PRIORITY
Your budget reflects whether or not children's ministry is a priority at your church. It's not about how large your children's ministry budget is. It's about how much of your church's overall budget is allocated to children's ministry. Churches put their treasure where their heart is.
A church that says children's ministry is a priority will prove it with their budget.This includes investing money in the children's ministry operating budget, personnel budget and facilities.
You can say you value children's ministry, but if the kids are stuck in the basement with old chairs and your volunteers are having to beg and scrounge for supplies, your budget is saying otherwise.
STRATEGY
Show me how you spend your budget and I can tell you what your ministry strategy is. Is your strategy event-driven? If so, you'll probably spend a lot of money on things like VBS. Is your strategy equipping volunteers? If so, you're probably spending money on things like training. Is your strategy programs? If so, you're probably spending money on things like Awana and Upward Basketball. Is your strategy helping people take next steps? If so, you're probably spending money on creating and communicating those steps.
FOCUS
Your budget shows what you're focused on. Are you focused on the Great Commission? If so, your budget will reflect this with money being channeled into outreach. When a church loses its focus on the Great Commission, the budget shifts to only being about meeting the needs of those inside the four walls of the church.
What's your budget saying?
