Adam Flynt is the Family Ministry Director at Access Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Access Church is a strategic partner of North Point Ministries. We’ve asked Adam to share a series about the budgeting process and what he’s learned along the way as they’ve started Access Church from scratch. We know that this process can look very different when you are first starting out, but as I read his information, I knew that these principles were helpful no matter where you are at in ministry. For more great insight, you should check out Adam’s blog at www.orangefamilies.com or follow him on Twitter.

Budgeting 101: Why Should I Care About Budgets?

It’s budget time!  And a collective “Ughhhh!” was heard throughout the blogosphere.

Most of us did not get into ministry to pour over spreadsheets and giving trends.  But budgeting is critically important to pursuing your mission and vision.  Crafting a great budget takes time and energy.  Many of us would rather pass that task off and go spend time with people.

Why take the time to create a good budget?

Here are a few reason to take time and energy each year with budgets:

Ministry Takes Money: There is often less money than you want.  Knowing when and how you plan to spend money, allows you to stretch your money to the max by searching out deals because you aren’t rushed at the last minute.

Planning: Good budgets will demand good plans.  Don’t just plug numbers into old line items.  Start with evaluation.  Challenge assumptions and the “that’s the way we’ve always done it” syndrome. Move to planning.  Lastly, calculate the costs.

Focus and Boundaries: Good budgets help everyone focus. Not every good idea is God’s idea.  It also helps everyone maintain healthy boundaries.  It allows you to say “no” without it just being a matter of opinion.  Budgets help you effectively execute your plans.

Flexibility: Intentionally create margin.  If times get tough, knowing where there is margin will allow cuts to be made more easily.  Margin means you are able to quickly respond to unexpected opportunities.

Demonstrate Leadership: How you handle money speaks volumes about your leadership.  Good budgets demonstrate good leadership.  If you get a reputation for being good with budgets, those in authority will likely entrust you with more resources.

Budget as Stewardship: If you budget and spend wisely, you will not have to constantly be asking for more money (an often-levied complaint against the church).  It may even increase giving, even in this economy.  Budgets can keep you above reproach and protect you.  People love to give generously to honest, well-managed organizations.

Less We Forget: Numbers don’t lie.  You will be able to look back and remember why and how you did what you did.

Budgets are Estimates: Fight the urge to constantly tweak budgets and just trail expenses.  Being off is not always bad.  Its more important to be able to see, explain, and learn from variances in spending versus budget numbers.

It’s About Jesus: How resources are allocated says a lot about what your church believes about Jesus and his mission.  Great budgets point people to Jesus.

Check back for Parts 2 & 3 where we’ll look at a step-by-step budgeting process, a sample budget, helpful hints, and often forgotten budget items.

Post written by:  Adam Flynt - Family Ministry Pastor - Access Church