How to Write a Church Business Plan

I hope everybody had a Blessed Memorial Day! I have tips on how to write your Church Business Plan, VBS Ideas with free certificates, forms and more and Contribution Receipt Requirements. So take a quick moment to check these out along with the new forms available.

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Contents-At-A-Glance

• "How to Write a Church Business Plan"
  
• Vacation Bible School Ideas
  
• Contribution Receipts Requirements
  
• FreeChurchForms.com New Web Pages with New Forms
  
• Shepherdbase (Church Membership Database)
  
• Church Forms CD
  
• Church Office Package – Special Limited Offer
  
• Free eBook - ”Top 10 Tips on How to Organize Your Office”
  
• FreeChurchForms.com Table of Contents
  

"How to Write a Church Business Plan"

Use your plan as a road map to reach your church goals while ministering to your current members and visitors who are enthused about what your church has to offer them. Here are some tips on how to write a business plan:

• 1. Develop Mission & Vision Statements - You need statements to help explain where your church is going and why you want to get there and the principles that guide the organization.
• 2. Conduct Market Research - This will determine if there is a need for what your church offers in the community. Make sure to get the opinions of the people who live in the community. Provide detailed information about competing churches in your area to find out what they offer and who they appeal to. Provide detailed information on how your church can fill in gaps with ministries to various age groups and community activities.
• 3. Create Marketing Plan - This plan should explain how you will let prospective attendees how about your church and its unique offerings, such as by advertising your worship services, Bible studies and children's activities in the local paper. Don't forget to include a plan for building a website, getting free publicity through local publications and radio stations, and encouraging your congregation to invite others to join your church.
• 4. Describe Management Team - Explain in detail including their past experience in helping the church grow the management team that will be implementing the plan. If they don't have experience at other churches, discribe any other business successes they have achieved. Include a little background information on the people who will be impacting the plan's success, such as the Pastor and Youth Fellowship Leaders.
• 5. Outline Daily Operation of Church - Explain in steps the daily operation of your church including the duties of the administrator, minister, staff and volunteers who lead studies or group activities. Describe the church facility where you hold services and classes, and insert costs involved in moving to a larger facility once membership increases. List the equipment you will need over the next few years for the church, and this sectin should alsi include the insurance coverage the church carries.
• 6. Provide Financial Reports - Provide the church financial information as the final section of the plan including operating budgets, last 3 years of financial statements as well as 3 yars of forecasted projections including profit and loss statements. The profit and loss statements need to have all the potential contributions made to the church as well as expenses (Pastor's salary, utilities, rental space, etc.). Also include information on how your church qualifies as a non-profit organization to stay exempt from paying taxes.
• 7. Write 1-3 Page Executive Summary - This is the last step but place it at the beginning of the plan. This summary needs to express the most important parts of the plan so that's why it's best to create it after you finish your plan.

Vacation Bible School Ideas

I have some forms and VBS (Vacation Bible School) ideas that might make it a little easier and help relieve some of your stress.

Click the link below for to access the VBS Flyers, Certificates, Registration Forms, Volunteer Registration Form/Questionnaire, Planning Guide, Games/Activities, Budget Worksheet, Followup Ideas, F.R.O.G. VBS Materials, Craft/Bible Quotes, Frogs Coloring Book and Much More!

Click Here to download the Free Vacation Bible School Forms, Certificates and More.

Contribution Receipts Requirements

When should you send out donation receipts?

Receipts or acknowledgments can be issued gift-by-gift, monthly, quarterly, annually, or any other frequency your church decides. However, most churches send out annual contribution receipts on or before January 31st of the following year.

Before you send them out, you should provide some sort of written communication to your donors regarding your timeline and that they should not file their taxes until they receive all contribution receipts for the tax year to ensure all their contributions were deductible. You could do this by posting a notice on the bulletin board, sending out a letter, including in newsletter, posting on church web site, etc.

...because not all contributions are tax deductible!

Click Here to Read More on "Contribution Receipts Requirements" and the 6 requirements according to Richard Hammar J.D., LL.M, CPA that charitable contributions must satisfy.

Click here for information on Shepherdbase - a church membership database that will track your member's information including contributions and will merge their contributions into an Annual Contribution Letter at the end of the year with a few clicks.

FreeChurchForms.com New Web Pages with New Forms

• July 4th Games
• Church Internet Acceptable Use Policy (2 Samples)

• Church Sample Business Plan

Shepherdbase (Church Membership Database)