According to a new Lifeway study, a lot of churches have some spending habits in need of curbing. Of the one thousand churches surveyed, two-thirds reported that they’re meeting or exceeding their annual budget, and of that number, 22 percent say they’re over budget. Only 29 percent of churches say they’re under budget for their fiscal year. In the study’s release, Lifeway Research Director Scott McConnell said, “The most recent of recession revealed poor habits among Americans in term of spending and lending. Surely churches have had to learn some of these same lessons.”
Some of the budget woes are undoubtedly owing to the recession. Lifeway’s previous studies indicated that church offerings declined sharply in 2008. However, in recent years, church giving has rebounded along with the economy—Lifeway says 74 percent of churches report that offerings are at or above 2013’s totals …