Do you have a maintenance or aspirational budget?

Church budgeting is hard.

It can be tricky to remain within the confines of a healthy church budget.

The pressure revolves around three elements: unpredictable income, which is based on the generosity of others, which is used for a bottom-less genuinely good and needy cause.

These elements raise the stress levels.

This is why church treasurers must be some of the most faithful people within the congregation.

But, there’s a tension which must be negotiated.

Maintenance or Aspiration?

Do you budget to keep things going or do you budget for growth?

This matters for both sides of the bookkeeping ledger.

Do you budget for a similar amount to come in or do you plan for income to increase?

Do you plan to spend a similar amount or do you hope to spend more than the last financial year?

This question of expenditure is the query which must keep treasurers up at night.

Do they plan for growth? If so, how much?

Will they invest the necessary funds required to enable growth?

Or, will they just plan for the safety of the plateau?

This is the tension that may result in the decision to diversify some of the churches income streams beyond just congregational offerings. But, of course, these kids of levers can only be pulled so many times.

Eventually, a difficult decision must be made between budgeting maintenance and aspiration.

Ultimately, this results in as much a decision of money as it does a determination of ministry.

How to know if your gospel presentation is associated more with death or life

What would be the key word associated with your gospel presentation?

Of course, the answer should be Jesus.

But, what other words would be attached to your gospel message?

If given the options, would someone attach the term life or death first?

Ultimately, both should be included.

You are alive now.

You will die.

Then you will be judged.

Then eternal life could be your reward.

Jesus offers you this life.

This could be your… albeit not great… gospel presentation.

For some, this is the message they hear.

And, if this is the messaging, then clinging life or death to the message is perfectly understandable.

But, if your gospel message is mainly about death, then this will have a tragic outcome.

It can be postponed.

For, I’m not planning on dying for decades.

I can put off thinking about religion until I’m sick.

Or old.

I can, if I play my cards right, make a deathbed conversion and “game the system.”

Or… my gospel message can be focussed on life.

Life eternal. 

Starting now.

Life with Jesus.

Life guided by the Holy Spirit.

Life in community.

If this is central to your message, then a response should be made while you have a lot more living to do.

It doesn’t get postponed.

In fact, delaying the decision, results in you missing out.

Instead of indulging yourself until the last moment, you’ll see that life under The Great Shepherd is actually “life to the full.”

This is what the gospel truely offers.

Life. From now.

Not just life insurance to be cashed in once you die.

Framing the difficult conversation up front

This is going to be a hard conversation.

It will be hard for you to hear.

It will be hard for me to say.

Here it goes…

This is how a difficult conversation should start.

No early pandering.

No bait-and-switch.

No blindsiding.

No matter if the conversation is about a breaking up, losing a job, a medical update or missing out on an opportunity, any discussion which will involve hurt, disappointment or sadness should open with honesty.

This way, everyone has a good idea what the conversation will entail.

No false dawns.

No mistaken hopes.

The truth.

A hard conversation is coming.

Be prepared.

It’s understood by everyone that this won’t be easy…