The annual budget year for most churches runs from January 1st through December 31st. This means that the old budget year is now over, and a new budget year has begun. This means that efforts are currently underway by churches to undergird all the ministries and programs that have been proposed for the year we have just entered. Dreams are realized only at the price of dedication and effort. This is as true of churches as it is of individuals.
One reason churches fail to meet budgeted goals is that a budget is looked upon in terms of dollars and cents, not in terms of evangelism, outreach, and ministry. Another reason is that a sizeable number of members often give little or nothing. They find tithing, the giving of a tenth of their income to the Lord, difficult because they try to give their eleventh tenth, not their first tenth.
When church budgets are not met, the dreams that have been dreamed cannot come to fruition. Church leadership is forced to make adjustments, to whittle down the size of dreams, and some of the things that should be done never get done. The church staff and lay persons in leadership positions are put under the pressure of meeting every goal when funds are short.
The great English pastor Stephen Olford once told the story of a circus athlete who earned his living by displaying astonishing feats of physical strength. His show would normally conclude with a simple, but impressive, demonstration of his ability to squeeze an orange dry. After completing his act, he would then challenge his audience to produce anyone who could extract even one drop of juice from the crushed fruit.
On one of these occasions, a little man volunteered. He was so small in stature that his very appearance raised a laugh from the spectators. Undaunted however, the man stepped onto the stage and took from the athlete what appeared to be nothing more than a shriveled up piece or orange rind. Then bracing himself, he slowly and firmly compressed his right hand. Every eye was on him, and the atmosphere was electric.
A moment or two elapsed, and then, to everyone’s amazement – especially that of the athlete – a drop of orange juice formed and dripped to the floor. As the cheers subsided, the athlete beckoned the man to come forward, asked his name, and then invited him to tell the crowd how he managed to develop such fistic powers.
“Nothing to it,” replied the man. Then, with a grin, he added, “I happen to be the treasurer of the local Baptist Church.” Church treasurers have had lots of experience squeezing budgets all the way to the end of the year. Church treasurers in Baptist churches are not the only ones who have had to work hard to keep the money from running out before the end of the year. If every church member practiced good stewardship this would not be a problem.
Maybe you have heard the story of a minister who was called by the Internal Revenue Service concerning a member of his church who was being audited and had reported on his income tax form that he had given $5,000 to the church. The IRS wanted to know if this was true.
The pastor replied, “I don’t have the records before me, and I will have to check on it. But I’ll tell you this – if he didn’t, he will!”
If you genuinely want your church to fulfill its divinely assigned mission, I encourage you to be faithful to it in every way – with your prayers, your witness, your attendance, the sharing of your talents, and in the giving of your material means. It is the only way your church will be able to succeed in carrying out our Lord’s Great Commission (see Matthew 28:18-20).
Ask yourself this question: “If every member of my church was just like me, what kind of church would my church be?”
The Paper Pulpit 
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