"From Vision to Reality: Using a Budget as Your Church's Roadmap"

According to Barna, almost 50% of all churches don’t use a budget.  It is scary to think that half of all churches don’t have a financial plan.

God calls us to be good stewards of the resources he has given us.  Using a good budget is the only way to do so. 

Pastors, if you don’t have a real budget, you're not being the best steward of the resources you have been given. 

You control your money, or it controls you.  You either plan to use it to accomplish God’s mission for your church, or you are just riding the ups and downs of your finances, hoping for the best. 

Successful organizations plan for success.  The church should be no different.  A well thought out budget is imperative for a healthy church.   

Here are some of the reasons you need a budget for: 

A budget helps you manage expenses. 

A budget helps you avoid and react to unexpected financial crises. 

A budget helps you prepare for the future. 

A budget helps you to measure the health of your organization. 

Why wouldn’t you want those? 

As a kid we never traveled far for vacations.  No extra money for that. 

We would just visit campgrounds around Illinois or visit my grandma in Parsons, Kansas.  (By the way, there wasn’t anything that was much fun in Parsons! )

My dad saved some money and had a mission, to take our family to see the mountains of Colorado. 

He eventually saved up enough money to take us on a two-week camping trip to Colorado Springs.  It was a dream come true.   

This was before GPS, so my dad went to the local gas station and bought a paper map.  This was the 1970’s. Younger readers may be surprised to find out that just like pirates, people once used paper maps to get to a specific location. 

We took off from Wood River, IL in our old Ford pickup pulling the camper.  My mom had one job, watch the map and keep us heading in the right direction. 

I’ll never forget.  We had been driving for many hours, when my dad asked my mom a question.  “Alice, where are we?”  There was a bit of silence, a lot of ruffling the map around, before she finally admitted that we were lost.  We were off course and she had no idea where we were. 

I never once heard my dad cuss, but I can remember thinking he was going to that day.  After a lot of arguing and questions, he finally pulled over and spread the paper map out on the hood of the truck. 

Dad finally figured out where we were, and what we needed to do to get back to realizing the goal he had set. 

My dad had a mission, a beautiful vacation in Colorado.  The map was the tool that helped us stay on course to realize that dream. 

That is what a budget should do for your church. God gives you a mission for your church, and your budget, like a map, keeps you on course.  It helps you stay true to the mission God has given you. 

Just like my dad, you must have a mission, a destination that you know God has called your church to.  Use it to build the map or budget to get there.   

What has God called your church to be?  What has he sent your congregation to do in your community?  What kinds of events and programs help you reach the people He has called you to? 

God has a specific plan for your church.  What is it?  Determine the specific mission of your church then focus on your target.  

Plan only for spending that is true to your mission.  Thinking about buying a new van for the church?  How does a van advance the mission? Don’t make any purchases that you can’t directly coorelate back to your mission.  Budget for them and stay on your budget.  Stay on your mission.

Some pastors just use the same budget each year.  This is a mistake.  Like a child, your ministry grows and changes.  You wouldn’t try to make your child wear the same clothes each year!  Same with your ministry.  Create a fresh budget each year that reflects the current trends and vision of your ministry. 

Craig Groeschel says, "Every time you say yes to something you are saying no to something else.” Every time you spend a dollar, it is gone.  You can’t use it again.  Make them count. A budget forces you to spend it where it matters most. Your budget keeps you true to your vision.  

Your budget becomes the map, the guard rails that help you make decisions and stay on course for the mission God has called your church to accomplish. 

Be a good steward.  Create a well thought out financial plan for your church.   Don’t wait until you’re lost in the middle of financial nowhere to decide you need a map.