MMBB Financial Services

For MMBB , the focus is on helping churches avoid shortsightedness. Pastors are working harder than ever. They're being called to hold congregations together and will need to bring congregations back together as in-person services are allowed and reinstituted. All this requires special skill and visionary, dedicated leadership. We, at MMBB, believe that dedicated leadership should be rewarded accordingly and compensation is one way for churches to honor its leaders. When establishing a church budget, churches should view compensation from the perspective of how best to honor and reward good leadership. So, compensation reductions shouldn't be the first place where cuts are made. Cook: I agree and encourage churches to commit to making salary reductions a last option. It's not uncommon to institute an across-the board percentage cut in the budget, but not everything in the budget is of equal value. With most churches not meeting in person and staff working from home, many churches are seeing lower utility bills. Start by going line by- line through the budget and identifying areas where the church is already experiencing savings during the crisis. Look for opportunities to incur additional savings without negatively impacting overall ministry. Norori: I encourage pastors to research local and state programs that offer funding, as these opportunities often aren't publicized or marketed.