“I’m really excited for the budget meeting,” said no one ever. A budget meeting may not be the most exciting event you go to this year, but we can all agree it is important. The church has income and expenses, and we, as a church family, need to address the finances of the upcoming year. A budget does involve other aspects besides numbers. Prayer, stewardship, and faith are three areas that reflect our heart towards Christ’s church especially dealing with the budget.
Since the budget is necessary for the financial dealings of the church, we should be in prayer about it. Prayer puts our hearts in a posture of humility. We are asking God for His guidance in these important decisions we are about to make. Prayer helps us realize that we are utterly dependent on our Creator. We have all prayed to God, asking Him to bless us financially at one point or another. When was the last time you asked God to bless His church financially? The power of prayer should never be underestimated. Praying to God about financial decisions help us to remember that we are just stewards of His resources.
Stewardship is the responsibility of managing resources. God is the Creator of all things, and He blesses us with His possessions. We are to manage His possessions in a God pleasing manner. The church resources come from the tithes collected. These are offerings made to our holy God. They should be treated with the utmost respect and used for kingdom-oriented purposes. The budget meeting is where we collectively come together to determine the most responsible way to honor God with His resources. We are to steward as responsibly as possible. Only God knows the future financial situation of the church, so we act on faith.
Faith in our perfect God is the greatest characteristic a follower of Christ can possess. He promises to never leave us or forsake us, and that includes a budget meeting. God knows what we need when we need it, and He faithfully provides. As a church we are putting our faith in God to guide and provide for His church over the upcoming year. As we vote at our budget meeting we are standing as one church putting our faith in our God knowing that He is unchanging despite what may be happening with the financial world. We can rest in His faithfulness knowing that He has given up His only Son for us. He paid the ultimate price. He has proven that, if there is anything we need, He will faithfully provide.
A budget meeting sometimes seems like a bunch of numbers getting kicked around. Remember that we can still use other gifts to contribute to the outcome of the final budget. Praying, stewardship, and faith often get overlooked, but all play a big role in this important task.
I urge you to be in prayer for and, if you’re a covenantal member of The Way Fellowship Church, to show up at our upcoming Family Meeting this Sunday, November 14 at 6pm, where we will be discussing next year’s budget.
Pastor Don