Transcript Narrative Budget - Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Welcome to First Christian Church
Somewhere Awesome, USA
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • EXPECTED RECEIPTS: Pledges Non-pledge giving Other receipts 252,650 34,000 12,000 Total receipts 298,650 PROPOSED BUDGET: Property Expenses: Utilities Phone Insurance 23,500 2,000 11,500 Building & grounds maintenance 18,500 Custodian & plant service Total Property 6,500
62,000
Personnel Expenses:
Salaries/Housing Allowance Health Insurance Pension FICA/Medicaire Total Personnel 132,100 24,500 9,000 4,500
170,100
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Administrative Expenses: Travel Professional Expenses Office equipment & supplies Software Postage Christian Education Kitchen Supplies Altar Flowers Communion supplies Music supplies Worship supplies Miscellaneous Total Administrative 3,000 3,500 12,050 700 1,400 5,300 1,700 500 500 1,200 1,000 1,435
32,285
Mission Expenses: DMF Local missions Other Total Mission 29,865 3,000 1,400 34,265 •
TOTAL PROPOSED BUDGET 298,650
What does a first glance at this line item budget tell you about FCC?
•
Who do they serve?
•
Why are they here?
•
How do they envision their community in the future?
According to their website, this is the Mission of FCC Any Town: ~To embody the love of Christ by telling our
faith story and serving those in need; ~To reflect the grace of God by welcoming all to our table; ~To share the abundance of the Spirit through a culture of generosity and a joyful worship life
Now, to fill in the gaps… How do we translate the mission statement into a functional story of generosity?
The Narrative Budget, Introduction
In the Midwest, fall is a time of harvest, abundance, and thanksgiving. As people of faith, we are called to practice gratitude in all seasons; reflecting God’s generosity to us by giving back to the community. At First Christian Any Town, our shared gifts enable us to live out our mission to
~embody the love of Christ ~reflect the grace of God ~and share the abundance of the Spirit.
Our narrative budget offers a brief glimpse of how your generosity helped us answer that calling in the past year; and how your continued support will help shape us into the church that God wants us to be. Read on…
Embody the love of Christ…
God has blessed most of us with more than we could ever need. And yet, right here on our corner of Any Town, many of our neighbors struggle to meet their basic needs. In the apartment complex across the street from FCC, children who receive free lunches during the school year often go hungry during the summer months. Several years ago, our church family committed to provide a free lunch to those children 3 days a week. With your help, that ministry has grown its capacity, and last summer, we served lunch 5 days a week through the summer months. Our goal for next year is to also send the children home with ‘snack packs’ for the weekend; and to share our admin space during the week as a site for SNAP benefit registration. We also place a high priority on expanding our capacity for faith formation. This year, we hope to send even more youth to camp, engage more young adults in Bible study, and add a weeknight ‘spiritual practices’ group for adults of all ages.
Total for this ministry area: $54,275*
*combine portion of building/maintenance costs, portion of pastors’ salaries,
‘local missions’ line item, and ‘christian education’ line item
Reflect the Grace of God
At FCC, we seek to welcome others as God has welcomed us— that means inviting our neighbors to worship through outdoor signage, social media, and innovative web design. It also means being good stewards of our property, caring for our facilities, and sharing our space with neighborhood groups like AA, Scouts, and ESLA class. With your support, we will also send some of our leaders to a diversity training event this year. They will return better equipped to lead us through faithful conversations about what it means to welcome all of our neighbors, regardless of their family make up, racial ethnic background, or faith story thus far.
Total for this ministry area: $132,034*
*combine portion of building/maintenance costs, staff salaries, office and admin expenses, continuing ed, kitchen supplies, etc 4
Share the Abundance of the Spirit
We continue our commitment to be a ‘tithing’ congregation, designating at least 10% of our budget to Disciples Mission Fund. Our giving helps support Christ’s Church at the local, national, and global levels, and connects us to the good news, “from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.” As our ministry budget increases, so too does our capacity to share. Our worship life fuels the spiritual growth of our members, challenges us to live our faith in our every day lives, and provides us the opportunity to engage new disciples in the life of faith. In combining our two worship services, we have freed up some resources to add an extra musician to the staff this year. We are also in discernment about adding a mid-week, alternative worship experience in the year to come, providing a space for those we may not reach during the traditional weekend service.
Total for this ministry area $112,321*
*add portion of building/maintenance costs, staff salaries, office and
admin expenses; plus worship and music supplies, and DMF giving
God is at work in our midst at FCC Any Town. Lives are changed through connection to community, empowering worship, and the purpose found in serving others. Your generosity enables our family of faith to be a part of what God is doing in our community and world. Thank you in advance for your continued support, and for sharing the good news of Christ’s love in all that you do.
Total projected ministry Budget for 2014 $298,650* *Total of all areas
• What kind of story does this budget tell? • Who might be interested in reading this? • How might church leaders utilize this document throughout the year, and not just during stewardship season? • Name some reasons that a congregation might resist moving to this model… • How might leaders address those concerns?
Where can I find this stuff?
• http://www.centerforfaithandgiving.org/