This post is somewhat a follow up from my last one, even though they are pretty different.
In my last post I addressed how much pastors should(or shouldn’t) get paid. With me, it is an issue of stewardship. In my opinion, churches have horrific stewardship when they pay pastors monstrous salaries. But, that has already been discussed.
In this post, I want to hear your thoughts on how much of a church budget should go to missions?
I have always had the philosophy that churches should aim for a budget that gave 50% of their income to missions, local and foreign. I know this is a lofty goal and for some churches it just isn’t possible. Nonetheless, I think it is a healthy goal for every church to strive for.
I would really like to hear from the Senior Pastors that interact here at SBC Voices. Is there an emphasis in your church to try to give a higher percentage to missions year by year? Is there an outspoken goal for missions giving(in terms of percentage)?
I am not saying missions giving, CP only. I don’t believe in CP-onlyism. 🙂
What do you all think a healthy range is in terms of missions giving? 25-50%? Is that too high? Hopefully, our churches are partaking in local, national, and international missions. It would be great if every SBC church could give 10% to the Cooperative Program(although I understand that some can’t). On top of that 10% our churches should be setting apart money for local and national church planting, community development projects, etc.
So, what is an appropriate goal that churches should strive for? Is it unrealistic to lead our churches to giving 50% of our budget to missions?