by Paul Hodgson.
Church finances can be both challenging and rewarding. In many ways they begin and end with the amount of faith that we include in the whole process of church financial management.
Financial facts are mostly historic in nature. They relate to what has already happened. We document them carefully. But facts mixed with faith can produce quite a different result when we look into the future. It is all too easy to produce a factual report of the past and assume that the future will produce the same or similar results.
The difference is not just blind faith, but faith that is centered in God’s plan or vision for the local church. This kind of faith affirms that He will provide for all things necessary to carry out His vision. The God kind of faith enables us to prioritize what is most important and keeps our minds open to possibilities that otherwise would be unthinkable.
To set forth a financial plan for the future, a budget is necessary. How then can a church budget be more than a projection of human estimates in some prioritized fashion? Where can faith-for-the-future be seen in such a ledger?
And what about living with the budget? What happens when the income goes down or up? Where is faith, and how do we deal with reality when faced with the unpredictable?
Prayer in the Age of PowerPoint
First we pray for wisdom from heaven. Then we listen for instructions or advice. Next, we remain alert by monitoring cash flows and exercising options that are presently available. Learning how to activate faith and make necessary adjustments with limited resources actually builds more faith by creating a legacy of faith. After doing all we know to do, we stay the course by maintaining unity and financial integrity.
A growing part of any church’s budget these days, is more and more technology. Living with the high cost of computers, sound equipment, lighting, video cameras, and the like can be challenging for a finance director or treasurer. Everybody’s expectations are high. When something doesn’t work quite right, quick service is demanded, which raises the costs even more.
In our more harried moments, we may wish for the days a hundred years ago when many churches didn’t even have telephones or electric lighting. But somehow our forerunners found a way to include these in their church budgets. If they had faith for lighting, we can believe for newer technology, can’t we?
Another area that calls for us to blend faith with facts is managing the financial risks of a church. Lawsuits, uninsured losses and surprise demands on church resources can keep you on your knees. Whatever risk you face, nothing is as important as maintaining strong leadership unity and relationships.
Dollars Are Not the Goal
What makes for a winning and rewarding mission? It’s when the church and its leadership achieve the vision with available resources. Finances are only a vehicle to assist the church in realizing the ultimate goal. After all, the church exists to create healthy, active reproducing members of God’s kingdom. That is our main goal, not just amassing financial reserves to perpetuate the institution.
If we live by the faith of the Son of God (Galatians 2:20), He will build strong character in us. And ultimately, our churches’ success will exceed the facts that now seem so limiting.
Paul Hodgson is finance director of Church for All Nations, Tacoma, Washington, where he managed a $15 million building program.
