About the Parish Plan

The parish plan is a financial document, prepared by the Planning Group, for the Annual Review. The term "parish plan" is used to distinguish it from the more formal preparation of an annual budget. Clearly there is a huge overlap between a parish plan and a budget. The distinction is fundamentally about purpose, not content.

The parish plan tells the story of parish ministry in numbers and those numbers do not lie. Evangelist Billy Graham famously stated that a person's cheque book is a theological document; it clearly speaks of our priorities in life. In the same way, the parish plan or budget speaks of the church’s priorities. The numbers in a parish's plan tell a story either of subsistence existence, the fearful hoarding of reserves, or planning for the extension of ministry and mission.

A parish plan should speak of the church's eagerness to do God’s work in the community, to be part of the wider church both at home and abroad. A parish plan can also show the church's commitment to children’s work, pastoral care and stewardship of the church building.

The Annual Budget

Although it is commonplace in business and secular charities to prepare a budget, it is surprising how many churches function without any form of budget at all. Truthfully, many of those without a budget do manage to function perfectly smoothly. Nevertheless, a budget when properly constructed is a powerful tool.

Planning Groups, preparing for an Annual Review, may wish to organically link the planning process with the preparation and communication of the annual church budget. For more on this, consult our The Church Budget page.