Financial Stress Increases for Pastors and Their Families During the Pandemic

To better understand the financial issues both pastors and their churches currently face in the midst of the pandemic, Brian Kluth, director of the Financial Health ministry of the National Association of Evangelicals, teamed up with Church Law & Tax to conduct a new State of the Plate study.

In the following interview, Kluth talks about the recent State of the Plate research as it relates specifically to a pastor’s finances and gives insights into the Bless Your Pastor campaign.

What in the research stood out the most to you?

It was encouraging to see that church giving had flipped since April when 65 percent of churches reported declines in giving. In August, 64 percent of churches reported giving had stabilized or increased.

This is all good news, but 36 percent of churches are still experiencing giving declines that will negatively impact their churches in the months to come. That’s ...