What are your church's budget meetings like?

we have a budget team, made up of people qualifed to work with numbers, one is a cpa , they form a budget based on church needs and budget requests submitted by each ministry, at business meeting the church discusses it votes to approve it (or I guess disapprove if it were a bad budget, but have never seen that happen).

 

Isn't it nice when god's people do God's business with a Godly attitude!

Ours are quite peaceful because after 12 years of transparent, open decision making, people trust the financial people. The monthly financial statements are available in the lobby, so nothing is being done in the back room.

What also helps us is that as we present the budget, we tie it to ministry that is going on. For example, We don't just talk about how much we're spending on Bible study material, we talk about the people in the SS and small groups and what they are learning. With our cleaning supply budget, we talk about how guests view the buildings. We try to tie everything to what God is doing in the church.

Like your church, we are not currently meeting our budgeted needs, but we don't spend money if it is not there.

 

Ann, we're similar.

Honestly, our budget meetings are boring. In a good way. Drama-free.

I hope I never return to the days of stupid arguments, and (destructive) agenda-driven business meetings. It's nice seeing God's folks get along.

 

mercifully brief

 

Boring. Thank the Lord.

 

We are an Elder led church and our financial committee consists of anyone who wants to roll up their sleeves and work on it. We have quarterly business meetings with the budget made previously available and then discussed and voted on in the October meeting. So far all business meetings are linked with some kind of potluck dinner. It is hard to argue with your mouth full. :thumbs:

 

We have a Stewardship Committee appointed by the church. They work with the staff to prepare a budget. It is presented to the deacons first, and then to the congregation in a regularly scheduled monthly business meeting where questions, discussion, and, occasionally, amendments, are allowed. The vote for the budget is held on Sunday morning where no changes or discussion is allowed. Again, as with others, the transparency of the process makes it go smoothly.

Tim Reynolds

 

Sounds like my church's budget business meeting.

 

My wife and I attended a SBC a few years ago. When it was time to present the proposed budget to the congregation it was like a war zone! Unbelievable!

Things finally got so bad in that church that some in that "circle of agitators" started dying. I'm not kidding you! People started dying!

We left the church.

I don't know how they ever survived but the church, under a new pastorate, rocks & rolls every Sunday Morning. We all know that music is a great motivator so apparently they all stopped fighting and got caught up in the beat. Who knows?

 

Argh. Gone are the days of any church I attend where the budget meetings...and church business meetings/church conferences are infested with bickering and complaining.

One church which I have been involved with has the staff and lead team working through all the budget stuff. They keep a pretty good check on it.

Another church which I have been involved with has a committee that collects proposals from each of the areas that has a line item(s) in the budget and then mashes it all together and adjusts to present to the church. They have several meeting times (in a room, not at the floor of the church) where people can come in and discuss. Then they take it to the floor for a vote only.

 

I beleive you. I attended a church once which was a continual war zone. One agitator got all his toes cut off once with illness. I think it was due to being an agitator.