Determining the costs when planting a church
While a first-year budget for your church plant may seem like a venture into the unknown, it is important to put in what you do know and estimate the unknowns to arrive at some semblance of a viable budget. Developing this first budget and keeping profit and loss statements will make a subsequent budget easier to establish. Without tracking this history, every year will start with a lot of unknowns. A clear budget is essential to establishing a clear financial plan. Anticipating challenges allows us to make appropriate changes in order to avoid the potential problems or maximize the coming opportunities.
If as a church planter you struggle with administrative tasks, you should seek assistance from someone who is gifted in this area. There is no excuse for not having a budget for the church plant; however, it does not have to be completed in detail by the church planters themselves.
More on this process can be found in Church Planting Made Practical.