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God’s Masterpiece Budget
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Managing the finances God’s Masterpiece can be a daunting task. It is God whose story you are telling, and it is God who will provide the finances to do so. While you can trust God for the finances, He still requires you to be a good steward of His resources. Here are a few budget considerations concerning the financing of this massive adventure in story telling: (You can download a “Budget Template” here.)
General Budget Considerations
Make this a church-wide, all-staff effort.
It is NOT just the domain of the worship or drama departments. This production is so large that it involves everyone on staff and everyone in the church. It dominates the church facility; it requires the efforts of everyone on staff, and it mobilizes the entire church body. Essentially, your church is going to mount an all-out missionary effort to tell the story of Jesus Christ in your community.
Do not pay the actors.
Use volunteer talent from your own church, if possible. You may join together with other churches in the community to cast this production; but try not to mix professional talent with volunteer talent, unless you can manage the tension this may cause.
Hire a “Production Coordinator.”
This person is the administrator of the production, and it is a “temporary” full-time job for the duration of the season. It is too much to expect this to be done volunteer.
Enlist volunteer construction people to build the set.
You’ll be surprised at how many talented builders you have. Let the set construction be supervised by one of your contractors.
Enlist the people in your church to fill the production crews.
An army of volunteers make this production happen, from costume people to lighting technicians; from ushers to ticket sales personnel. See the Production Team page.
Decide how to fund the production: through the church or ticket sales?
This will be determined by your available budget, or your church’s vision for the production.
Suggested Budget Categories
NOTE: It is impossible to provide you with actual figures, because true costs will be determined by the size of your production, the amount of volunteer labor provided, and the amount of donated supplies. To assist you, we have provided general categories only.
Income:
Ticket Sales or Budget?
Donations from church or community members?
Expenses:
Optional Salaries / Honorariums / Gifts:
Producer
Production Coordinator
Director
Musical Director
Technical Director
Choreographer
Cast Appreciation Gifts
Fees:
Facilities
Rentals
Production Costs:
Set Design
Set Construction
Set Decoration
Set Storage
Costumes
Props
Makeup
Technical Equipment (purchase or rental)
Hospitality For Cast and Crew (food, beverages, etc.)
House Management (signs, etc.)
Production T-shirts For Cast and Ushers
Theme Decorations
Publicity
Tickets
Programs
Posters
News Releases
Photography
Videography
Childcare During Performances