How Does Your Giving Support Ministry?
Budgets are not ever a fun subject to talk about. However, when we look at the prayerful and strategic planning of ministry, it can get pretty exciting to see what God can do in and through us. It is our faithful giving and always God's faithful provision that helps us accomplish God's mission in and through Jesus Christ. For Bethel Fellowship Church to be successful in implementing God's mission in our community and the rest of the world, it takes several key aspects.
1. Central facility and meeting space for worship and prayer, spiritual growth, fellowship, and mission planning/implementation. The physical facility requires us to utilize funds to help with the costs of running the facility. This often includes utilities, repairs, necessary facility upgrades, equipment upgrades, and even future planning for growth. Generally speaking, a facility will take about 25-35% of the budget (depending on the age of the facility).
2. Staff and Leadership. Bethel Fellowship Church has a paid leadership staff that includes a lead pastor, part-time worship leader, and part-time youth minister. Prayer and strategic planning have gone into providing the best staff possible to help Bethel Fellowship successfully navigate the movement of the Holy Spirit and plan for the continued growth. Our staff are required to work the the other leadership in the church to plan and implement ministries that help our congregation to fulfill it's mission of "Be the Love, Be the Life, and Be the Light." Generally speaking, a health budget will usually require between 45%-55% to provide equitable compensation to ministry staff.
3. Mission and Outreach. Bethel Fellowship Church has stepped out on faith this year in mission and outreach. The budget reflects that 14% of our giving goes toward mission and outreach. Our mission/outreach also includes our support and connection to the Global Methodist Church. Through the mission funds, we fed over 1200 people this past Thanksgiving. We fed hot meals to our first responders in the area. We reached out to our troops on Seymour Johnson AFB by providing a meal to families. We are supporting an international mission trip and much more. There are even more opportunities to serve in 2024 with other ministries that we believe are vital to God's mission. Generally, 10% of a healthy church budget will directly go to supporting missions (keep in mind that there are all of the indirect costs for supporting missions).
4. Congregational Care. The final piece of a church budget goes toward congregational care. Congregational Care is a large category that focusses on the overall life of people serving/growing at Bethel Fellowship Church. We support youth (young children and teenagers) through spiritual development and fellowship. We support Adult Christian education and fellowship. This portion of the budget helps support Christian education, congregation fellowship/life, home-bound care, and grief support. Generally, 10% of a healthy church budget will directly go to supporting the care of the congregation.
Click Below for information regarding Bethel Fellowship's Budget for 2024:
Bethel 2024 Budget