CCF Across Ministry conducted a survey in 2022 asking CCF members about their concerns and challenges to enable church leaders to gain insights on how to minister to CCFers through tools and training materials. The Finance & Career Data Book is now available online.
There were 988 CCFers who responded to the survey, mostly female (72%) and married (57%) and middle class. Nine out of 10 have college degrees and about three-fourths are employed. Among those employed, 80% are satisfied with their current employment but expressed the desire for higher pay.
The top three financial concerns among the singles and married are very similar, with singles noted that “saving for emergencies” (63%), “earning enough money” (54%) and “making and sticking to a budget” (48%) were their main challenges. Meanwhile, respondents who are married ranked “saving for emergencies” (57%), “paying off debt” (50%), and “earning enough money” (48%), as their top three concerns.
Half of respondents revealed that family conflicts arise due to financial challenges. The top three areas of conflicts are “not saving enough” (62%), “not earning enough” (55%), and “spending beyond budget” (51%).
Despite financial challenges, these does not deter CCFers from tithing (90%) and supporting ministry workers.
To understand the spending behavior, we asked them about discretionary spending. The top 3 are the same across status: (1) dining out, (2) travel and leisure activities, and (3) clothing and accessories. These are the reasons why more than half of respondents are not able to save or don’t have a plan to save. They also do not have funds for emergencies nor life insurance.
Singles expressed the desire to learn about (1) investing, (2) saving for emergencies, (3) budgeting while married respondents want to learn more about (1) investing money; (2) managing finances as a couple” (3) “planning for retirement.”
Read or download the Finance & Career Data Book below:
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As a result of the survey, Across Ministry developed a video-based training series entitled “Achieve Financial Wellness Through S.A.V.E.” to address the expressed needs. The 4-part series is the first for Across Originals, family discipleship materials created by Across Ministry for CCF Dleaders, CCF satellites, parents, and other heads of family.
The acronym S.A.V.E. stands for:
S – Spend Less Than You Earn
A – Avoid Debt
V – InVest for the Long Run
E – Emergency Fund and Insurance
With Biblical principles, relevant statistics, and sound financial advice, this series provides practical steps to help CCFers manage their family finances better and also have the proper Biblical perspective in handling money. The package also includes an Excel toolkit with built-in functions for budgeting, debt management, and more.
Watch and download the materials for “Achieve Financial Wellness Through S.A.V.E.” here:
CCF Across Ministry regularly conducts church-wide surveys to better understand the needs of Christians. Coming soon are the results of the mental health survey and programs to address these needs.
