Is your church impacted by seasonality? An example is a parish in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Holy Redeemer by the Sea. From Memorial Day through Labor Day the church has an increase of 75% of people coming through their doors for Sunday mass.  In the winter months, parish attendance declines and then Easter Sunday brings the people back into the pews! The fact is that seasonality and other special circumstances can wreak havoc on church budgets. (As a side note, if you ever find yourself in the Outer Banks, Holy Redeemer is awesome!)

As you create the budget, there are some factors that you’ll want to consider. These factors can be positive, negative, or both as it relates to the amount of money coming into your parish or the expenses you’ll pay. Understanding whether these factors influence your parish can serve to inform you as you develop income and expense estimates for the church. Some are one-time occurrences (events), and others may be ongoing (seasonal adjustments) regarding their impact.⁠ Remember, information is power!

Weather

Snowstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other weather related events impact the church budget. The emotional, spiritual, and financial toll these events cause can be enormous.  At the same time, regions can prepare and even plan for the likelihood that weather will play a roll in the impact on the parish community. The average snowfall in Syracuse, New York is 124 inches.⁠ However, like other upstate New York cities that face similar snowfall amounts (i.e. Dioceses of Buffalo, Rochester, Albany, New York), they will want to prepare their budget keeping this type of weather in mind. For example, additional spending may be needed for the cost of plowing the church parking lot, the purchase of snow melt/salt for slippery sidewalks and high heating bills to keep the church warm will all be factors in the budget.

For parishes that are located by the ocean and adversely affected by less frequent but possibly larger scale events (tropical storms, hurricanes, flooding) a church will want to prepare for these types of events as well.  The goal of planning for weather events is to determine the likelihood that an event will impact the parish and then determine the scope to which it will impact the budget.

Snowbirds

The term “snowbirds” is the affectionate term used by many to describe the large numbers of people that travel from the northeastern states (New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania) to the southeastern states (Florida, George, South Carolina) seeking warmer weather during the cold winter months.  Both regions are affected.  The loss of the parishioners in the north means swelling church communities in the south. Cities like Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Tampa see significant increases in daily and Sunday liturgies.

Community Events

Events in the local and regional community can also cause large fluctuations in the number of parishioners attending services.  For example, when Pope Francis came to the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in September 2015, the event drew over 2 million visitors to the region.  Mass attendance grew at local parishes as some visitors came before the visit and some tourists stayed in the area after the Pope had left. No doubt that Philadelphia’s Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul saw an increase in collections during those weeks.

Holydays and Holidays

It’s apparent to church members that holydays will affect church attendance, but what about the special circumstances when holidays and holydays collide with one another? For example, if December 25 falls on a Friday or Saturday, do church members tend to go to Mass again on Sunday? Does July 4th occur on a Sunday and many parishioners go on vacation for the weekend? Sometimes national or local holidays will affect church attendance.  It is important to be aware of these factors as you create your budget assumptions.

Recommendations for Addressing Special Circumstances

When developing the budget, review the list above and determine, “Will any of these factors impact our parish income and expenses? Are there other special circumstances?” Next, build these factors into your budget, create assumptions, forecast impacts on income and expenses, and develop a concise narrative.

As you continue your journey to developing a realistic budget, remember, you don’t need to implement every recommendation written on this church finance blog all at once! Any step you take towards ensuring that your budget is reflective of your situation will yield results.  Take it one step at a time!