Budget Time!
I mean, how exciting is Budget time in the life of a church? If you're curious to the actual answer to that question ask Pete. He's our Church Treasurer now. But for the purposes of this blog, I want to propose this question: what do you know about our church's finances? Do you feel informed? Do you simply trust that the folks in finance are doing the right things with the money you tithe? Is that healthy? In the coming weeks we will be given a new proposed church budget for the coming year. Over the past few years our church has shrunk from over 300 giving units (people who write checks to the church) to less than 200. Yet our church budget remains withing a few percentage points of being the same overall amount. At the same time, we usually have to juggle which bills we pay month to month because we don't have the cash on hand to keep our bills current. We dip into money people give as designated to pay supplement our ordinary budget, but can you be sure that money ever gets put back into the designated accounts it was tithed into? Do you know we pay our missions bills last? Does any of this matter or are we happy as long as the lights are on on Sundays and the staff is baing paid?
5 Comments:
This is going to be long (and boring?) so stop if you tire easily.
When I came to this church last year, I had just finished a three year term as treasurer at my other church – and thus prepared three budgets. Everything you posted above was an issue there as well.
Mission payments being made last is necessary because it is the only major flexible part of the budget. It just makes economic sense. Everyone “talks” missions but when it comes down to it no one is willing to put the required money into the church for that purpose. If it is truly important we should make missions a “designated” line item separate from the operating budget to make sure it gets funded. I am not advocating this course of action (because I don’t think it would work either) but it is one option. As an aside, I would say that most of us don’t know what percentage of the budget goes to missions and even which missions are getting our money (SBC, CBF…).
As for money being taken from designated accounts for regularly occurring expenses, this should only be done with church approval (via a vote in the business meeting). Then all repayments should be detailed in subsequent meetings to let the church know that the money is being repaid. (Unless the church bylaws don't address this situation.) I went through a similar situation where designated “new van money” was used to pay KUB one month and things got ugly fast.
I have noticed that members here do a lot less questioning during business/budget meetings. I used to dread the budget presentation meeting because it was 1 ½ hours of constant scrutiny over each line item. It was insane. Folks here seem to be more trusting(?) and I feel that is okay to some extent. Once the time for presentation has arrived you have had your chance to let various people know where funds are needed and you SHOULD be able to trust those folks to inform the budget committee of those needs.
Finally, I’ll address the cash and family giving unit shortfall by using my familiar comment. Not enough 40 to 55 year olds. Our age group either has only one income to support 3-5 family members or two working spouses with daycare (et al) expenses. By and large, the seniors are on fixed incomes. We need people from that other age group where the kids are older and where their careers have reached a more consistent level of higher income. Then you will see an increase in receipts.
That last comment was by Sam.
One is the lonliest number that you'll ever do;
Two can be as bad as one, it's the lonliest number since the number one.
Look slike no one is very interested in the budget. I can't say I'm suprised. We'll see if anyone shows up at the business meeting tonight...
What we learned at the meeting tonight...don't mess with Lori !!!
Sam
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