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Giving - Resources for Congregations
Narrative Budgeting

Narrative budgeting is a valuable process for communicating the breadth and depth of a congregation's ministries. According to recent research about religious giving, there is a dynamic relationship between people’s understanding of why they give and how much they give. When parishioners don’t understand how donations of time, talent, and treasure enable ministry, they tend to give less of each--especially treasure.

One of the most effective tools for stewardship education is narrative budgeting, a process for explaining how contributions of time and money translate into ministry throughout the congregation and community. Narrative budgeting offers qualitative presentations to describe the ways in which lives are transformed through worship, pastoral care, Christian formation, outreach, hospitality, and fellowship; it also provides quantitative analyses of the manner in which each of these six areas of ministry are enabled by donations of money, volunteer time, and personal skills.

This page contains links to a PowerPoint presentation, examples, and Excel templates to empower your congregation to develop a narrative budget. Although it appears complicated, the resources provided on this page simplify and clarify the process.

A narrative budget can be developed in stages and should involve a broad representation of the congregation. One of its best features is that the information gained through developing a narrative budget can be distributed immediately throughout the congregation. Ultimately, when people know how their giving is enabling growth, transformation, and witness, this ought to motivate additional generosity.

The preparation of a narrative budget might be a powerful complement to the material normally presented at your church's annual meeting. It could also be a colorful way of encouraging giving during a capital campaign or stewardship week.

Should you have any questions, please contact The Rev. Michael Stephenson, Canon for Development, at (312) 751-6725 or mstephenson@episcopalchicago.org.

Creating a Narrative Budget

You may wish to follow the steps below in creating your own narrative budget.
1. Peruse the What is Narrative Budgeting? PowerPoint presentation:	What is Narrative Budgeting?
2. Look at the following examples of narrative budgets:	St. David's, Spokane St. Gregory's, Deerfield St. Lawrence, Libertyville
3. Review the information and data from the fictitious example, St. Euthanasius Church. The Profile gives a basic facts-sheet about the church and its financial situation. The Worship and Music Description is an example of narrative background regarding one of the six areas of ministry at St. Euthanasius. The Narrative Budget Worksheet and Volunteer Hours sheet illustrate completed versions of the blank templates given below.	St. Euthanasius Profile St. Euthanasius Worship and Music Description St. Euthanasius Narrative Budget Worksheet St. Euthanasius Narrative Budget Volunteer Hours
4. Communicate this information to your clergy, vestry, or other groups who might share your interest and enthusiasm for narrative budgeting. Form a core group of people to assist you in gathering stories and other information.
5. Download and complete the Narrative Budgeting Template. This spreadsheet provides the primary tool you will need to translate numbers typically displayed in a line-item budget into a picture that clearly communicates how money enables ministry in your church. Once you have completed the relevant fields, all computations will be performed automatically, and the Summary Sheet and Charts will display your information clearly and compellingly. When completed, the result will be one component of your narrative budget designed to illuminate how gifts of treasure fund ministry.	Narrative Budgeting Template
6. Download and complete the Narrative Budgeting Volunteer Hours Template. This spreadsheet provides the primary tool you will need to present a comprehensive picture of how volunteer hours and effort enable Worship & Music, Hospitality/Evangelism, Pastoral Care, Christian Formation, Parish Life, and Outreach. When completed, the result will be another component of your narrative budget designed to illuminate how gifts of time and talent fund ministry.	Narrative Budgeting Volunteer Hours Template
7. Once you have compiled all the relevant information and completed the two templates above, supplement your quantitative data with qualitative stories and quotes from parishioners and congregational leadership. Combine these components into an attractive, easy-to-share format; and present your results to the church.

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