Spreadsheets. Columns. Numbers. These are the stuff of my nightmares! I was never good at math and I still avoid it at all costs. But I’ve slowly begun to resign myself to the fact that it is an important part of my job expectations. The church entrusts me with a large amount of money (it never seems like enough, right!) and it’s my duty to spend it appropriately and in a way that makes the biggest investment in ministry.
Ok. I can spend money. I can even do it responsibly if I have to.
But then they ask for a budget. A plan for how to spend the money. An idea of how much money you need for the year. I don’t know about you, but the word budget makes my skin crawl. I get a little antsy thinking about it even now.
I went into ministry to help people. To share God’s love with people. To change the world. Not to create a spreadsheet! But here’s the deal – without that spreadsheet, you won’t have the money to do the things to change the world. So how do you create a ministry budget without losing your mind?
Step One: Create a Plan
Make a list of your dreams and goals for the year.
Step Two: Finalize a Calendar
Michelle’s Law: If it’s not on the calendar, it won’t happen. So get those goals written down!
Step Three: Make a Shopping List
Don’t get too bogged down in the details, but come up with a general idea of what you’ll need to make your plan happen.
Step Four: Put It All Together
A plan + a calendar + a list of needs = a budget
The more you do this, the easier and faster it will be. Over time, you’ll find that some of the steps will become so common to you, that you’re not even having to put forth extra effort to get them done. But for this year, you’ll need to set aside some time to think through each step. If your budget is due this week, you can still follow these steps, you just may need to do some quick thinking and some tweaking along the way.
Happy Budgeting!
Michelle Suarez 