010. And all are doing so with hope and a prayer. Literally.
From an economic standpoint, 2009 has not been a good year for churches. Giving is down for religious causes across America, according to empty tomb, an organization dedicated to tracking Christian stewardship. And this comes after giving to churches fell slightly more than 2 percent in 2008. Nationwide, 2008 was only the second time since 1954 when giving to religious causes actually decreased.
Further raising uncertainty is the fact that people tend to give less when they are concerned about their own economic situation. A study by Independent Sector found that households averaging more than $75,000 in income drop their giving by 33 percent when faced with personal economic uncertainty.
Households with average incomes between $50,000 and $75,000 drop their giving by 32 percent. Those between $25,000 and $50,000 cut giving by 45 percent. For those less than $25,000, the average decline is 23 percent.
The U.S. Census Bureau placed Alabama’s median household income at $40,596 in 2007. While that is not the average, it indicates that most Alabama families, including Baptist families, are likely to curtail giving during what some have called “the worst economic recession since the Great Depression.” Many already have.
There is a piece of good news among all the figures. Another study by Independent Sector found that households in the South that attend religious services on a weekly basis give 143 percent more to charitable causes than Southern households that do not attend services. This difference was the largest regional difference in giving found in the study. Another study found that people of faith are six times more likely to give to charitable causes than their secular counterparts.
Obviously participating in worship makes a difference in giving.
The current recession is not the first Alabama Baptists have experienced. Since 1970, economists say there have been 11 years of national recession.
In only five of those years did giving to religious causes decrease. But instead of being a comfort, that fact illustrates how serious the current economic situation is.
At the same time, the cyclical nature of recessions has allowed people to study their impact on giving and highlight steps churches might take to help them prepare for an economic storm like the one we are in.
The first recommendation is not to panic. Church giving has not dropped off as drastically as other areas in years past. Nor is it dropping off as severely this year.
A survey by The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University in Indianapolis found many medium-sized and small churches holding steady. Some megachurches, however, have had to lay off staff, including ministerial staff.
Some state conventions have done the same as the downturn in giving is felt throughout Southern Baptist life.
While churches are cautioned not to panic, they also are urged not to live in a state of self-denial. When the only action is to hope the rough times pass quickly, the result is usually a more critical situation than if one had taken precautionary steps.
Self-denial can result in poor planning and budgeting. It can create crises that could have been avoided with a little forethought and preparation. Baptists are sometimes guilty of trying to hide foolhardiness behind claims of faith. We go “full steam ahead” until forced to face reality. Then we usually panic.
Given the past two years, there is no excuse for any Baptist pastor, entity leader or church member to be caught by surprise by today’s economic situation and its impact on various ministries. To ignore the warning signs or intentionally create an economic crisis for a Baptist body is questionable leadership at best.
The Indiana University study documented what all of us know from experience. Those churches that are proactive in teaching and preaching about the use of money are doing a better job of weathering the economic storm than others.
Lifestyle stewardship is not philanthropy. Philanthropy is giving to a cause. Lifestyle stewardship marries religious belief with the practices of life. It is a way one lives out core religious values as they relate to the use of resources.
Challenging people to economic faithfulness during a recession is certainly appropriate, but it is not as effective as teaching people they are responsible to God for how they use all their wealth whether times are good or bad. And this needs to be done during noncritical moments.
The church’s task is not to raise an offering. That can be done through guilt and manipulation, and some resort to such motivations. The task of the church is nobler. It is to help people practice lifestyle stewardship, and that cannot wait on a crisis.
Maintaining a balanced program is another suggestion offered for uncertain economic times. Worship opportunities cannot be sacrificed for outreach. Education cannot be omitted for ministry. While some parachurch groups can concentrate on one program, a church or denomination cannot. Every part of church life is important. The challenge is to be true to the total biblical directive rather than to just one part of it, as some people always urge.
After all, God’s call does not change just because money is tight.
Making a church budget is challenging in the best of times. Dealing with an uncertain future is always based on hope; a better word might be faith. And prayer is an indispensable element of all we do, including making a budget.
May God help us to learn from our past, act responsibly in the present and make faith-informed decisions about the future as we make budgets and in every part of life.
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