As pastors, we live by faith, but we live on a budget, right? It’s true, and that’s why it is important that we be good stewards of our time, energy and resources—not just ours but our church’s as well. If you’ll allow, I’d like to take a few minutes and share with you a couple of ideas where financial resources may be waiting for you without you having to bring in more money or spend less money in your ministry.
I believe that there are hidden opportunities for stewardship that we often miss out on, and it’s because they reveal themselves when we discover our ministry’s unclear processes, inefficiencies, and areas of non-compliance. I know it’s hard to get out of the hamster wheel and stop a project in motion, but you’ll find that, like any investment, if you can invest the time for improvement in the way your ministry functions, it’ll pay off in many ways.
Unclear processes waste time. A process that is clear will:
- Come with training. You have to take the time to train people about the process, but your time investment will pay dividends.
- Come with practice. When you give people the opportunity to practice your processes and procedures, those processes and procedures become automatic for them. Efficiency increases as things become automatic.
- Come with explanations of the “why” beyond the “how.” When you’re trying to teach someone to do something and they don’t understand why exactly they’re doing it, they’re less likely to remember what you’re teaching them. They’re also less likely to do it or do it right! When they know the “why” behind the “how,” they will be more invested in the final outcome, and that will reduce the clean-up you’d likely have to do if they didn’t understand.
Processes require accountability, especially if the benefits are not immediately obvious to the person who is responsible for the process. A lot of times, especially as an Operations Pastor, we have processes in place that our staff might not fully understand the “why” behind. We have to help provide them with the understanding and the reminder to follow our processes to ensure the type of success we’re looking for.
Not too long ago, I had the chance to share with our staff at Faith Family Church the cost of non-compliance. I wanted to put it in terms they would appreciate, so I walked them through a couple of examples:
The first was missed clock-ins. Seems simple, right? People miss their click in, and you have to fix or investigate what went wrong. Here’s the problem: A missed clock-in costs us about $25 each time because we have to research, correct and report the resolution. This can add up quickly with a staff our size, so I encouraged our people to set a reminder on their phones. One of our staff members put a sign on his office door that says, “Clock in, clock out.” A little system like this can help your staff remember and save you time, energy, and resources.
The second example was lost receipts. I did the math, and lost receipts cost us about $10 to $15 a piece. The weird thing is some of those receipts are not that bug, but you have to confirm the receipt is missing, then inform the person about the missing receipt, the person has to attempt to find the receipt, and once found, you have to back and record the receipt. If not found, you have to document the loss. If you lose six receipts a week, which in a church of our size is easy, that can equate to $3,000 to $5,000 a year in wasted resources.
As I shared these examples, our team could see the impact of their decisions and how important it is for us to be good stewards. It’s not just about saving money on a purchase; it’s about how we operate.
Think about it: the costs I shared don’t appear on an income statement. They’re buried in inefficiency. If you can find those areas of waste, you can really make a difference without having to either bring in more income or cut costs. And what you save in time spent dealing with inefficiencies can be spent on things that bring people to Christ!
Now, if you really need to increase your income to accomplish your mission, it would be good for you to take a look at your fundraising and tithes and offerings reception process.
I think the biggest thing I’ve seen as a general rule is pastors don’t know how to talk effectively with people who have financial means. There’s a great book called Financial Giving. It’s written by the gentleman who started RSI, a stewardship company. He helps you understand how people with means think about money and ministry. Just like anything else, you should tailor your message to your audience. People with means generally give the big gifts to most ministries. They’re a large part of what a ministry is able to do. If you can learn to cast vision and talk to them, it can make a huge difference for your mission.
Another great book to consider reading is The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. It will help you communicate the power of giving in new ways. And Plastic Donuts is a cool book as well. These are both rather short books, the kind that can be read in an afternoon. They do a great job of explaining why we give and how to develop the discipline of giving.
If you find that even after you’ve dealt with inefficiencies in your operations you still have too much money going out—maybe your staff has a hard time staying within budget without feeling like their passion or vision is being squashed—I would suggest that you become a sounding board for your staff. Don’t try to control what they spend. Believe that you have hired experts in their area. They know more about their area of ministry than you do most likely! And really, you don’t want to have to approve every expense or be involved in every decision.
For instance, a staff member came to me one day and said, “Look, we’re going to be a little bit over budget to buy this, but instead of paying $79 in shipping, we’re going to get 100 more books.” I was okay with that. I found the extra money because that decision just made good sense.
When I can sit down with our staff and be their sounding board, I can often provide creative answers or affirm what they’re doing so they don’t have to feel the weight of their decision. Availability over time becomes the training needed for your staff to make those kinds of decisions on their own.
Pastor, I believe God has given you what you need to walk out His mission for your ministry. Now, it may take faith. (It usually does!) But if you will steward your resources well, you will discover there is more than enough for every need.
This blog was created using content from the webinar Avoiding Stress and Finding Success Financially.
