Issuu

Smoke Rise Baptist Church

Responsible Stewardship for a Lasting Impact

With operating costs rising, this year’s proposed budget reflects our commitment to careful financial management and long-term stability. Congregational giving remains strong and continues to meet budgeted expenses, even as we strive to budget thoughtfully.

We are proposing a budget that is $92,208 lower than last year with real savings that reflect a delicate balancing of commitments to the people and connections that make Smoke Rise a unique and vital family of faith. This reduction helps protect the church’s financial health and maintain appropriate reserves while we continue the mission and ministries we’ve been called to support.

Our goal is to present a budget that is sound and realistic as we commit together to give generously. The Budget Ministry Plan has been approved by the Finance Committee and affirmed by the Fellowship of Deacons. We hope you will review the budget, and if you have any questions we invite you to join one of our two Budget Q&A sessions. The details of those sessions can be found below.

When we each commit to consistent and intentional giving in a spirit of prayer and gratitude, our collective witness is strengthened at Smoke Rise now and for years to come.

Bart McNiel, Associate Pastor of Administration, Ministry Support and Congregational Care

Dates to Know

Budget Q&A Sessions

February 25

Budget Vote

March 1

Before the church vote, you will have the opportunity to discuss the new budget and to ask questions pertaining to it. We will meet at 4pm and 5 pm in room 223 or via Zoom. To receive the zoom link, please email Teri Moore in the church office at tmoore@smokerisebaptist.org.

After the worship service the church will be called into conference to vote on the budget for fiscal year 2026/27. After the worship service you are invited to pick up a Pledge Card.

Pledge Sunday

March 22

Pledge cards will be sent in the mail after the budget vote. If you don’t receive one, you may pick one up in the office. You may submit your pledge card any time during pledge season. Then on Pledge Sunday we will invite everyone who has not submitted a pledge to do so.

Operating Expenses

$2,249,800

Budgeted Facilities: $577,000

Budgeted Business Operations: $263,000

Budgeted Salaries and Benefits: $1,409,800

The Heart of Our Stewardship Commitment

The ministries, worship, missions, fellowship, and identity of our church are lived out through real spaces, real people, and a visible presence in the community we serve. Our investment in our place of worship and the vitality of our presence in the community is the heart of our church family. Our operating expense budget aims to maintain a firm foundation that allows fellowship, worship, and faithful care for one another and our neighbors to flourish.

Every act of worship depends on well-maintained and welcoming spaces. Every ministry and mission partnership relies on systems that function with clarity and accountability. Every expression of care, formation, and service is supported by staff whose work sustains the daily life of the church. In this way, operating expenses are not separate from ministry—they are part of an integrated whole, contributing to all that we are called to be as we seek to faithfully follow Jesus.

Facilities

$577,000

Caring for the Places Where Ministry Happens

Our facilities serve as gathering places for worship, learning, fellowship, and outreach throughout the week. Budgeted facility expenses of $577,000 support the ongoing care and stewardship of our campus, ensuring that our buildings remain safe, functional, and welcoming for all who enter.

Approximately 39% of the facilities budget supports essential utilities — including gas, water, electric, and waste services — sustaining the daily operation of an active church campus. An additional 32% is dedicated to custodial services, supplies, and facility contracts that support the care, cleanliness, and technical expertise required to responsibly care for the spaces used for congregational fellowship, worship, ministry and community connection.

Repair, maintenance, and upkeep of our buildings and grounds are ongoing responsibilities that do not come to an end. At the same time, the church is called to care for the people who staff and serve its ministries. Balancing these commitments requires thoughtful stewardship and careful planning. Budgeted repair funds represent the minimum necessary to sustain the health of our campus, not the full measure of what long-term care requires.

Facility repair funds represent roughly 11% of budgeted facility expenses. These sums will be utilized in combination with anticipated endowment support in the range of $60,000 along with other designated gifts above and beyond regular tithes and offerings that support our budget through the sacrificial generosity of members. The remaining 18% supports comprehensive insurance coverage, protecting the people, property, and ministries entrusted to our care.

To preserve and strengthen our facilities for the future, we will continue to rely on a combination of designated gifts beyond basic budgeted needs, a growing endowment with increasing earnings over time, and special contributions when renovation and replacement projects become necessary. Members interested in giving above and beyond tithes and offerings supporting our budgeted ministry plan are invited to review the various Aspire Projects, which include longterm needs and desires for enhancement of our church campus by visiting our website at smokerisebaptist.org/give/#aspire.

Business Operations

$263,000

Supporting Ministry with Good Stewardship

The daily work of the church depends on systems that are reliable, secure, and well managed. Budgeted business operations expenses of $263,000 support the administrative and technical infrastructure of the church, including vehicle maintenance, telephone and internet services, postage and office supplies, administrative expenses, equipment licenses, software and subscriptions, communications and streaming services, online presence and IT-hosted services, and equipment management.

These investments enable the church to operate efficiently and transparently, supporting ministry across all areas while maintaining sound administrative practices.

Salaries and Benefits

$1,409,800

Investing in the People Who Serve

The work of the church is carried out by people who lead, teach, care, organize, and serve with faithfulness and skill. Budgeted salaries and benefits of $1,409,800 reflect our commitment to fair compensation, staff stability, and the long-term health of our ministry leadership. This investment supports pastoral leadership, ministry staff, administrative and support roles, and the benefits necessary to sustain effective service.

By investing in staff, the church affirms the value of those called to serve and ensures continuity, accountability, and care in the ministries entrusted to them.

