Financial oversight of any organization carries a weight with it. There’s an incredible burden to “get it right” whenever a person or team manages money. There are too many stories of what happens when it goes awry; we read about theft, fraud, funneling, laundering, etc., eroding trust and confidence in an organization. Even though not everyone performs their financial oversight role with integrity and conviction, that sense of responsibility increases exponentially when it comes to the financial oversight of a church. The church must establish confidence and trust with the donors regardless of denomination, size, or location. The donor must believe the church will manage their act of worship in such a way that it makes an impact. Unfortunately, we live in a day and time when skepticism and distrust are high, and all organizations, especially churches, need to go above and beyond to demonstrate financial transparency, competency, and integrity. There is no better way to build and maintain that trust than through the church budget. It’s like a target with three circles; at the center of the target is building trust with the staff, then widens to the congregation, and finally works its way to the community.
Trust Within The Staff
Building a church budget is the ultimate team-building experience. It starts by providing the staff with goals and initiatives for the upcoming fiscal year. It ensures the goals align with the church’s mission and vision. Building the church budget promotes collaboration in areas of financial overlap and provides opportunities to work together when prioritizing areas needing budget reductions.
Building this kind of trust requires transparency from the financial team. The team must provide data showing how the team arrived at projected income as well as reports showing a breakdown of expenses and how they contributed to achieving the mission.
When the staff doesn’t feel that the budget is a weapon used to bludgeon each other to get the financial resources needed to accomplish their agenda and instead the staff unites around the mission, vision, and goals, they build trust in the process and each other.
Trust Throughout the Congregation
The church budget is not a top-secret document that only a few select individuals can see – it’s for everyone in the church. Of course, that does not mean that every nitty gritty detail is necessary, like the breakdown of an individual’s compensation or specific missionary support. But an approved budget is a cause for celebration, and the church needs to join in. It’s a great idea to produce a fiscal year-end summary that reviews the last fiscal year and shares the church’s success, challenges, and plans for the future. It’s a testament to what God is doing in and through your church.
Additionally, the financial team must produce a document providing the church body with a budget summary that provides the projected income for the upcoming fiscal year, how it plans to allocate the income (unless your church by-laws require it, avoid specific individual details), and how the budget fulfills its mission.
These reports are a way to show the church body that the church leadership is accountable for how the church spends every dollar. It’s the kind of openness and transparency that builds and maintains trust.
Trust in the Community
Being a church that isn’t fighting a financial scandal goes a long way in building trust in the community. Building a church budget that shows your church is not just in the community but for the community also builds trust. For example, investing financial resources in community outreach to host events like VBS (Vacation Bible School), Trunk or Treat, or providing resources for the under-resourced, etc., shows the community the church is about more than themselves. These investments reflect the heart of Jesus to make disciples of all nations. And that’s what a good church budget can do.
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