The Gospels of Matthew (19:13-14) and Luke (18:15-17) document an exchange between Jesus and his disciples about children. The disciples were hindering or rebuking the children brought to Jesus for a blessing, and Jesus made his thoughts clear, “Leave the children alone, and do not forbid them to come to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”~Matthew 19:14. Just one chapter earlier, Jesus gave this stern warning, “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depths of the sea.” ~Matthew 18:6. Throughout the Bible, it’s clear that children are a priority to God and, therefore, should also be a priority to churches. A robust children’s ministry is essential for healthy, growing churches. Children’s ministry is where we, as followers of Jesus, get to show these impressionable, precious, and vulnerable children their first glimpses of the incredible love of God.
When it comes to building a church budget, determining how much the church invests in each ministry becomes a challenging endeavor. In fact, there are numerous articles (mine included) on healthy church budget percentages. Often, the dollar amount is not proportional to its importance or demographic. For example, according to Tony Morgan at the Unstuck Group, children should comprise between 19 and 23 percent of the church attendance. Does that mean the children’s ministry should get 19-23 percent of the budget? That’s probably unrealistic for many churches since healthy churches allocate 20-35 percent of the entire budget to all ministries, making the list of what to include in the children’s ministry budget important.
What to Include
Because churches vary in size, demographics, location, vision, and even budgeting strategies, making a one-size-fits-all list is impossible. When reviewing this guide, use discernment to determine what fits your church’s needs best.
- Safety and Security: The church must be a safe place for children to come and explore God’s love. Expenses in this category include background checks (LiveScan, etc.), materials for check-in systems, emergency supplies like walkie-talkies, backpacks with flashlights, batteries, first-aid kits, etc. Expenses to create and execute an evacuation drill and anything to ensure the safety of the children fall into this category.
- Training/Team Development: Healthy churches rely heavily on volunteers to accomplish the church’s mission, especially in children’s ministry, and must invest in training and developing leaders. List the upcoming estimated costs for conferences, meetings, materials, guest speakers, etc., in this category.
- Supplies: It’s always surprising the number of crayons, markers, glue sticks, posters, cups, pipe cleaners, etc., go into a Sunday morning. Some churches may want to add snacks (goldfish crackers) and toys under the supplies line item as a sub-category.
- Curriculum: Most children’s ministries purchase comprehensive curricula that include music, videos, coloring sheets, and even instructions on how to tell the stories. Budget appropriately to match your church’s needs for this critical piece of the children’s ministry puzzle.
- Equipment: This category encompasses TVs, DVD players, sound equipment, and indoor play equipment (slides, castles, etc.). When budgeting, I prefer to keep IT equipment separate and would not include computers used for check-in or classrooms in this category.
- Events: Costs for concerts, trunk or treat (harvest festivals), VBS (Vacation Bible School), and Christmas choirs are often overlooked or underestimated. Review this list to make sure there are funds to support these fun events for kids.
- Volunteer Appreciation: As stated earlier, children’s ministry thrives through the active involvement of committed volunteers. Budget money to appreciate these faithful ministry partners.
What to Exclude
- Compensation: Paid children’s ministry staff is part of the Compensation budget.
- IT Equipment: Include touchpads and printers for check-in stations and classroom computers in the IT budget, not the children’s ministry budget.
What to Adjust
As churches emerge from the pandemic, attendance and donations remain all over the spectrum forcing leaders to become more agile than ever before. Here are a few thoughts for churches on either end of the range:
Cuts to the Budget
- Eliminate off-site conferences and training in favor of online or in-house training.
- Implement a program for the church to donate supplies like crayons and markers.
- Reduce or remove event-related costs.
Increases to the Budget
- Increase training for staff and volunteers, especially regarding building leaders.
- Evaluate and replace aging or failing equipment.
- More volunteer appreciation – can you ever appreciate someone who freely gives of their time, talent, and treasure for the cause of the mission?