A Commitment to Fund Operating Expenses

Taken together, these operating expenses represent a comprehensive investment in the life of the Smoke Rise family of faith. Through careful budgeting, endowment support, and designated gifts, we seek to steward our resources responsibly. By faithfully investing in our place, our presence and the people who serve at Smoke Rise, we are securing the vitality of our congregation in the present, and maintaining our capacity to serve for generations to come.

Worship

$59,000

Budgeted Honorariums, Stewardship, and Supplies: $3,700

Budgeted Music and Worship Support: $55,300

Music and Worship Support

Supporting Excellence and Participation

Budgeted music and worship support of $55,300 provides ongoing resources for musicians, worship leadership, and the planning and coordination necessary to sustain our worship life. These funds support instrumental and vocal leadership, seasonal services, and the musical and liturgical preparation that enriches congregational participation and theological depth.

In addition, $3,700 in budgeted honorariums, stewardship, and worship supplies supports guest leadership, worship resources, and the practical elements that contribute to meaningful and well-prepared services.

Beyond our budgeted amount, we anticipate recieving endowment support of $4,000 to enhance our capacity to enrich and expand our music support. Depending on needs, these funds help underwrite special services, assist with instrument renovation, and enhance elements of worship life that benefit from long-term planning and investment.

Our worship ministries are further strengthened through designated music gifts that help to underwrite special music events. These contributions support concerts, special services, seasonal offerings, and musical initiatives that extend the reach of our worship life, invite broader participation by the community, and deepen the spiritual experience and outreach of our family of faith.

Together, these resources reflect a congregation that values excellence in worship preparedness and presentation. Through careful budgeting, endowment support, and generous designated gifts, we steward the traditions, talents, and resources that allow worship to remain accessible, meaningful, and grounded, drawing us together in faith and sending us out in service.

Ministry

$100,955

Budgeted Families, Youth, and Children’s Ministries: - $60,310

Budgeted Adult Ministries and Congregational Life: - $31,145

Budgeted Community Care and Outreach: - $9,500

Growing Together in Faith, Care, and Service

The ministries of the church are where faith is practiced across generations and life stages. Through teaching, fellowship, care, and service, we grow together as a family of faith—learning to love God and love our neighbors with intention and generosity. Our commitment to ministry reflects a shared understanding that formation is lifelong and communal, shaped through relationships, learning, worship, and service.

Ministries expenses support this shared life. They provide the resources needed for children, youth, adults, and families to learn, serve, and belong, while also extending care beyond the congregation into the wider community. These investments affirm our calling to be a church that nurtures faith across generations and responds compassionately to the needs around us.

Families, Youth, and Children’s Ministries

$60,310

Budgeted Nursery: $7,900

Budgeted Children’s Ministries: $26,020

Budgeted Children’s Missions: $390

Budgeted Youth Ministries: $26,000

Ministry with children and youth is an expression of our commitment to faith formation and belonging. These resources support age-appropriate teaching, spiritual practice, mission engagement, and safe, nurturing environments where children and youth are known, valued, and encouraged to grow. Designated gifts and endowment support further strengthen these ministries, allowing for expanded opportunities and long-term sustainability.

Adult Ministries and Congregational Life

$31,145

Budgeted Adult Ministries: $19,400

Budgeted Women’s Event Support: $1,000

Budgeted Media Center Expenses: $745

Budgeted Conventions and Workshops: $5,000

Budgeted Recreation and Gym Care: $5,000

Adult ministries provide opportunities for learning, fellowship, leadership development, and spiritual growth throughout all seasons of life. These resources support Bible study, small groups, events, and shared spaces that foster connection and encourage ongoing formation. Investments in recreation and shared facilities further support community-building and wellness within the life of the church.

Community Care and Outreach

$9,500

Our commitment to care extends beyond the congregation into the community we serve. These funds support direct assistance, outreach initiatives, and compassionate response to needs as they arise. These funds allow the church to respond with flexibility and generosity, reflecting a shared commitment to fellowship opportunities that are also open to our community and supportive of our calling to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Beyond our budgeted commitment in this area, Smoke Rise maintains benevolence funds that are used to support families in our community facing difficult circumstances.

The Smoke Rise family of faith also accepts designated gifts above and beyond tithes and offerings for our Families in Need fund that confidentially cares for and helps to offset burdens of members who experience difficult economic circumstances.

Shared

Ministry, Shared Commitment

Taken together, these ministry expenses reflect a church committed to intergenerational life and shared formation. Through careful budgeting, designated gifts, endowment support, and external partnerships, we steward resources that allow the church to worship, learn, care, serve, and give together. These investments affirm our calling to grow in faith, deepen community, and embody love—within the congregation and beyond its walls. 13

Missions

$150,000

Our commitment to missions in the coming year reflects both careful planning and open-handed generosity. We have budgeted $150,000 to provide consistent, reliable support for our active mission partners and initiatives. These funds form the foundation of our missions work, allowing partners to serve with confidence, sustain long-term relationships, and focus on ministry rather than uncertainty.

In addition to these budgeted resources, we anticipate $26,000 in missions support from Endowment funds. This support expands our capacity to respond to emerging needs and strategic opportunities, drawing on the faithfulness of previous generations to strengthen mission in the present. Endowment resources allow us to extend our reach thoughtfully while maintaining the integrity of the annual operating budget.

Our missions investment is further strengthened through our annual World Missions Offering, with a goal of receiving $50,000 in additional designated support. This offering is not simply an extension of the budget; it is a congregational act of shared focus and prayer, inviting every household to participate personally in the mission we share.

Over the last several years, other special designated gifts to mission partners have averaged approximately $180,000 annually.

Taken together, these commitments represent an anticipated mission investment of $400,000 for the year. This total reflects a church that values both stability and responsiveness—planning carefully while remaining attentive to where God is at work in the world.