What didn’t you learn in seminary that you wish you would have? One thing that comes to mind when people ask me that question is how to do a church budget. I’ve never been any good with numbers, but unfortunately, any sort of work for the Lord has to take into account how much things cost and how much money we have. Fortunately, I have been well blessed to have good men and women volunteer to be church treasurer who have included as part of their job description “help the pastor understand what is going on.” So, I’ve learned a lot through them over the years. The thing is that the more I’ve learned, the less I think any formal instruction would ever help prepare me for this yearly task. Church budgets are based on faith and the work of the Holy Spirit as much as they are on math and organizational objectives. That adds a certain supernatural element to church budgeting that drives most pastors and volunteers absolutely nuts while God and His angels (I’m sure) smile at us.
So now we come to
Luke 14:28 and Jesus says to the great crowds who are following him that they must “count the cost.” Now here, I don’t think this is divine instruction for how to do a church budget. This is addressing something we do before we do any church budgeting or any work for the Lord. This cost has to do with our heart and our dedication to God as we work in His Kingdom.
