What if I have a book budget, but it hasn't been updated in the last 10 years? Or what if it just isn't meeting the needs of our new and swiftly growing church? These are important questions and this site is designed to help answer them and provide the tools for pastors to develop more adequate book budgets and better facilitate learning in their congregations.

Choose the option that best fits your current situation:

Will my church board be receptive to me asking for an increase in my pastoral book budget?

Many pastors feel that they may come across as greedy or ungrateful if they ask their elder board for an increased book budget. This is not the case. In fact, board members are often unaware that the previously established book budget is not adequately meeting the pastor’s need. The majority of board members will readily see the connection between pastors having adequate resources and pastors doing their jobs to the best of their God-given abilities.

This said, pastors can’t expect to walk into their board meeting, present the idea of increasing the pastoral book budget, and walk away from the board meeting with an additional $100 per year for books. Boards take their stewardship of the churches funds very seriously, and an increase in one budget item may mean a decrease somewhere else. Most elder boards will want two things: information and time. Numbers, statistics, and facts are required.

The Pastor's Library has developed customized handouts to help you prepare for presenting a book budget to your church. Click here to visit the book handouts page.

Why do I need a larger pastoral book budget?

You likely wouldn’t be reading this if there wasn’t a little part of you saying, “Hey, it would be nice to have a bit more money to spend on books and software,” or “My book budget sure doesn’t stretch as far as it used to…I can only afford to buy 6 titles per year now.” There are a number of substantive, concrete reasons why many pastors feel that they need an increased book budget, including: Inflation and higher costs: As time passes, goods and services become more expensive. Books, software, magazines, and journals for pastors are no exception. A $200 book budget went a lot further in 1998 than it does now. This can also be the case for a book budget that has remained stagnant for 2 or 3 years.

Software: Although Bible software collections offer an amazing value when compared to purchasing print titles individually, the initial cost of switching from print to electronic resources can be steep. A larger budget can account for this cost. Most pastors find that using Bible software saves them large amounts of time and makes them more effective in their ministry. Click here to find out more about Bible Software.

Church growth and increased pastoral responsibility: In recent years, many churches have seen explosive growth and for many pastors this means increased responsibilities and expectations. Having access to a larger, more relevant, and more up-to-date resource collection can save pastors time and allow them to build sermons that truly touch their congregation.

New research and findings: Every year, Biblical scholars make exciting new discoveries that help pastors and their congregations develop faith and community as believers. A church should benefit from the wealth of new resources continually being introduced.

I already have a substantial number of titles in my library…what else could I possibly need?

There is an amazing wealth of titles available for 21st century pastors with more being added all the time. Every title offers new insight and examines old issues in a new light. Even many of the best titles from the 1970’s and 1980’s have been updated and reworked to reflect what’s happening with Christianity today. Clearly there are some titles that will continue to stand the test of time, but pastors who want to keep God’s Word relevant for people today are wise to continually evaluate new resources and titles. The Pastor's Library has collected bibliographies and recommended book lists from a variety of leading sources. When it comes to studying the Bible, it is difficult to have too many resources.

What should my pastoral book budget be?

The situation at every church and for every pastor is different. Many variables come into play including church size, ministry focus, pastoral experience, etc. However, in many cases the key variable that seems to impact the size of a pastor’s book budget most is the size of the congregation.

The senior pastor at a church with 500 people often faces different expectations and time constraints than the pastor of a 50-person church. Ultimately, pastors need to examine their current book budget and determine it if is meeting their needs. Purchasing books and software just for the sake of buying it isn’t the point; pastors need to purchase resources that will help them in their study and understanding up God’s Word. There is no magic formula for determining a pastoral book budget. However, the Pastor's Library offers a valuable tool called the Book Budget-O-Meter. Pastors enter their congregation size and the Book Budget-O-Meter calculates a suggested book budget. It’s that easy!

Click here to try the Book Budget-O-Meter and see how your book budget stacks up!

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