Five Ways to Survive Summer with a Balanced Church Budget

Churches have historically dreaded summer due to one thing: giving. That's because activities and costs peak with summer missions trips, camps, and vacation Bible school just as regular weekly contributions wane. The challenge for every church leader is to survive slow summer giving with a balanced budget.

The good news: It's possible. The bad news: It will require more attention than you've likely given it in the past. If you want different results, you must be willing to shift your thinking, planning, and strategy.

There are, of course, the obvious tactics like boosting participation in online giving—especially recurring giving. As attendance during the summer months proves to be inconsistent, traditional giving during the weekly worship service can be dramatically affected. Recurring online giving can solve that.

Another often-overlooked idea to boost summer giving is to ...