For generations, churches in America have mostly been powered by a single financial engine: tithes and offerings. Faithful giving from faithful people. It’s biblical. It’s beautiful. But it’s no longer enough.
Let’s be clear—tithes and offerings are still vital. But if your church is currently depending on a single stream of income, you may already feel the pressure. The solution isn’t to abandon what’s working. It’s to build upon it.
It’s time to diversify.
And the churches that are doing this well? They’re not compromising their mission—they’re accelerating it.
The Problem with a One-Stream System
In the 20th century, tithes and offerings were often sufficient to fund church buildings, pay full-time staff, and run thriving ministries. But the world has changed.
“Tithes and offerings alone will not be enough to fund your mission, let alone your church,” said Mark DeYmaz, founder of The Church Economists, founding pastor of Mosaic Church Arkansas, and renowned author. “We’re still relying on a single paycheck… where the entire American household has moved way beyond that.”
He’s right. Today, more than 55% of U.S. adults receive both labor income (from wages or salary) and non-labor income (such as rental, dividend, or investment income), reflecting a broad shift toward diversified income—well beyond a single paycheck. If that’s true of our congregation, shouldn’t our churches reflect that? And yet, most churches still function with a 1980s model of financial sustainability.
This isn’t about giving up on tithes and offerings—it’s about going beyond them.
Multiple Income Streams: A Modern Ministry Strategy
“Churches are unlocking new opportunities,” said Dan Pourbaix on an episode of Distilled. “New ways to be missional with their impact in their community.”
Diversifying your church’s income can feel overwhelming at first. Where do you start? With one simple shift: asking what else could be possible.
Here are some common strategies thriving churches are implementing:
- Facility Rentals: Leasing unused church space to community groups, businesses, or co-working spaces.
- Social Enterprises: Launching coffee shops, counseling centers, or thrift stores that both serve and sustain.
- Grants and Partnerships: Tapping into local, state, and federal funding for justice, education, or outreach programs.
- Digital Products or Events: Offering courses, workshops, or events that align with your mission and generate income.
- Asset Optimization: Monetizing parking lots, land, or underutilized buildings for income-producing use.
At Parable, we’ve seen churches unlock tens of thousands of dollars for their mission simply by asking new questions and creating fresh ideas.
The Tension Is Real—But So Is the Opportunity
Many pastors feel overwhelmed at the thought of managing more financial complexity. It’s a valid concern, and you’re not alone.
“You didn’t sign up to generate income,” DeYmaz said. “You signed up to pastor people. All well and good, no problem at all. But instead of being anxious about it, lean into it.”
You don’t have to do this by yourself. In fact, you shouldn’t.
“You might have the right questions,” said Greg Daley, CEO of Parable. “Get the experts in the room that have the right answers.”
Like a head coach building a winning team, your role is to understand the game—and then surround yourself with people who know how to run the plays.
Real Churches, Real Results
We’ve seen what’s possible when churches let go of outdated assumptions and start asking new questions.
Greg Daley shared about a church that eliminated a long-standing tradition to fund new initiatives:
“They were a hundred-year-old church… they’d been doing this pageant thing every Christmas for years… They saved over a million dollars by cutting that out,” he said. “It was reallocated to things that were actually impacting their community.”
This story began with a simple realization: tithes and offerings alone weren’t going to take them where they needed to go.
Your Church Can Do This
You may be wondering: Is our church too small? Too traditional? Too stretched already?
The answer is no.
This isn’t just a strategy for large churches with full-time finance teams. It’s for any church ready to think creatively and faithfully about the future.
Start here:
- Look at what you already have (buildings, people, skills, partnerships).
- Ask what’s being underutilized.
- Consider what you might stop doing to free up margin.
- Involve people in your congregation with business or nonprofit experience.
- Get guidance from experts who’ve walked this path before.
And remember—this isn’t a rejection of tithes and offerings. It’s a way to protect and extend them.
“We expect our members… to give, to tithe, to be generous, sacrificial, faithful,” DeYmaz said. “That’s not going away… But we’re going to have to free our minds.”
It’s Time to Ask “What Else?”
Your mission is worth resourcing. And your community is worth reaching. But that’s going to require more than Sunday giving.
It’s time to start asking questions like these:
- What income sources might God already have placed in our hands?
- How could we multiply the impact of every dollar?
- What might we need to stop doing in order to start something new?
And if you’re not sure where to begin, that’s where we come in.
Download Parable’s free Finance Toolkit to start thinking through your next move.
Let’s go beyond tithes and offerings—and build something sustainable, impactful, and Spirit-led.
Parable: Your Guide
At Parable, we work with churches across the country to build financial strategies that reflect their mission—and prepare them for the future.
We help pastors and finance teams:
- Develop mission-aligned budgets
- Reallocate resources more effectively
- Identify income opportunities beyond tithes and offerings
- Stay accountable and confident in their stewardship
We’re not here to take over your vision. We’re here to help you fund it. It’s time to lead your church into the future—not with fear, but with clarity. Get in touch with us to learn more about our advanced services like those mentioned above today.