Ways to Grow Your Church Finances
By Christine Bove
Victor and Jade felt the calling of God on their lives to plant a church since they studied together at their university. After faithfully serving in church together for several years, God spoke to them, and they began the preparations for a church plant.
The couple decided that they couldn’t do this church plant on their own. They couldn’t afford to fund it by themselves and certainly needed help figuring out where to start.
Victor and Jade gathered their launch team together to discuss fundraising and came up with ways to get their church plant started.
Why You Need to Raise Finances for Your Church
Victor and Jade realized it would take more than prayer and a team to make this church plant come to life; it would also require adequate finances.
Money isn’t everything. However, using money wisely and stewarding your resources well determines whether or not a church plant will last.
Financial wisdom builds a solid foundation for your church to grow and thrive in the future. Having some sort of financial stability gives your church plant a better chance at lasting longer.
Because of the culture we live in and the generation we are trying to preach the Gospel to, churches need money to operate and have lasting impact. Space requires money, tools and equipment require money, and general resources and curriculum require money. Finances are required to have a ministry in this day.
Money in and of itself is not a bad thing. It’s a very helpful tool God created to increase impact on the Earth for His kingdom. However, you should not let money rule or restrain you from chasing the call God has placed on your life.
How to Raise Finances for Planting a Church 101
Step 1: Be realistic. One of the first things to recognize when planting a church is that you can’t do it alone. In a previous blog post, we talked about the importance of having a launch team so you don’t have to plant by yourself.
With this team, discuss what will be needed to launch your church.
Use tangibles while you are discussing:
- Where will you be meeting? Do you need to pay rent for it?
- What kind of equipment do you need to use?
- Is there a curriculum you need to purchase?
- And so forth.
Step 2: Expand your knowledge. There are many ways to expand your knowledge of raising finances for planting a church. Fundraising ideas are endless, and you get to be creative with the knowledge you learn.
Here are some ideas for raising finances for your church:
- Partner with a Church Planting Organization: There are organizations that will partner with your church plant and help fund your mission. There is typically an interview process involved to determine whether both parties are a good fit for each other. Once that is determined, you gain another partner in getting your ministry started on a solid financial foundation.
- Collect a Targeted Donation: There are different online platforms for collecting funds. It’s best to do an online search and see which online platform will be the best fit for you. You can also collect funds through your own website that you can build with us here. Lastly, you can do a “Collection Sunday” where you cast vision to your congregation and ask people to donate to the vision.
- Host a Dinner Banquet: This can be as formal or informal as you would like. You can do a formal dinner where you invite church members, volunteers, and people of the community for a night of fellowship, giving, and vision-casting to all who gather. Or, instead of something formal, you could do a fun family night that is kid friendly. The idea behind either tactic is to charge for entry tickets and then ask for targeted donations during the event, all while enjoying community and having a great time.
- Car wash: This is always a fun one to do, and it is perfect to get both adults and children involved. You can ask for the supplies to be donated, and then see how many people will serve over a couple of weekends.
- Marathon/Walk-a-thon: You can host a marathon to support your church. Grab an event tent, some waters, and snacks, and let people pay to walk and socialize.
- Silent Auction & Raffle prizes: For this event, you can ask people to donate their skills, art, etc. toward the event to be raffled or auctioned off.Attendees can pay per raffle ticket and have the opportunity to bid money on other prizes.
- Host a Concert: If you have a very willing and skilled worship band, you can ask them to perform a concert where people pay for the tickets. This can be a fun environment that can be held at a park or another location with food and music. It’s a great way to connect together and have fun.
Step 3: Be aware. When planting a church, whether near or far, you need to know what you’re getting into and plan accordingly. Do your research and identify the economic status of the area you are wanting to plant in. You will want an educated understanding of the community and the area you will be investing in as a church.
Step 4: Have a plan. When planting a church, you cannot enter blindly. You will want to strategize and plan ahead. A great way to strategize is by using SMART goals.
SMART goals are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
You can use this guide as a way of making your vision come to life while also making it more manageable. By doing so, you and your team can practically implement your plan.
Step 5: Tap into the Wealth. There are others who have gone before you and have lived through starting a church from the ground up. These individuals are invaluable in helping you along your journey of church planting. You can gain incredible wisdom from them to make your ministry better, and you gain another supporter.
A Solid Foundation for the Future of Your Church
Victor and Jade gathered some incredible ideas from their team and worked together to create a practical strategy for their church and its finances. While they planned and strategized, they also remembered that the most important aspect of church planting isn’t having the best strategy, but instead, it is completely relying on God.
While we certainly need money to get a church plant started, we must always remember where the true power and provision lie: in God Himself.
We live in a material world, but ultimately, God will provide and give you what He needs you to have in order for you to carry out your calling. However, you have to be dependent on Him.
We recognize that planting a church is a daunting and thrilling task, and we love to come alongside our pastors and make sure they are set up for success. We have created a resource for church planters to learn how to best set up their church for the greatest future possible.
Visit us here at www.growyourchurchplant.com to receive your free church planting resources.
If you have any further questions in establishing your church plant, contact us at 877-494-4655 .