Churches are taking a financial hit as they confront the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The greatest challenge for many churches is the inability to hold gatherings due to public health concerns. Although many churches have transitioned to online services and financial giving, they have not been as effective as in-person services and giving. Several churches may be on the brink of closure. Some tips can help churches mitigate financial hardships.

1. Lower operating expenses

Operating expenses are those incurred to keep churches running. These include property expenses and staff wages. Every church has different needs and operating expenses. Reducing expenses is necessary for preserving a church’s financial strength. Churches should eliminate non-essential expenses and reduce essential costs as much as possible.

Many churches have subscriptions to several services. Because most churches are not meeting physically during the pandemic, several subscriptions and services might not be needed. Determine which subscriptions and services are necessary for the survival of your church and eliminate the remaining. It is a good idea to ask yourself whether live streaming from your church building is worth the expense.

Generally, it is less expensive to live stream church Bible studies and services from your home than in a commercial building. This is because commercial buildings typically have higher utility expenses. Saving money should be your priority. If it is not necessary to stream from your church or a commercial building, then stream from your home. Your church might just save more and will have more funds to relaunch or re-open once the pandemic is over.

For churches leasing properties, negotiating a temporary lower lease payment may be helpful. Landlords are more receptive to helping their tenants now more than ever because this pandemic is affecting everyone. Landlords do not profit from vacant commercial buildings.

If your church is suffering substantial financial loss, it might be a good idea to consider sharing church buildings with other churches of a similar faith to share the cost. This option might be better than having no building to meet once the pandemic is over. Several churches have mortgages and salaries to pay and might be receptive to the idea of sharing with proper planning and coordination.

Finally, considering lowering wages for staff. Before reducing payments, talk to your team. Mutual communication is essential during this crisis. Some members of your staff might have a greater need than others. Assess staff needs and make wage cuts after identifying the impact on everyone.

2. Plan for the worst-case scenarios

While there may be indications that the pandemic might last a few months, timelines are not certain. Preparing for a long term crisis is essential. Ask yourself, what do we have to do to survive during an 18-month crisis or longer? Even after the pandemic is over, it can take months to years to recover and get back to normal.

3. Spend time planning the re-opening and relaunching

After basically shutting down your church for some time, it might be a good idea to consider the re-opening of your church as a relaunch. Take this pandemic experience as an opportunity for improvement and change. Set specific goals you want to achieve in the short and long term once you start gathering again. Re-assess your mission, budget, evangelistic strategies, marketing, leadership structure, programs, and any factor that might be important to the relaunching and success of your church.

4. Apply for all financial assistance available

There are resources and funds available for churches. Do your research. The U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) website is an excellent place to start. The SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to help businesses, and some churches may qualify.

Today’s young people aren’t simply taking faith for granted. Many are looking for an opportunity to apply what they’ve heard about Christ, and see if what they’ve been taught truly can change their lives. For some churches, this can be frightening, because older teens, 20 year olds, and 30 year olds are asking the hard questions, leaving pastors going back to the Word for concrete answers.

Pastors need to be on their A-game to answer these questions, too. Young people who are left dissatisfied with what their Christian leaders have to offer are ready to walk away from their home church, or worse, Christianity altogether. A recent report covered by The Christian Post, 35 million young people raised in Christian families are expected to walk away from Christianity by the year 2050. The study also found that Christians will only take up 59 percent of the US population by 2050, as opposed to today’s 73 percent.

While these numbers are staggering, there are choices that pastors and their church teams can make to address these young people in their home churches. As each youth group/young people’s group has different dynamics, it’s important for pastors to carefully and prayerfully address their church’s needs before taking action.

Four Ways To Keep Your Young People Discipled

Develop a School of Discipleship

Gone are the days when high school and college aged kids were excited to play games and eat pizza at group. They’re looking for something more authentic and real, which they can turn around and take to school and work. For some, this might mean developing a school of discipleship, or pairing up with a Bible College that offers discipleship courses for young people to take a part of. If the youth group transforms into a place where young women and men can grow, they will happily show you what they can do with their new knowledge.

Discipleship courses don’t have to be anything high tech — if church staff is unable to teach, there are several teachers from Christian Bible Colleges that can proctor the classes through their college.

Staff a Generations Pastor

This doesn’t necessarily mean that you transform your pastoral team with a millennial. It does mean that you have someone who understands millennials, their culture, and their drive, though. This individual needs to be able to help high schoolers transition to college, and college students into the workforce without their faith being shaken. Small group leaders and teachers can take on this role, if given the opportunity. They just need to be allowed to do so.

