Download the Free church income & expense statement template & how to use it
Fill out the form below to schedule a demo or call our sales team at
469-564-3922
Financial statements are more than a collection of numbers—they’re essential tools that guide church decision-making, ensure legal compliance, and safeguard against fraud and embezzlement. These documents create a culture of accountability and help manage church finances with transparency.
With something like a church income and expense statement template, you can create customized financial reports to share with church members and stakeholders on a regular basis.
This approach builds trust within the congregation, and when people trust an organization, they’re much more likely to show their financial support.
If you’re looking for a better way to steward your church’s resources and strengthen its financial position, keep reading! We’ve created a free tool you can use to manage money with transparency.
Unless you have a background in accounting, creating church financial reports from scratch can be challenging. To save you time and energy, we’ve built out a free customizable church budget template with an income and expense statement, that you can use to start tracking your finances today.
Simply type your data into each field and get a clear picture of your church’s financial health.
.webp)
Now that you have a workable financial spreadsheet, let’s take a look at what’s inside!
A church income and expense statement is a monthly or annual budget that summarizes all the income received and expenses paid by the church. This document gives a clear overview of the organization’s cash flow and how resources are being stewarded.
Understanding where money is coming from and going to is essential in maintaining the financial health and longevity of your church. If you know what to expect quarterly or annually, your congregation can plan for the future with confidence.
Here are some of the key elements every church income and expense statement should include.
The income section of your statement is simply a list of your income sources. Knowing where each donation comes from helps you identify the unique trends of your church. When you understand these giving patterns, it’s easier to make long-term financial decisions and budget accordingly.
For the best insight into your church’s revenue streams, the income section should be broken down into subcategories such as:
If your church is looking for a way to simplify the donation process and make it easier for your donors to give, consider Subsplash Giving. This powerful online giving platform allows you to receive donations and even accept non-charitable payments for things like concerts, merchandise, or conferences.
Better yet, you can easily track online donations, checks, cash, and other contributions through Subsplash Giving, pull reports, send end-of-year charitable donation statements, and much more!
The expense section lists all the things your church needs to pay for. These expenses are unique to each church, so customize our template as needed to remove or add items. The more detailed you can get with your tracking, the better handle you’ll have on your finances.
Some common church expenses include:
It’s best practice to track everything your church receives and spends, but what do you do with that information once you have it? In this next section, we’ll discuss how you can use our church income and expense statement template and other financial reports to steward your resources with excellence.
It’s hard to make plans if you don’t know how much money you can spend. Church financial reports provide a foundational understanding of what’s possible. To take control of your budget and make informed decisions, do the following:
Your generous church members and stakeholders deserve to know exactly where their money is going and how it’s being spent. When you take the time to include them in the conversation about the church’s financial health, you create an opportunity to build trust.
To better engage stakeholders and strengthen their commitment you can:
In addition to staying organized and prepared for legal purposes, maintaining transparency is one of the most important reasons for keeping accurate financial statements. A great way to do this is by distributing annual reports to church members and other stakeholders.
Annual reporting helps everyone understand the financial journey of the church over the course of a year. They’ll get to see all the ups and downs and have a better grasp on where their money was put to use.
If you’re looking for more ways to inform your stakeholders, a balance sheet or income statement are great additions to your annual report. These allow for year-over-year comparisons and simplified snapshots of your church’s overall financial health.
The best way to maintain the safety of your church finances and the trust of your donors is through regular reporting. As you take the time to build a reputation of transparency, you can expect to see a return on your investment through:
We encourage you to use our free church income and expense statement template and other financial reports for maximum accountability.
To learn why over 17,000 churches and organizations partner with Subsplash, and how your church can benefit from the best digital church tools,[.blog-contact-cta] schedule a time with one of our Ministry Consultants today! [.blog-contact-cta]
