Collide Magazine

Balancing Your Tech Budget

Scott McClellan - Originally posted Monday, January 5, 2009 -

Whether or not you use the dreaded “r”-word (recession) to describe the current economic conditions, it’s no secret that times are tough for a lot of people. Amid bank failures and layoffs, folks check their bank statements, credit card statements, and retirement account balances with more anxiety than they did this same time last year—or the year before, for that matter. And since churches rely on their members giving voluntarily, it’s no surprise that many churches are experiencing the same numbers-induced anxiety.

As congregants reexamine their budgets, reorder their priorities, and rein in their spending, perhaps churches should do the same—both out of financial necessity and respect to what their constituency is going through. Despite COLLIDE’s general advocacy of the use of media and technology in churches, we know full well that those pursuits often require a lot of resources (staff, training, hardware, software, extra fluid for the fog machine, etc.).

As the faithful continue to support your church or ministry regardless of the economic uncertainty they may face, we thought it was important to discuss technology budgets and spending in your organizations. There is no shortage of available tools and gadgets for your church to invest in, nor is there any shortage of needs in our communities and our world at large, but there is an undeniable shortage of dollars to go around. Scarcity is, after all, a foundational economic concept. Everyone can’t have everything, and so we have to choose.

Individuals choose to drive their old car for another year instead of trading it in; they choose to skip that annual week at the beach in favor of a staycation (a new trend in which families take time off but stay at home to save money); they choose to downgrade their satellite TV package because 12 HBOs seems excessive. Churches also must choose—even those churches that wield multimillion-dollar budgets.

Churches have to choose between HD and SD cameras and projectors; they have to choose between a shiny print piece and a simple email blast to promote an upcoming series; they have to choose between full-time and freelance (or volunteer) artists, designers, and producers. In all of these instances, churches must consider both the choices themselves as well as the perception of those choices.

For instance, imagine that a family has to cut back on its spending in order to pay all its bills, put a little in savings, and still give to support the church. Now imagine that family’s reaction to its church’s decision to upgrade to HD projection in the worship center and purchase new flat-screen TVs for the youth building. Right or wrong, our imaginary family might have misgivings about its church’s stewardship of their hard-earned dollars. Churches are not necessarily immune to the scrutiny directed at those corporations who appear to spend extravagantly in the face of economic hardship.

Beyond perceptions, there are significant needs—both local and global—that churches can and should address. There are homeless, jobless, and working poor in metropolitan areas. There are ministries and non-profit organizations that depend on local churches for financial support. There are missionaries in urban areas and third-world countries that require resources in order to share the gospel with the unreached and disenfranchised. Because church budgets are finite, every dollar allocated toward media and technology is typically a dollar not allocated toward international mission work or feeding and clothing “the least of these” in our own backyards. That’s not to say churches should abandon all their activities and plans so they can surrender their entire budgets to the inner city and the Third World. Instead, finite budgets demand intentionality and balance.

In a September post on the COLLIDE blog I invited readers to share the budgeting processes from their churches. As someone who has never worked on a ministry staff, I assumed that choosing how to disseminate a limited amount of money among a multitude of worthy causes (inside and outside the church) was a difficult and stressful task. The people I heard from work at different churches that use different methods of making financial decisions; however, a common theme emerged—when a church is only doing things that have clear “kingdom” purpose or effect, there is no guilt or anxiety associated with divvying up resources. Bill Buchanan of Irving Bible Church asks, “What part of the church budget isn’t mission related? If you’re spending money and you can’t reconcile that it’s being spent to advance the Kingdom, um, why are you doing it?” Confidence in what the church is involved in, from its services to its international missions efforts, appears to breed confidence in the budget. Buchanan adds, “Giving money to a non-profit in Africa to provide schools and orphanages is no different than paying the light bill here.” In both cases, the leadership of Irving Bible Church feels the money they spend is being used to reach people and meet physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Even so, it would be naïve to think that budget decisions won’t be met with at least a little criticism.

“There will always be people in the Church that disagree with increasing technology instead of giving to missions,” says Matt Stevens of Vintage21 Church. But Stevens sees technology as an investment in reaching people and drawing them into the church community, which he concludes will result in more people and resources that can then reach more people. Still, he believes, churches should work to find the right balance. He knows that Vintage21 and other churches may fluctuate between focusing too many resources on internal needs and focusing too heavily on external needs. “This is not a reason to cease acting,” he warns, “but instead move ahead with prayer and make sure there is accountability for the elders of the church.”

Whatever the budgetary percentage you decide to dedicate to the operations of your church, Dane Daniels of First United Methodist Church Carrollton says those resources can still have a global impact. “Reach people through your local church,” he says, “and inspire them to reach the rest of the world.” With that kind of mindset, it’s possible to see how investments in staff, video production equipment, air conditioning, and utility bills can eventually reach the rest of the world by discipling people and sending them out to go and make more disciples.

If that’s your church’s budget philosophy, or if your philosophy differs a bit, it might be useful to communicate that to your congregants once in a while. Tell them how and why you invest. Tell them about the expected and actual returns on your spending. If your budget seems to result in changed lives, my guess is that your church body will continue to support you with their hard-earned dollars, as well as their valuable time and energy.

To read the blog post that goes with this article, visit the COLLIDE blog.