I love to start something new. My guess is I got it from my dad who loved new projects and new businesses.

For me, the beginning of school and the beginning of a new year is a wonderful time. The opportunity to begin something new and fresh thrills me.

God deals with us in exactly that way. He forgives and graciously allows us to begin again. He also loves to see us doing His work in the myriad of ways it is done around the globe.

As members of the body of Christ, we get to participate in that great work. Wherever you worship and serve in your local church, you get to take part in something really big and really important. Christ gave His commands to the church to make disciples, to baptize, and to teach. He chose the local church to serve Him by reaching and serving others.

One way this is done in the church where I serve is by developing a budget and framework to carry out the work of ministry “in a fitting and orderly way” (Paul’s words to the church in Corinth about worship and the use of the gifts of the Spirit, 1 Corinthians 14:40). By developing a budget and following it, we set up a way ahead of time that makes sense to the congregation and carries out what we (congregation, pastors, and leadership) understand to be the leadership of God. The budget gives us a path to do ministry which is set out in an orderly manner, not haphazardly developed without precedent, thought, or prayer.

First Baptist Church, Covington, Louisiana, where I serve as pastor, will meet first to discuss our budget (without voting) Wednesday, November 28, and vote on the budget (without discussion) in the four worship services Saturday and Sunday December 1 and 2, 2012.

By joining together, we can more effectively carry out the work of God in our Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

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