Budget
CBFNC is grateful for the faithful, generous support of our fellowship. The 2024–2025 Mission and Ministry Funding Plan (MMFP) is noteworthy for several reasons:
Prudent Management – The 2024–2025 MMFP is only one percent more than the previous year, excluding Lilly grants. Though our nation has experienced a significant period of inflation, CBFNC continues, through prudent management, to provide effective ministry in a challenging financial environment.
Sources of Income – Churches still supply a significant majority of CBFNC’s income. The impact of the pandemic, as well as other factors, has caused some churches to reduce giving to CBFNC. CBFNC has been successful at growing other sources of income, including individuals, grants, investment earnings, sponsorships and fees. However, it is very likely that reserve funds will be required again to fully fund the budget at this level.
Lilly Endowment Grants – CBFNC was recently awarded two new Lilly Endowment, Inc. grants in addition to the successful Helping Pastors Thrive grant that has been operational for five years. Reflected in this plan, these grants are:
Helping Churches Thrive – This program will form learning communities of congregations to support general thriving, as well as two areas of focus – ministry with young adults and
long-term sustainability.
Compelling Preaching – This program, conducted in partnership with the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, will strengthen the preaching of our ministers.
Partners – CBFNC is the largest single funder of partners in the entire CBF network. If the 2024-2025 MMFP is fully funded, over $1,000,000, or approximately 40% of the total (excluding Lilly grants), will support ministry partners. This level of funding is unsustainable if we are to maintain our primary ministries to support ministers and churches and reach young adults. Therefore, the Coordinating Council directed the Partnership Development Team to conduct an assessment of partner funding with the goal of reducing it to 30% of the total one year from now, with the 2025-2026 budget. With these changes anticipated next year, partner funding levels are unchanged in this plan.
Personnel – CBFNC staff costs, which are primarily ministry expenses, are much lower, as a percent of the total, than most churches or similar non-profit organizations.
The MMFP was approved during the Annual Business Meeting of the CBFNC Annual Gathering on March 15, 2024.
Click HERE to view the 2024–2025 Mission and Ministry Funding Plan.
