Page 107 - Ecclesiology Textbook Masters

Once the budget is completed the final step in preparing a budget is to present it to the leadership or
congregation who must agree to this binding document to control spending. Once the accounting year
has begun, appointed officers from the church should record every donation received and have a receipt
for every expense documented. Again, this can be accomplished on a spreadsheet or a computerized
accounting system or by keeping a financial log manually. Monthly a report should be created to
validate that the church income and expenses are within the approved budget, and if not, adjustments
to spending must be made. Normally this report would summarize all sources of income and expenses
in various categories with totals listed within the income and expense sections.

Depending on your country laws, you may have to give a statement to each contributor to the church of
the total contributions made in a calendar year. You must be meticulous in keeping exact records for
each donor known contribution to be able to produce this statement.

13.4 Let’s Practice…

1. What kind of manager is Christ looking for among the churches?

2-3. Please define what a budget is for the church and why it is important.

4. What is the first order of business a church must do to begin to create a budget?

5. After determining its income, what three ways can the church use this income to glorify God?

6-10. List five of the six questions a church should ask in determining the spending patterns of the
church.

7. What is the final step to creating a budget?

13.5 Let’s Personalize this Lesson…

Does your church or do you personally operate using a budget. If you are involved in your
church, why not share this information with them and help them to create a budget. If you are
not, then perhaps you can do the same thing on a personal level. Make a list of all income and
expenses based on your personal or church priorities, then keep records of actual income and
expenses throughout the next few months to see if you can live by a budget.

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