Tuesday #2: Making a Budget

I interviewed Thad Spring at College Church on 1/14/09

In the making of the budget at College Church, there are five steps:

1.  Ministry leaders go through their budgets line by line, creating a report for the finance team.  This gives the specifics of ministry goals, as well as projections for the coming year.

2.  The finance team then goes over the vision of the church, looks at the previous year’s expenses, as well as the projected expenses of next year, and creates a budget which is sent to the Local Board of Administration (from here on, LBA).

3.  It is then the responsibility of the LBA to review and approve the budget.  Once this is done, it is sent to the Local Church Conference (from here on, LCC).

4.  The LCC, which is comprised of members only, meets once a year, usually for the sole purpose of reviewing the budget.  They elect officials, and approve the final budget. 

5.  The process continues throughout the year, with the finance team playing the justice department, so to speak, making sure everyone is holding to the budget, until next year, when the process is restarted.