As we near the close of Advent on the Christian calendar, Christmas is just around the corner. During this beautiful season of light and hope, we celebrate the Nativity of the Lord and look forward to the possibilities of the new year. For church leaders, it’s also a time of planning and budgeting for their programs which support the community. Ministries both large and small face many of the same quandaries year after year, due to funding uncertainties and rising costs. Read through for some helpful ideas if you are tasked with managing fundraising and budgeting for your church.

For churches and other ministry non-profits, the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to become a debilitating financial crisis. How has banning onsite services, closing businesses, and other aspects of the pandemic affected tithing and other financial giving from congregations and donors? Has giving in your church been affected?

Sometimes it doesn't pay to reinvent the wheel, and this is one of those times! This special blog post includes, in its entirety, an important and time-sensitive message for church leaders, from the Rev. Saeed Richardson, Program & Operations Officer at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference.