Thank God miracles still happen. One Madison church narrowly escaped bankruptcy last year when just the right amount of money needed for a payment arrived just before the deadline. But not every church is able to avoid foreclosure.
A story last week on National Public Radio reported that “lenders foreclosed on about 100 churches last year, an enormous increase from just a few years ago.”
The economy is starting to rebound and churches may be expecting that tight finances will ease in the months ahead. But not everyone believes the financial future will look at all like it used to look.
What’s ahead?
Take a look at what’s happening with local, state, and federal budgets. Deficits are becoming unmanageable. That means governments will be looking for new revenue sources. Churches and other non-profits may be facing fees for services, as well as members with reduced disposable income.
Jerry Twombly, an experienced development consultant, believes that non-profit organizations (including churches) will not be able to financially operate as they have before. And that they can do a better job with the financial and human resources at their disposal.
In several practical e-books (in PDF format) available on Twombly’s blog, Twombly offers some basic advice useful for churches or non-profits to help clarify the means to achieve their goals. One e-book is called Six Things You Can Do Now to Thrive in a Crisis Economy.
Coming to Madison
Twombly will be in Madison on March 11th (one month from this Friday) for a one-day workshop called Funding Your Vision in the New Economy. The workshop is open to leaders of non-profits and church leaders. The workshop is sponsored by madisonchristians.com.
Funding Your Vision in the New Economy will be held from 9:00am to 4:00pm, at the Madison Urban League’s new Evjue Community Conference room at 2222 S. Park Street, Madison. The cost is only $60 per person and includes two of Jerry’s books, and a workbook for the day. If you are connected to a non-profit, you won’t want to miss this.