Church Plant Fundraising

via Behind the Leaf by Michael on 4/7/09

Some of the most common questions we get on this blog are in the area of fund raising.  One such question is "how much does it cost to plant a church."
My answer:  everything you've got.
If you raise $50,000 then you'll spend every bit of it.  If you have less, it can cost less.  If you raise more, it can cost more.  There's no set number.
I know of churches with amazing funding who blew through it and never made it.  And I know churches that launched on shoestring budgets that are doing well.
Just so you know, between January 1, 2006 and August 20, 2006 (our grand opening), we spent about $55,000 on everything.  That included equipment, marketing, outreach and salaries.  Our first mailout went to 5,000 homes because that's how much money we had.  If we got something on Sunday, we spent it on Monday.
I write about fundraising in my upcoming book, and I'm sure we'll hit on it in an upcoming coaching network.