As the recession has worsened, churches are gaining many opportunities to reach out to their church body and to the local community. However, churches are running low on funds necessary to continue their outreaches.
Historically, giving has remained fairly consistent within the church even during hard times, but a Barna Group survey revealed that during the past three months one out of five households have decreased their giving to churches and to other religious entities. Barna also said that the average church will find their revenue has dropped four to six percent during the last quarter of 2008. The reason contributions have dropped is due to unemployment, rising home prices, declining retirement pensions, and to individuals hoarding money out of fear.
However, some churches have found ways to assist people outside of monetary donations. A church in North Carolina has established an outreach center where people can find food, education, job training, and budget counseling. Larry Chapin, the senior past of Chester Presbyterian Church in Virginia, said that while giving during unstable economic times is a challenge, “giving is not supposed to be easy, so there may be a value in that, for all of us.”
Information taken from: Tracy Farnham and Robin Farmer. “Bad Economic Times a Mixed Blessing for Churches.” The News Herald. www2.morganton.com.
-- Ashley High is a Research Assistant at Christian Foundation Grants (www.christianfoundationgrants.com) which is a subscription database of foundations that provide grants to faith based organizations. iDonate.com is a website (www.iDonate.com) that allows ministries to receive non cash gifts online.