Maybe this seems obvious, but budgeting is important - both in your life and also in your ministry. If you are leading worship as a volunteer, in a bi-vocational capacity, in a small church, or a church plant, you are likely reading this and thinking, ‘And what if I have no budget?’ I get it! I’ve been in those spaces too. Those are times when you have to be creative, and careful, and learn to appreciate what you do to keep your heart from being bitter or coveting the gear, budget, or ability to make regular repairs and upgrades like your neighbor.

If this is you - I have found the best way to budget is by maintaining what you have. Take care of your gear, put things away, wrap cables properly, and spend time maintaining and learning the ins and outs of what you have so that you can make repairs on your own as needed. Keep a running list of new pieces you’d like to add, and the order in which you think gear may need to be replaced. Keep an eye out for deals on used gear, but also places that may be offering special discounts or pricing.

The reality is whether a church has no available budget, or a modest budget for Worship Arts - the equipment needed for our area of ministry is so costly, even a modest budget can quickly be drained when a speaker goes out, or you need to replace a soundboard. I currently serve at a church that provides a modest annual budget and I have slowly been able to make updates and changes in the last few years I have served on staff. Selling old and unused gear gave me the ability to add ‘non-essentials,’ as a part of the equipment for our team.

In the same way that homeowners are encouraged to set aside money monthly to replace a roof or an air conditioning unit every ten years, if you are able to set aside money to go toward making updates to your equipment without draining other areas of ministry your team, and your church will be served well.