How Transparent is Your Church?
I visit a lot of churches in my work with the Foundation. Some of them are situated where God’s beautiful creation is on display. While pleasing to the eye, this is not the kind of transparency church members are seeking. Church members want the kind of transparency that builds trust and confidence. Church members want and deserve regular financial reports. How often does your church send out a record of how much each member gives? As individuals, we are used to receiving bills in the mail. When we get a bill, we pay it.
Does your church send out quarterly statements? If not, why not? Over the years, I’ve learned church members appreciate receiving a statement from their church because it helps everyone stay current.
People give to their church for many reasons. For one, they believe in the mission. A second reason is that people have respect for their pastor, and thirdly, members appreciate transparency. Treasurers and financial secretaries are usually volunteers, and we need to be considerate of their donation of volunteer time, but the benefit of quarterly statements is very important.
The same is true when reporting finances to the church council or board. The form does not have to be complicated, but council or board members need to be informed on a regular basis. Transparency is vital in finances and stewardship.
There was a time when finances were reported on a presentation board at the front of the church. I would not recommend this practice any more for several reasons. Number one: this implies to a person visiting your church for the first time that the church is in trouble.
The second reason is that this board promotes a “we-don’t-have-enough” viewpoint that can work against transparency because it can lead to a misleading assumption that income and expenses are the same every week. Most churches receive a large portion of their yearly income during the last six weeks of the year. Plus, many members give once a month rather than weekly, so their giving would potentially not be reflected in a presentation of this type.
To be transparent with regard to finances, a church might use the newsletter to report the amount needed to meet the budget as well as the total amount given thus far. To put the current state of giving into context, you can also include year-over-year comparisons from previous years.
Quarterly or even monthly giving reports inform members how much they have given and how much they should give collectively to support ministries and meet the budget. These regular reports for individual givers could also include a letter outlining what their offerings are being used for. My experience with these reports is that giving gathers momentum after statements are mailed out.
The final item these giving reports can include is a thank-you! It always helps when a giver is thanked for his/her faithfulness.
Churches that value transparency welcome questions. Use the newsletter, worship service bulletins and the pulpit to answer questions that might be asked. Show your church members: “This is a church that doesn’t keep secrets from its members.” Let the light shine in!
By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Images by Isaac Quesada & Kyler Nixon, courtesy of Unsplash
