Page 106 - Ecclesiology Textbook Masters

1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in
keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

Proverbs 27:12 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.

Proverbs 30:24-25 Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise: Ants are creatures of little
strength, yet they store up their food in the summer;

Proverbs 13:11 Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.

Proverbs 28:20 A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich will not go
unpunished.

Luke 16:10 He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a
very little thing is unrighteous also in much.

Ecclesiastes 11:2 Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon
the land.

Finally, the church needs determine the best way to spend the money to advance Christ’s kingdom on
earth, not the church’s own kingdom. The church needs to first review the biblical purpose for the
church, and ask some important questions:

Remember, the purpose of the church was to….
1. …proclaim the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ to a lost world.
2. …be involved in Discipleship of those coming to Christ.
3. …be a place of fellowship for the saints
4. …be a place where believers can observe the Lord’s Supper, remembering Christ’s
5. … a place of prayer.
6. …be meeting needs.

So, the questions to ask are:

1. How does investing in this building advance the purpose of the church?
2. How fancy of building do we need to accomplish God’s purpose for the church?
3. Does this program advance one of the purposes of the church, or it is merely for entertainment or to
attract people to the church?
4. Is this program essential?
5. Do we need to hire professionals in every area of ministry, or can our lay ministries meet our needs?
6. Our number one calling is to spread the Gospel to the nations. How much of our spending is going
toward that?

After reviewing the activities of the church and how money has been spent in the past, perhaps you may
want to make some revisions. But to complete the budget, you need to take the available projected
resources and divide them among your necessary or planned expenses. This may be done on a spread
sheet via computer.

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