You know that moment when you put on a jacket you haven’t worn in a while and find a crumpled $20 in the pocket? It’s as close to winning the lottery as many of us will ever get!
That’s the feeling we want to give you—just with your church finances.
Most church leaders think they need more money to fuel the mission. And sure, more is nice. But what if the money you need is already there?
Buried in overlooked subscription costs, double or triple paid bills, or other places.
There’s a good chance your church finances are hiding some treasure.
Let’s break down three ways we suggest finding money you didn’t know you had.
1. Commit to Clarity with Your Church Finances
Imagine you’re at the doctor. You want a diagnosis—quick, clean, one-and-done. Instead, the doctor runs a series of tests, refers you to a specialist, and makes you try a new diet. Frustrating? For sure. But it’s all part of gathering data to get an accurate picture of what’s really going on.
Your church finances work the same way.
You can’t fix what you can’t see. Step one is getting accurate reports. That means your bookkeeper is classifying things correctly and you’re giving them the info they need to do it. At Parable, we use tech that simplifies this, making it easy to keep everything neat and categorized—no guesswork, no junk drawers full of mystery expenses.
Step two? Actually understanding the reports. You shouldn’t need a seminary degree and an MBA to make sense of your financials. If your reports are long, confusing, or inconsistent, they aren’t helping you lead well. We’ve seen it firsthand: when pastors see clean, easy-to-understand visuals with key metrics and dashboards (we offer that through our Advanced Reporting service, by the way), it’s like putting on glasses for the first time. Suddenly, the picture is clear.
And with that clarity? You’ll spot the pot of gold—wasteful spending, duplicate charges, late fees, or subscriptions you didn’t even know you were still paying for.
Takeaway #1: Get clarity with your finances.
Bad data = bad decisions. Clarity protects your resources from being wasted—or worse, stolen. (Yes, churches lose billions every year to fraud. Don’t be next.)
2. Prioritize What Matters Most
Once you have clarity, it’s time to look at where your church finances are going.
Let’s be honest: most churches don’t waste money on obviously bad things. You’re not buying golden toilet seats.
What we do see are good things crowding out the best things.
Ministries or expenses that may have made sense five years ago—but no longer align with your church’s mission—are still quietly pulling dollars away from what matters most.
That’s why we created the Ministry Assessment Tool. It helps you evaluate each ministry or spending category based on three simple criteria:
- Does it align with your mission and strategy?
- Does it produce meaningful impact or life change?
- What’s the required investment of money, time, and people?
Using this tool helps you clearly see what’s producing fruit—and what’s just taking up space on the vine.
Takeaway #2: Evaluate your ministries.
Good is the enemy of great. Be brave enough to say “no” to something good, so you can say “yes” to something great.
3. Cut Within Ministries with Precision
Now that you’ve identified which ministries need to grow and which ones might need pruning, the next step is cutting wisely. This is where our Expense Evaluation Tool comes in.
Think of it this way: if the Ministry Assessment Tool helped you choose which pumpkin to grow, this tool helps you prune the rest. (Shoutout to The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz—yes, giant pumpkin competitions are a real thing. Learn more in our Distilled episode.)
This tool walks you through a specific ministry or area of spending and helps you evaluate every expense. Print a transaction report, group it by vendors or categories, and ask: is this really essential? Are we still using this service?
Spoiler alert: we always find money here. Churches often discover hundreds—even thousands—of dollars being spent unintentionally.
Takeaway #3: Prune the good to grow the great.
You can’t do everything. Focus your church finances on what truly advances the mission.
Wrapping It Up
Your church budget doesn’t need to be bigger. It needs to be sharper. When you commit to clarity, prioritize wisely, and prune with purpose, your dollars go further—and stay on mission.
Whether you’re the senior pastor, XP, or the admin, managing church finances isn’t about spreadsheets. It’s about stewardship. And you don’t have to do it alone.
And if you’re ready for even more clarity, let’s talk.
We’re Parable—your church financial team. And we’d love to help you find your pot of gold.