Budgeting for a Healthy Church: Aligning Finances with Biblical Priorities for Ministry

Description

Many pastors conceive of the church budget as primarily a financial tool, but in fact it is primarily a pastoral tool. A church's philosophy of ministry is locked into its budget, and so the budget will either stifle or accelerate any attempts to move a congregation toward a biblical model of church health. As such, the church budget is a far more potent pastoral tool than many church leaders realize. Budgeting for a Healthy Church examines each section of the budget in light of Biblical principles to show how a church budget can lock in healthy approaches to ministry. Whereas most books on church budgeting are "how" books, explaining how the budgeting process should work, this is a "what" book, helping church leaders determine the pastoral implications of what they choose to fund in their budgets.

Jamie Dunlop has served as Associate Pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC since 2009 where, in addition to general pastoral duties, he oversees administration and adult education and coordinates oversight of several non-profits based at the church. Prior to joining the church staff, he worked for a decade in business, managing an operating unit of a large consultancy while serving his church as a lay elder. He holds degrees in engineering from Princeton University. Jamie and his wife Joan live on Capitol Hill with their three school-aged children.

Wow! This is not your father's church budgeting book! Practical and concise yet biblical and theological with shading of good history, this book has it all. The writing is crisp. The chapters, and even subpoints and other sections, are clearly labeled and able to be used as standalones. A businessman with a theologian's mind and a pastor's heart. This book is a gift. * MARK DEVER, senior pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church (Washington, DC) * Almost every church has a budget. And yet too many churches give little thought to the spiritual dimensions of planning, developing, and communicating a budget. That's what Jamie means to remedy in this immensely helpful book. While my Presbyterian sensibilities may quibble here or there, I'm grateful for a terrific resource that is so biblical, practical, accessible, and wise. This is a book we've needed for a long time. * KEVIN DEYOUNG, senior pastor, Christ Covenant Church (Matthews, NC); assistant professor of systematic theology, RTS Charlotte * If I had just one physical item to evaluate the heartbeat of a local church, it would not be attendance records, baptismal reports, committee assignments, or staff alignments. I would ask to see the church budget. The budget of the church is what reveals where the church's heart is in the midst of a myriad of ministries and missions. Jamie Dunlop has done the local church a great service in this new volume, Budgeting for a Healthy Church. This is not a book about 'budgeting.' It is a book about values--my values, your values--and, as stewards of the ministries of the local church, it is about the church's values. Nor is this book simply another theoretical treatise. These principles have been beaten out on the anvil of personal experience in one of the most biblically-minded local congregations in America. Money talks. And it speaks volumes about what we truly believe is important and of high priority. Get this book before you plan your next budget. Read it . . . and reap! * O. S. HAWKINS, president/CEO, GuideStone Financial Resources; former pastor, First Baptist Church in Dallas * Jamie's work on this book illustrates his practical, biblical approach to addressing the hardest part of the job for most pastors. His wisdom will help you know how to integrate your budget into the biblical mandate for the church. * DALE SUTHERLAND, lead pastor, McLean Bible Church (Virginia) * Many pastors' eyes glaze over, or (alternatively) their hearts are struck with terror, when they hear the word 'budgeting.' Some of us just aren't 'numbers guys,' and beyond wanting to make sure that our fellow church staff are taken care of and the mission of the church is suitably funded, we don't have a big picture on church budgeting that looks theologically at the issue, nor a grasp of the details that go into working that out practically. Jamie Dunlop does. And you are holding it. Pastors, read it. And get it to your elders and deacons too, and members. Oh, that we would all have a more biblical and practical vision of how to go about this necessary aspect of life together in a congregation, and especially that we would see how our theology of ministry ought to work its way out in the church's budget. * LIGON DUNCAN, chancellor and CEO, Reformed Theological Seminary * This book offers sound financial stewardship suggestions and more importantly, presents every suggestion in the context of faithfulness to Scripture. It is more than a budgeting book; it will challenge you to reflect on how your church uses its resources in light of biblical truth. The book is concise, well-written, and easy to read. If you are a pastor/elder deciding how to best oversee the ministry of the church, a deacon (as I am) with financial administration responsibilities, or simply a member of the congregation who wants to pray more specifically for your church leaders as they shepherd those entrusted to them, this book has much to offer. * RHEA D. THORNTON, chief risk officer, Fannie Mae Multifamily Mortgage (retired); treasurer, Immanuel Church (Nashville, TN) * Your church budget says a lot about your church; it also says a lot about your God! Jamie Dunlop has again served local churches well by not only giving practical wisdom to budgeting but by showing how the budget can be used pastorally to grow the spiritual health of the church. If you're a pastor or work with your church's budget, invest in this book--buy it, read it, and invest in helping your church be financially faithful. * STEVE BOYER, controller, The Salvation Army USA * Jamie Dunlop shows us what is interesting in the subject of church budgets--starting with his argument that how a church spends its money 'reveals its heart, its values, and its priorities.' Recognizing that while God doesn't need our money to accomplish his purposes, Dunlop does accurately argue that a church budget is part of the obedience and faithfulness responsibility of any church. This book is a good guide for any serious pastor, elder, church administrator, or congregant desiring to understand the principles, prayer attitudes, and practical realities of a church budget while experiencing the joy of stewardship along the way. * BOB DOLL, chief equity strategist, Nuveen * Jamie Dunlop masterfully weaves together his business mind and his pastor's heart. It's a book I wish I had read twenty-five years ago. Filled with biblical principles, financial insight, and practical helps, Budgeting for a Healthy Church is a resource that every pastor and church leader should read! * DENNIS BLYTHE, executive pastor, The Church at Brook Hills (Birmingham, AL) *