by Jim Heuving
In the book of Samuel you will find the sentence, "When Spring arrives the Kings prepare for war." At Pacific it is also the time when we begin thinking about next year's budget that begins September 1, 2011 and ends August 21, 2012. Budget season is a time when we get to wrestle with the Church's priorities and establish a strategic budget that advances the initiatives that we believe to be best. I like to consider this process as part of our faithful stewardship. God blesses us with many resources that he has given us all oversight over. As stewards we are responsible to make the most of what is provided.
To be very honest, I'm not a numbers guy. I will never pursue a CGA nor is being an accountant something that makes my spine tingle. However, I am very keen to deploy our best resources in directions that align with the mission of God. The budget is really a document that defines our strategic actions in a numerical way. I like to involve as many people as possible. Here is how the budget process works.
1. A Board designated team recommends the "big" revenue number. This year the team included Pastor Brian, Glen Forrester (Chair), Dave Stinchcombe and myself.
2. We then put together a "very, very, very draft budget" together (April).
3. We then invite all ministry leaders to submit their budget proposals (May).
4. Alongside of that we invite any and all to perhaps submit budget items. (May).
5. The Board reviews a draft budget and recommends a budget for the congregation to review and approve (July-August).
6. We implement the budget on September 1.