A new report released last week showed that the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) rescued over 665,000 jobs for churches and ministries across the country.
The PPP was part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed in March in order to help struggling businesses make payroll as the country reels from the effects of COVID-19. According to Christianity Today, it also marked the first time the US government sought financial protection for clergy and ministry workers as part of a stimulus package.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) released the list, which revealed that at least 11,500 Christian organizations received loans of $150,000 or more. Willow Creek Church in Chicago received one of the highest loans of over $5 million that kept 353 jobs while Life.Church in Edmond, Oklahoma received the same amount and preserved 451 jobs.
The program allowed companies with 500 employees or less to request up to two and half months of payroll costs. The average amount churches took were between $150,000 to $300,00 and kept around 60 jobs.
The SBA compiled the list with a keyword search of church, Christian, Catholic, and diocese. More than 7,000 recipients who received $150,000 or more included the word church in their name. For those churches who included denominations in their names, Catholic and Baptist congregations received the most funds. More than 2,000 Catholic…
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