Empower Young People to Change Their Culture

Greg Stier, who founded the national youth ministry organization Dare 2 Share, said churches need to be “fully onboard” when it comes to mobilizing and equipping youth to become missionaries on their campuses in order to reach their peers with the Gospel.

“Youth ministry needs to be re-engineered to be Gospel-advancing and disciple-multiplying,” said Stier in the Christian Post article. “It is not about meetings but about the mission. Young people are longing for a cause that matters. So they need to be equipped and youth leaders need to be equipped to equip them.”

With proper training, a high school or college student can bring in souls to their church. To have the right tools, though, they need training.

See This as an Opportunity for Revival

This information is not meant to be disheartening. For some pastors, this is an opportunity to see a great revival in their churches, but only if they’re willing to accept that youth ministry and young adult ministry need to be revamped. It can be that empowering these young people be the leading influence needed to transform their churches.

“Revival is something God brings about but it can change paths pretty quickly. The first Great Awakening happened when America was a pretty dark place before we were the United States,” said Stier. “Jonathan Edwards, his revival, had been chiefly among the young. So it was a student youth movement that prepared us to become the United States. What if it was a student youth movement that would bring us back to our roots and unite this nation and transform it from the inside out?”

Sunday church services are usually bustling with families — young children, senior citizens, singles, and parents. However, there’s a definite lack of one demographic — young, college aged adults.

Gone are the days that growing up in the church means that an individual will continue going to church as an adult. Earlier this year, Lifeway Research found that “Two-thirds (66 percent) of American young adults who attended a Protestant church regularly for at least a year as a teenager say they also dropped out for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22.”

These individuals may have been actively involved in junior high and youth groups. They may have even been leaders in their congregation. However, once they entered college, they found themselves no longer interested in regular church attendance.

As they age, these individuals tend to stay away from their churches. Less than half of these individuals — 39 percent of young adults aged 23 through 30 — would call themselves “devout Christians with a strong faith in God.”

An ongoing trend in declining attendance

“The good news for Christian leaders is that churches don’t seem to be losing more students than they were 10 years ago. However, the difference in millennial church attendance rates now and then is not large enough statistically to say it has actually improved,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research.

Very few of those young people give people as a reason for their decision to walk away from church. As a matter of fact, an overwhelming 96 percent say that a new job, going to a new school, and an overall change of lifestyle was the cause.

This does not mean that individuals in the church were not a reason as well. According to the article, other reasons for no longer attending church included the church or pastor (73 percent); religious, ethical or political beliefs (70 percent); or the student ministry (63 percent).

But one of the largest reasons that millennial church attendance has dropped was they no longer felt connected to their home church. As a way to address this, churches across the nation are looking for ways to draw back these prodigals.

Transitioning our focus to retain millennials

This may mean breaking with old customs, which can rustle feathers with folks who want to stick with time-honored tradition. For pastors who are interested in new ways to develop a strong young-people culture in their church, the following are some options to consider.

1. Empower young people to head programs
   This does not mean that a young person is in charge of the finance committee. However, it could mean that a 20-something has a voice in the curriculum used during small groups. This could also be reflected in younger people giving a sermon during midweek service, or having a say in the music played during worship.
   
2. Give permission for peer led support
   Ministering to millennials and young people needs to be done by individuals who understand them best. Having young adults in this demographic — with support and guidance from more mature ministers and church leaders — has two benefits. First, folks looking for a sympathetic ear will have a chance to talk with someone who truly relates to them before giving them spiritual support. In addition, those serving in supporting roles feel that they have an important position in church, anchoring them.
   
   “We should help them identify the gifts given to them by God and use them, deploy them, unleash them in the church,” said Jonathan “J.P.” Pokluda, a former teaching pastor at Watermark in a recent article about innovative ministries.
   
3. Cultivate collaboration
   Research finds that millennials and younger generations need to feel that their input matters. When it comes to special services, new ministries, and outreach events, these individuals want to feel like their opinions and voices are being heard. Giving credence to their opinions, and actually taking their input in the development of events will go a long way in making these individuals feel like they matter.
   
4. Authentically embrace returning millennials
   Word spreads fast when a church offers uniquely tailored options for young adults and millennials. This can be a special outreach, services, or just youth-driven Bible Studies. But when millennial church attendance sees a spike, and they do start to come and see what your church offers, embrace them with love. Do not make them feel chagrined for their time apart, but excited about the time they have left to give back to the Kingdom.