Youth Ministry Budgeting: Spending Your Extra Money (addendum #2)

(Now that the youth ministry has become a much better steward of its resources, you might have found that you have spent less money than you budgeted. This post, addendum #2 to the youth ministry budgeting series, is about helping you figure out what to do with your extra.)


How to use your saved money:
After you have spent your budget wisely, what do you do with the money you save?

A. Hold onto it for next year.
B. Splurge on unnecessary items to make sure the ending balance is $0.
C. Divide it up among the youth coaches.
D. Use it to support another ministry organization.

I hope you answered D.


One thing to do with any saved money is to support another mission. You could use the money to sponsor a child through Compassion or World Vision. You could give the money to a local food bank, shelter or community center. You might even know of another congregation or ministry in your area who could use the money for their ministry. I think the best thing you can do with your extra money is to help support another ministry. God does not want us to be good stewards of our resources to just be frivolous with the money we saved.


Here is a list of possible missions to support:
- World Vision
- Compassion International
- International Justice Mission
- Kiva
- Habitat for Humanity
- Team Expansion
- Pioneer Bible Translators
- Ronald McDonald Houses
- Local ministries (food bank, shelters, Pregnancy Care centers)
- YWAM
- Christian College
- Your congregation's missions committee


Chris Szulwach is sharing the left over money from his ministry. He says "all of our $ that we have left at the end of a year goes into sponsoring Compassion children & or Kiva.org loans."

What is your ministry doing with its extra?