Ministry Budget Mindset
Ministry Budgeting – How Do We See It?
Know what money is NOT…and IS.
It is not our validation, identity, master, ticket to freedom, etc. It is a tool in the hand of God that we steward.
We have a better reference point than the world. We start with the baseline: “The Lord is Our Provision.” So whether we lack or have much, it all belongs to Him. We seek to be content in Him and not use money for what it was never made to be. If we don’t see it that way, we will squander it or lack faith with it. It will become a trap keeping us from His heart for us. Watch how God stewards wealth. Make decisions that multiply toward what God values. (Matthew 25:14–30) And remember even with loss, we look at it with a heart of gain. (Philippians 3:7-11)
“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” - 2 Timothy 6:5-7
“And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”—Luke 12:15
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” —1 Timothy 6:10
God provides what we need to accomplish His Will.
He is also creative & generous. So trust that He is going to guide us as we seek Him. Know the character of what you want your budget to reflect before you spend a dime. (Prov 22:1) Money is a river not a reservoir.
Some ways folks try to budget…
1. Feel-It-Out: Not be intentional and just let itself play out. Earn-It / Spend it.
PROS: Takes into account we don’t know future
RISK: Debt, Short Term thinking
2. Norms: Assess past behavior norms and build budget around that.
PROS: Some realism.
RISK: Status Quo
3. Vision: See ground we need to take and build a budget around it. If lacking resource, it explores ways we can solve to get more resource or multiply what we have (volunteer, donation, timing). To do it well, you must assess reality with a heart of faith. Vision assumes God is at work among us and wants to use His people to do more than we could imagine.
PROS: Allows us to develop and grow
RISK: Can be challenging at times to align with God’s / leadership’s vision.
Which method is wise in light of our baseline?
Vision. In budget world, you always need to be evaluating resources in hand, priorities, timing, and possible new resources and adjust for loss…but we don’t lose the vision.
Questions to Ask:
What are our values? (ex. Discipleship, prudence, excellence, organic, “less work-more impact”, authenticity, innovation,etc)
What is our vision? (ex. connect people with the gospel through story, show folks innovative ways to engage with timeless truth, employ members for service)
What are different paths we could carry that out that would have high impact? (methods)
How much do they cost?
What are the pros/cons of different solutions?
Given our values, requirements, investment, wisdom, God’s heart, what is the best way to spend this money as a team?
SIDENOTE FOR OVERALL CHURCH BUDGET:
Margin: You should also build a Contingency budget to be used in emergencies or to take advantage of opportunities.
Giving: In the main budget and personal budget, we think of ways to give toward things that matter. Coming up with our ministry department budget, we may not have a giving line item, but we can always be thinking how to be generous in other ways.
Operating Mindset:
Stewardship. In looking for opportunities it's always a dance between focusing on a planned path and openness for pivots. But everything still connects with the vision and character. It takes faith, wisdom, research, discernment and deep understanding of the mission. It takes PRAYER AND ABIDING to do it well. Good stewards are diligent, wise, generous, fair and abiding with the Lord.
CATEGORIES TO CONSIDER: COLLABORATION • TRAINING • EQUIPMENT • INVESTMENT • RANGES • FORCE-MULTIPLIERS