Ministry Business Plan

The term "ministry business plan" seems almost a contradiction in terms before you ever begin. But it is a real recognition of the value of your ministry.

Why Do You Need A Ministry Business Plan?

It's entirely possible that you don't need a formal business plan. Thousands of ministries do very nicely without a plan at all.

But the ones that are very successful have one or more business plans firmly in place. Why do they even bother?

Well, for starters, it is an excellent way of drawing your congregation into the planning process and determining with them what is, and what is not, at the top of your TO DO list. Without the support of your congregation, "to do's" don't get done, so this is a critical step in planning.

Next, it is important to identify those programs that will likely need funding, and outline where that funding is going to come from. Most congregations support themselves from contribution from their membership. But more ambitious congregations take on outside projects that require outside funding sources, and that is where your business plan will be worth its weight in gold

Where Does This Money Come From?

There are literally thousands and thousands of sources for grant funding. To locate funds that might be interested in your type of project, grab onto a Grants Directory and do some serious searching. Unless you are an old hand at grant writing, the sheer volume of foundations and available money will astound you.

Is Government Money A Possibility?

Sometimes, yes. While church and state do keep a respectable distance for most things, there are some projects that bring them together. Projects that will enhance low income neighborhoods, or provide pre-school education or after school programs, or programs for young parents -- these are all excellent candidates for government funding.

What's Our Best Chance At Getting Funding?

Demonstrate how your program will meet the need. This is where your ministry business plan comes into play. Writing a letter announcing that you are starting this program is woefully inadequate for raising grant money. The grant organizations, including the government, need a whole lot more.

So What Do We Have To Do?

Create a ministry business plan that contains essentially all the elements of a standard business plan: goal of project, biographical summaries of all principals (and do include people from the community if you can), statement of need, and financial summaries on how this will all be accomplished.

Having a track record of success is very helpful. I know one congregation that identified a need in a low income area and wrote an outstanding business plan to raise financing for that project. They got real kudos on the ministry business plan, but they didn't get the funding. The agency they applied to wanted to see a track record of handling money before they would hand over $10 million to a group of community workers.

Take a look at Business Plan for NonProfit to get some ideas on what you may or may not need to do.

If all of this sounds like a lot of work for an iffy return, you are absolutely right. You are in exactly the same boat as entrepreneurs: there is never enough funding to go around. And, just like entrepreneurs, your endeavor needs direction and leadership and commitment.

What About International Projects?

There are indeed organizations that fund international ministry business plan projects. The grants directory will list a lot of them. Also check with the various United Nations organizations, or the national headquarters of your denomination.