How will Church Finances Hold Up During the Pandemic
We know all the economy is bad for all kinds of people and businesses. How are churches doing?
There is lots of discussion about this. Some churches rely on the Sunday collection plate.
We have to remember churches have high "fixed costs." That is, the cost of preachers/priests, staff and building maintenance goes on even when the church doors are closed.
The period of closure has been only a handful of Sundays and according to interviews most people expect their church to reopen soon. If this happens the financial impact will be small.
If it is longer, the weakness of the church business model will be exposed. Churches are mostly buildings built, not for general uses, but for a specific use. The economic problem is the big sanctuary is used very little. When churches began to put day care in their Sunday School room this was the beginning of sound business thinking. It was churches diversifying.
What churches will learn from this virus crisis is they need to diversify even more. Their buildings need to be used more hours during the week by rent paying enterprises.
Many years ago I was on a Boy Scout visit to Winnipeg with my son's troop. We were hosted by a church in the downtown. The rather new building looked more like an apartment building. That's what it was.
An old congregation had been located in downtown Winnipeg for decades. Membership was declining. A developer offered to buy the church, tear it down and build apartments with an area on the first floor for the church. The "sanctuary" was a meeting room with many uses during the week and church on Sunday. The church was financially sound and I assume it still going.
Churches that allow flexibility in both their theologies and their buildings are smart and most likely to succeed.
Jon, “How will Church Finances Hold Up During the Pandemic?”
ReplyDeleteWhy with tax payer money from the Trump administration of course.
“Faith-based organizations are eligible to receive SBA loans regardless of whether they provide secular social services," the SBA said in a statement. "No otherwise eligible organization will be disqualified from receiving a loan because of the religious nature, religious identity, or religious speech of the organization. Faith-based organizations, are eligible to receive loans of up to $10 million, with at least 75% of the money going to cover payroll costs. The loans are in large part forgivable, so churches and other houses of worship won't have to worry about paying all the money back.” To hell with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. To hell with -"[I] will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/04/06/828462517/another-break-from-the-past-government-will-help-churches-pay-pastor-salaries
These are indeed hard times. Hard times come, hard times go. Good times come, good times go. floods, hail, drought, crop failures, crippling winter snows all come and go. Nothing new. This too will pass. In the US, many people have not seen bad times for a long time. They have been fortunate. In the US, much of our young and young adults have never seen bad times. Old people have and lived through it. Disease comes and disease goes. Wealth comes and wealth leaves us. War comes, and peace follows. There is always opportunity with change.
ReplyDeleteHelper-- Good overview of the human experience.
ReplyDeleteThe big picture overview is so often missing. Last night I read an interview with an expert on the 1919 flu epidemic. He is at the Un. of MN. He said pundits and politicians are focusing on current events, when will barbershops and restaurants open. This is the wrong approach, he said. The right approach is to acknowledge in inevitable that 50-60% of the world eventually will get the virus--it will not stop spreading until there is a vaccine or the 50-60% who will catch it have resistance. By slowing through distancing hospitals are better able to handle the severe cases. He wishes someone would lay this out on a national level so government and businesses could adjust accordingly. In addition, of course, we can be certain another bug will come along later.
This seems so realistic and the country should be thinking now about certain activities which will simply not be available--I don't claim to know which ones but it seems like crowded events would be the first victims.
Enter the words ; responsible and patience.
DeleteThere is an often repeated TV ad that goes; "I want it, and I want it now". I'm afraid all to often that is a popular trend today.
maybe your "expert" is right. and maybe not. there are a lot of experts out there who are clamoring for their spot in the limelight. and, like so many experts (as in the world of economics) they are far from a consensus/ agreement. as to focusing on current events, maybe you will redirect your "focus" if and when a depressed economy impugnes on your apparently comfy retirement lifestyle.
DeleteUnknown "...if and when a depressed economy impinges on your apparently comfy retirement lifestyle."
DeleteI try to be of service to my readers. In your case I provide a needed punching bag and am happy you enjoy insulting me.
As to experts, you are correct there are many and some may seem legitimate to various people. The one I quoted seems legitimate to me because he acknowledges what seems to be an undeniable fact, at this time there is no way to stop the spread of the virus. Distancing will slow it. But, it will continue to spread until there is a vaccine or until nearly all people vulnerable to catching it have done so.
Sifting through all the other stuff written I found something else I think is valuable. It addresses the question, how do I (or anyone else) know I'm going to get really sick before I feel any symptoms. The answer is to buy a PULSE OXIMETER. I had never heard of such a thing. I think they are scarce but our daughter found one and dropped it off. The only one she could find was more upscale, $70. You insert your finger into this tiny thing and it tells you your pulse and the percentage of efficiency of your lungs. When pulse rises and efficiency of lungs fall you have pneumonia even though you don't feel it. You can get it treated before you start gasping for oxygen.
poor Jon, a punching bag. pity. but tell me what's insulting about my foregoing comment. and you may be right: there may be no way of stopping the thing. yet, so far as I know, the 1918-19 flu played itself out(after killing 675,00 Americans). as I recall from my reading, there was no vaccine that was developed at the time. correct me if I'm wrong. as to your retirement, do you have a pension, investments? we just took a hit on what was considered a 100 percent safe investment. P.S. the 1347-48 Black Death eventually played it self out. most plagues do.
Deleteunknown -- I see tonight Deborah Biyx, the White House conronavirus coordinator now says distancing will be needed all summer. My guess is that in late fall she, if she has not been fired, will say it will be needed through the fall.
Deleteregrettably that well may be the case. I hope not but......
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