Financial Forecasting and Communication

Is your church approaching a financial cliff? Are you wondering how to avoid going off the edge?

This webinar was part 1 of 3 of the Navigating the Wilderness series held by Conference Staff The Rev. Susan Townsley and Charlie Kuchenbrod.

This program flyer offers a primer on how church’s wind up on the edge of the cliff and ways to reverse direction.

See Also:

Navigating the Wilderness Part 3: Directions for Change: Leadership Tools for Change

Further Readings:

It all starts with a Sense of Urgency

US Church Membership Down Sharply in Past Two Decades

7 Startling Facts: An Up Close Look at Church Attendance in America

15 Things the Church needs to Do in 2015

Why are Millennials less religious?

Also see A Church Finance Handbook, 2018 version; see the section on Financial Sustainability, p 78ff

Changing Religious Landscape

Why Americans go and don’t go to Church Services

Examples to consider:

• First Stamford CT: Building Sale, Quiet Period, will re-launch later

• United Church Bridgeport CT: Building sale, renting for worship, Monthly dinner church, launched “nOURish Bridgeport”

• Second Greenwich CT: Evensong services

• First Congregational New London CT: Lease back after building sale, the New London Urban Outreach Program

• Stamford Community Church CT: rebranding, worship style change

• Redeemer New Haven CT: Transplanting to curated list of neighboring churches, carefully considered legacy work with remaining resources

• First Danbury CT: in progress: working to launch program called Sages and Seekers, spirituality for community and business leaders, working to launch a program called “the Meetinghouse,” community gatherings to address committee meetings