The church as a whole has taken some serious hits over the last year in the USA, and Eagle Brook has not been without its challenges in this area either. With the weak economy and the cascading effects of job losses or cuts in pay for many, it inevitably trickles down to churches and other non-profit organizations.
Like most, Eagle Brook has made cuts to budgets and changes to staffing and personnel levels in order to be responsive to the realities of our situation. The good news is that we have been able to avoid direct layoffs and we continue to see an increase in giving compared to a year ago, largely due to continued attendance growth. The challenge is that with a growing attendance base comes the need for more staff to enable effective ministry to a larger crowd. If I have to choose problems, this is the one I choose – but I’d rather not choose!
Our level of giving per household has remained surprisingly consistent, losing an average of just 4% over the last year, and has seemingly leveled off for the time being. We are blessed to have a very committed base of givers at Eagle Brook who hold their financial contributions as a very high priority. I’ve also noticed an uptick in giving from some demographics – I think as a response to the thankfulness they feel over being relatively unscathed this far.
As we look at the horizon, we continue to feel optimistic about our future and maintain a strong commitment to further growth and expansion – reaching people as never before. Now, more than ever, people are searching for answers, and we’re not about to walk away from the opportunity simply because it will be hard.
