Financial FAQs
1. What is the current financial health of the church?
Vineyard Columbus remains on solid financial ground. Giving has stayed consistent for the past four years, we carry no debt, and we maintain unrestricted cash reserves equal to approximately 25% of our annual budget. We also receive clean audits annually from Capin Crouse, a leading nonprofit auditing firm. The church's history and legacy of generosity and good stewardship continues to provide a foundation for healthy future ministry.
2. What caused the recent staffing and budget reductions?
In March 2025, we discovered a series of internal financial issues—including delayed reporting, inaccurate forecasting, and gaps in communication between our finance team and senior leaders. These factors created an inaccurate picture of available resources, leading to overspending. Once the situation became clear, we took urgent and thoughtful steps to realign our structure to one that will be sustainable for the future of our church.
3. Was there any financial misconduct?
No. All financial activity has been conducted with integrity. Every year we have received clean audits, including this year in 2024. After discovering the issues, we requested an additional review. It confirmed that there was no impropriety. These were operational and leadership breakdowns in oversight and communication which are serious issues, but not the result of wrongdoing.
4. What actions have been taken to correct this?
Once the scope of the financial issues became clear, we quickly implemented structural and operational improvements to ensure this does not happen again. These include:
- Monthly financial reviews
Senior Pastors and our Head of Staff now conduct in-depth monthly reviews of financial statements, budget performance, and spending trends. - Enhanced financial oversight
We've built in deeper accountability between the finance team, Senior Leadership Team, and Church Council. - Finance team assessment
We conducted an evaluation of our finance department's leadership, systems, and workflows to strengthen clarity, communication, and performance.
We are also in the process of hiring a new Director of Finance to lead us forward with clarity, integrity, and excellence in stewardship.
5. Will there be more layoffs or ministry cuts?
No additional layoffs are planned. The staffing changes made this spring were comprehensive and designed to bring our budget back into long-term alignment. Most ministries remain fully operational.
6. How many staff and ministries were affected?
30 full time positions and 20 part-time (ranging from 6-25 hours) positions were impacted. After the changes, Vineyard Columbus' staff is made up of ~90 FTEs (full time equivalents). The primary impact was to administrative, operational, and centralized ministry staffing.
Our campuses remain well-resourced to carry out the heart of our mission through worship, discipleship, and pastoral care. Vital areas like Next Gen, global and local missions, and mercy and justice continue to thrive. (At our Westerville Campus, which has historically carried both centralized and local ministry responsibilities, we have a fully dedicated campus ministry team focused on serving, shepherding, and equipping the church toward kingdom mission.)
Our Community Center will remain funded while we explore outside partnerships to scaffold their sustainability for the long term. The only major program closure is our Early Childhood Center, which will end after this summer due to longstanding challenges with staffing and enrollment. Though it grieves us to close the Early Childhood Center, we have been working hard to serve families and staff during the transition.
Our Pastoral Residency Program will be completing its third and final cohort at the end of the summer. This Residency program was supported out of restricted “The Story Continues” campaign funds, was not impacted by current budget issues, and was already scheduled to finish this year.
7. How are we caring for impacted staff?
We were able to offer a severance package that includes compensation and benefits, along with supportive resources including vocational coaching from a licensed career coach.
If you have expertise in related fields and would like to volunteer by being available for impacted staff over the summer, are an employer looking for great employees, or have other capacities to serve and support, please reach out to mailin.young@vineyardcolumbus.org.
8. Has giving declined?
No. Giving has remained stable and generous. The challenges were not due to a drop in tithes and offerings, but due to a breakdown in planning, reporting delays, and oversight gaps.
9. What is the long-term financial plan?
We are now operating under a sustainable, balanced budget that reflects accurate financial forecasts and realities. Our goal is to continue building a lean, mission-driven church with appropriate reserves, clear financial tracking, and transparent communication. We’re committed to equipping every campus and ministry for faithful, local kingdom impact.
10. Will the church share more financial information in the future?
Yes. Pastors Eric and Julia will host a mid-year member meeting at our Westerville Campus on Monday, July 14, at 7pm. VC members will also receive more information in our year-end impact report, and as always, a full financial report will be part of our annual member meeting this spring.
11. Who can I contact with questions?
You are always welcome to reach out to your Campus Pastor or use our Contact Form and we'll direct your question to the appropriate staff member.