The WidoW's mighT - Baptist Bible Tribune

Churches not yet enjoyingeconomic reboundNASHVILLE Tenn. – While the U.S. economy showssigns of experiencing a “jobless recovery,” the country’s10 percent unemployment rate is keeping churchbudgets in a bind, a new study by LifeWay Researchfound. Yet in spite of the financial difficulty, manychurches are launching new ministries to help families inneed.A full 35 percent of the 1,002 Protestant pastorssurveyed in November 2009 said giving in their churcheswas flat compared to the same period in 2008. Another29 percent said giving was down, including 18 percentwho reported a decrease of 10 percent or more.More than half the pastors reported higher unemploymentin their congregations and almost a fourthsaid more people have moved away in search of work.Many more churches reported they had frozen staffsalaries for 2009 — 47 percent, in contrast to 35percent as reported in a similar February 2009 survey.Forty percent indicated they had cut back on outsourcingproducts and services to save money.Seventy percent of the pastors said they werereceiving more requests for financial assistance frompeople outside the congregation, and 42 percent saidtheir churches had responded by increasing spending onbehalf of needy families. Additionally, 44 percent saidmore church members were involved in volunteer serviceto their communities.Among the survey’s other findings:• 11 percent reduced staff salaries from 2008 levels, 8percent delayed planned hiring, 5 percent reducedstaff insurance benefits, 5 percent laid off one ormore employees, and 14 percent delayed large capitalexpenses.• 35 percent of the pastors said they had paid moreministry expenses out of their own pockets, 16 percenttook voluntary pay cuts, 7 percent added nonministryjobs for more income, and 7 percent askedtheir spouses to add a non-ministry job.• 38 percent of the pastors said they were receivingmore requests for assistance from church members,14 percent said more people in their congregationshad lost their homes, and 14 percent said fewerpeople are volunteering because they are workinglonger hours.In many cases, difficult economic times are havingthe beneficial side effect of enlarging congregations’vision for helping people in need — both inside andoutside the congregation. But the financial pinch is notlikely to ease until the unemployment situation improves,Stetzer said.“The economic downturn is forcing many churchesto become more volunteer-driven organizations focusedon helping the hurting in times of need,” Ed Stetzer, directorof Lifeway Research, said. “But churches have notyet joined the broader economic recovery and, historically,they tend to recover financially when unemploymentdecreases — and usually after the economy as a whole.”Source: Full article at www.christianpost.com50 years ago...in the Baptist Bible TribuneStory appeared in the Februuary 12, 1960 edition of the Tribune.February 2010 | Baptist Bible Tribune | 5