Beginning in 2004 and every other year after, my family takes a road trip up the coast of California, camping at some of the most beautiful spots you can imagine along the way. Seeing the California Coastline from Highway 1 is breathtaking. If you have never seen Manchester Beach, you are missing a …

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When I left my career at Callaway Golf for full-time vocational ministry, the list of things I knew would have fit on a post-it note, whereas what I didn't know would have been thicker than War and Peace. For example, as I slowly and methodically worked my way through the church budget, one of the …

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It can take up to five months to create a church budget. This lengthy process includes starting from scratch each year, also known as a zero-based budget. It involves casting the vision for the upcoming year, allowing all of the ministry and operations teams to dream about how each area will …

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Putting a church budget together is serious business. It is the blueprint that shows the responsible allocation of financial resources. A well-crafted budget demonstrates stewardship, accountability, and how the church accomplishes the church's mission and vision. And one of the most tension-filled …

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When it comes to church budgets, the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes got it right. There are different seasons. Although this line isn't in chapter 3, it seems like a time to reduce and a time to increase should be a part of it. Seasons of increase are exciting, fun, and filled with hope, but …

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Since it's unlikely that anyone on your church staff is in the top 1% of earners, when it comes to compensation, wage stagnation must be a consideration when building a church budget. Wage stagnation is the term that describes little to no growth in employee wages over a period of time. Drew …

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