How to Make a Sunday School Budget

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Creating a Sunday school budget is an important task for every church. It ensures that the church's classes are properly equipped and that its money is being used responsibly. Although creating a budget for Sunday school may seem like an overwhelming task, a little bit of thinking and careful planning will make it a smooth and easy job.

  • Paper
  • Pen
  • Calculator

1 Decide

Decide on the number of Sunday school classes that you will have. Most churches have adult class and then divide the children's classes by age or grade level. Typically, children within 2 to 3 years or grades of each other are placed in the same class.

2 Choose whether or not you

Choose whether or not you want to purchase Sunday school lesson material (literature) or if you want teachers to create their own lessons. If you want to purchase materials, you need to estimate this cost and place it on your budget sheet. Estimate the cost by guessing the number of people that will be in each class and determining how much material is needed.

3 Supplies the church

List which supplies the church will need for each class. Classes for younger children typically need crayons, markers, coloring books, craft supplies and possibly snacks. Adult Sunday school classes often need extra pens and paper, pastries, coffee and water.

4 Estimate

Estimate the cost of each item on your list and write the amount out to the right of the item. Ask your pastor for catalogs and other resources that sell these supplies. Your church probably already has a few companies that they prefer to do business with.

5 Add the estimated cost

Add the estimated cost of the items on your list with a calculator to arrive at a total.

6 Discuss the estimated budget estimated with church staff

Discuss the estimated budget with church staff to see if any additions or improvements can be made.

  • As a money-saving measure, some churches set up a volunteer schedule where people can sign up to bring snacks on Sunday.

Ryan Angus has been a college writing instructor since 2005. He has a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in English literature from Marshall University with an emphasis on language studies (linguistics). Currently, Angus is pursuing a Ph.D. at Purdue University and his research will focus on improving the ways that writing and language are taught in schools.

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