Venture’s vision is to localize the mission of Christ in the counties on the western side of the Charlotte metro region and in people groups around the world who have no access to the Gospel.
Venture’s One Fund pays for the ministry programs, buildings, staff, etc., to accomplish that Vision.
Historically, we have produced an annual spending budget that locks us into spending money the way we think it will need to be spent a year from now. By definition, it’s a rigid, inflexible system that assumes to know how much money we will have even a year from now!
Therefore, this year, we are proposing a different approach to budgeting. Instead of presenting the church with a “spending” budget, we are instead presenting the church with a “funding” budget. In this approach, we will create five virtual “buckets” in our accounting software to fund the five major areas of our ministry: Global Missions, Personnel, Operations, Program, and Savings. Each week, the church administrator will allocate every dollar donated to Venture’s One Fund according to the percentages the church approved for the buckets.
The percentages we are recommending for 2026-27 are based on our ministry priorities, current spending needs, and a study of our 2025 giving, which projects Venture’s One Fund to receive at least $1,633,653.84 in 2026. The proposed percentages are as follows:
- 10% to the Global Missions Bucket – This will provide the funds to help support the work of the International Mission Board to plant churches in areas of the world that have no access to the Gospel, help support Calvary Road Ministries and their work with the Darfurian people, support Venture’s direct mission work with the Darfurian people, support entry-level mission trips that help people get exposed to Global Missions, etc. At our current giving rate, this bucket is projected to receive $163,365.38.
- 50% to the Personnel Bucket – The primary cost of ministry is the people to lead and support it. Churches typically spend anywhere between 45% to 60% of their budget on staff. We feel 50% is a responsible, conservative percentage for our current level of donations. Our new budget will include 4 full-time pastoral positions (Lead Pastor, Campus Pastors for Dallas and Lincolnton, and a Student Pastor in Dallas), one full-time Church Administrator, and 8 part-time positions, including our Pastor over care and counseling, three children’s ministry directors, a communications director, janitorial and maintenance staff, etc. It also enables us to hire additional contract staff to oversee crucial technical aspects of our ministry, such as live streaming, digital media production, and audio equipment. At our current giving rate, this bucket is projected to receive $816,826.92.
- 23% to the Operations Bucket – Funds from this bucket will cover expenses such as the mortgage on the Dallas Campus (The Hub), the lease for the Lincolnton Campus, banking fees, utilities, computers, I.T. expenses, as well as the expenses related to donating space in The Hub for the Boys and Girls Club, World Vision, and Toys for Tots, to serve the community and region. At our current giving rate, this bucket is projected to receive $375,740.38.
- 11% to the Program Bucket – This bucket funds the programs the staff leads, as well as those led by other lay leaders, such as our Women’s Ministry Director. It includes all the activities and programs that take place on Sundays and Wednesday nights in Dallas, transportation costs for sending students to summer camp, outreach to the community; the list goes on and on! At our current giving rate, this bucket is projected to receive $179,701.92.
- 6% to the Savings Bucket – This bucket is intended to provide the money needed for the inevitable major repair costs that come with a building (e.g., your HVAC system will eventually fail, the roof will need to be replaced, etc.). It also provides funds for our Trustees to consider using to accelerate the payoff of the mortgage on The Hub (the Dallas Campus), expand our usable ministry space, or cover upfront costs for a new campus. At our current giving rate, this bucket is projected to receive $98,019.23.
The following are key components of how this will work:
- The Trustees will manage cash flow out of the buckets by aligning planned expenditures with cash flow into the buckets. If money is ahead of planned expenditures, they can approve higher spending. If money is behind planned expenditures, they can restrict spending.
- The Trustees remain the accountability team for all expenditures and related policies and processes.
- Spending plans (budgets) for the buckets will be established by the applicable leadership group(s). They are as follows:
- Global Missions – Formulated by the Missions Team and approved by the Pastors.
- Personnel – Formulated and approved by the Trustees and Lay Pastors.
- Operations – Formulated by the Staff Pastors and the Church Administrator and approved by the Trustees.
- Program – Formulated by ministry leaders and approved by the Pastors.
- Savings – Overseen by the Trustees
- The Buckets are NOT “Funds” that people can designate giving to. They are virtual accounts that ensure every dollar donated to Venture’s One Fund is allocated as the church approves.
- The allocated money does not have to be spent in the fiscal year. This allows for funds to accumulate for future needs within that bucket.
In short, the bucket system is a way to allocate the money donated to Venture’s One Fund in a way that protects our ministry priorities, provides a path to plan for the future, and allows us to adjust to opportunities without getting off target.
We joked that if this works, it could be an opportunity for me to write a book to help other churches learn how to do it. But all along the way of developing this, I felt like it was such a common-sense way of managing our cash flow and priorities that I knew there was no way in the world I could be the first person to come up with it … and, sure enough, I’m not! So much for my book! HA!
When I shared the idea with a successful entrepreneur in our church, he said it was exactly what his business coach was teaching him to do. He then gave me a book that outlined exactly what I had recommended to our Trustees and Pastors. The book even used some of the same wording!
I share that with you so you know it’s not a new idea and that it’s being proven across America to help small businesses manage and grow. Businesses obviously have different buckets and priorities, but the concept is the same.
On March 22, 2026, Venture will vote on this Funding Budget in all of its worship gatherings. If you’re new, don’t worry, it only takes a minute; however, that’s because we require all questions and inquiries to be made before the vote. Therefore, if you want more information or have questions, please reach out to any of our pastors or trustees. All of us have email addresses listed on our website.
It’s an honor to serve the Lord as I labor with you in HIS Mission. Thank you for the privilege! I can’t wait to see what the Lord does with Venture in the coming years … it’s crazy exciting to see what’s going on around here!!!
Go Man Go,
Austin Rammell
Lead Pastor, Venture
Phil 3:14