Most people don't like talking about money in the church. As a former local church pastor, I always dreaded the sermons where I had to talk about financial giving. What I came to realize, however, is that stewardship is not a money problem, but rather a spiritual problem. If more people would come to realize that, we would have more money than ever to do the kind of ministry we want to do on the local church level. But the reality is, we don't and churches constantly worry about meeting their annual budgets.
One of the first places that most churches will tend to cut is their ministry money. This would include money for Christian Education, Youth Ministry, Outreach Ministry, etc. They think that by cutting money from those line items that they will be able to keep the doors of the church open (paying salaries and church bills). For us work on the ministry side of things, this is a constant frustration. We are constantly having our budget attacked and trimmed and we are left with a smaller and smaller budget to do more and more ministry. Below are three things to consider that might help you in dealing with this ongoing problem of not having enough money to do the ministry that you would like.
Prioritize - I see the money problems in most churches not going away any time soon, so one way to combat this problem is to prioritize exactly what you want your ministry to be about. That may mean that some of your beloved programs may have to take a back burner or be cut out completely. But if you keep "the Main Thing, the Main Thing", you would be surprised at how much money you will have to do what you absolutely want to do.
Be Creative - When you're on a limited budget, you have to be creative. Reusing supplies and being frugal by buying what I call "multitask items" is the best way to go. One resource that I found incredibly helpful is a book entitled "Low Cost, No Cost Ideas for Youth Ministry" by Group. This book is chock full of great ideas that you can make your youth ministry dynamic with a little or no cost. I am sure there are others like this out there on the market. Find one and put it in your library. You also might be able to find things out there to do for free. Check your local area and see what you can find.
Don’t Be Intimidated - Money is a tool, not a craftsman (that would be you, making disciples). Practicing wisdom in how to use this one tool in your kit will serve you and the students and families well! Reminding yourself as you seek the resources you need to craft an environment in which kids come to know Christ that 1. God owns everything, and 2. God provides for our needs, will easy that knot in your stomach. Remember, you know the Source, then invest the talents with which you’ve been entrusted for the greatest possible return.
