Letters to John: How to Run a Church When you are Not a Pastor: or What Can Lay Leaders Do when the Going Gets Rough?

The economic decline that started in the fall of 2008 has had a significant impact on individuals, small businesses, large corporations, and the nation as a whole; it has also had an impact on many local churches. As a result of these financial issues, my local church of approximately 500 active members was put in a position where we had to decrease our initially planned budget of $1,100,000 to $920,000 (a decrease of approximately 25%). Implementing this budget cut led the church to lay off four people: 1 of 2 custodians, 1 of 3 full-time office staff, our full-time youth leader, and our associate pastor. The remaining staff took pay cuts varying from 6% to 12%. Money set aside for ministries was also decreased, with most of the impact being felt in the area of outreach. The decisions for these cuts were made by the members of a body called the Church Council. This document is written as a series of letters to "John", a member of a local church similar to the one I attend. It is intended to present various issues that church leaders can and will encounter, and (perhaps) some different ways of looking at how they lead their church. The areas covered by the letters include the following topics: Creating the Church Council Running the Church Council Raising Church Revenue Running a Church Committee Establishing Priorities and Budgeting Resources to Meet the Local Church's Strategy