It could only mean one thing . . .

Around this time every year at CLC, it's not uncommon for staff to disappear for days at a time to work off site. Others barricade themselves in their office and post signs warning others to enter at their own risk. Still others deny there's anything wrong and secretly hope it will go away. And of course, some blog.

That's right - it's budget time at Christian Life Center!

I personally chose to shut the office door, put on the headphones and crank the iPod. And if that doesn't work, I head out to Panera.

After 2 solid days of internet research, crunching numbers, following up on quotes, and lots of coffee and bagels, my budget is done.

Almost.

A little more rationale and I'll be ready to turn in everything by the Monday 9am deadline.

It's always a bit of a challenge for me because I have to project everything the whole church may need for an entire year. This includes everything related to computers, software, servers, printers, internet service, email, networking, the website, the phone system, campus security, and a lot of other things.

In the IT world, this is quite a challenge because everything's constantly changing and upgrading and breaking. I've done well over the past few years, but I always worry about forgetting something really important.

I don't take this lightly at all - it's a huge responsibility. I'm personally responsible for spending tens of thousands of tithe dollars, so I need to be sure I'm planning for the future and making wise decisions. Every line in my budget includes rationale. It's a time consuming process, but a necessary one.

I wonder what the process is like at other churches.