Basic Budgeting For Churches

In this clear, comprehensive guide, church financial management expert Jack Henry explains all the basics of building a solid church budgeting system.The book includes sample forms with complete instructions and commentary.

Many pastors conceive of the church budget as primarily a financial tool, but in fact it is primarily a pastoral tool. A church's philosophy of ministry is locked into its budget, and so the budget will either stifle or accelerate any attempts to move a congregation toward a biblical model of church health. As such, the church budget is a far more potent pastoral tool than many church leaders realize. Budgeting for a Healthy Church examines each section of the budget in light of Biblical principles to show how a church budget can lock in healthy approaches to ministry. Whereas most books on church budgeting are "how" books, explaining how the budgeting process should work, this is a "what" book, helping church leaders determine the pastoral implications of what they choose to fund in their budgets.

This step-by-step guide to healthy habits of church finances will help church leaders focus their best creativity, leadership, and energy on advancing their mission. Written for committee members, key leaders, pastors, and staffs, this is a detailed account of budgeting and fund-raising, complete with charts and questionnaires.

Pastors are schooled in theology and ministry, but few receive training in the fine points of church administration. Learning how to handle a congregation's finances "on the job" can be a harrowing experience. Yet efficiently managing your church's business affairs is a key element in keeping current members satisfied with their pastoral leadership -- and in attracting the new members you need for your church to grow in size and influence. In Basic Business Principles For Growing Churches, Arnold Cirtin shares expertise gained from more than four decades of corporate and academic experience. He provides a clear and helpful primer for pastors with limited training in business administration on such practical topics as accounting, fiscal management, and marketing. This is an indispensable book for pastors of small- and medium-sized churches (who typically are also their congregations' principal financial officers), as well as for church treasurers, trustees, and other financial board members. When you follow the guidelines in Basic Business Principles For Growing Churches, your church will be fiscally responsible, managed efficiently, and able to maximize its growing stewardship of God's resources. Arnold Cirtin is professor emeritus of accounting at Ball State University, and is a certified public accountant (CPA) in the states of Indiana and California. Cirtin is the author of Principles of Accounting Study Guide, as well as numerous articles in professional journals.

Church leaders understand that managing the day-to-day operations of a church can be challenging because of limited resources, managing volunteer labor, and supporting the needs of the congregation. Smart Church Management: A Quality Approach to Church Administration, Third Edition is an updated guide for managing the resources of a church - which is people, time and money. This book provides tools and examples for decision making and problem-solving for church administration that is easy to understand and more importantly, quick to implement! This book also includes discussion questions to provoke thought and discussion for church teams. This book is ideal for ministry students, church boards, church leadership and church administrators.

Money Matters in Church helps leaders to discover a one-stop, comprehensive model for managing finances and fundraising. It guides leaders of any size church or ministry to create a culture of giving that supports savvy, faithful, and legal financing. The authors present a biblical theology of stewardship that supports ways to develop donors and maximize contributions, enact a strategic budget and effective audit process, project income and expenses, work with banks, compensate staff, and address debt. The book's practical step-by-step approach makes finance issues understandable for leaders without a business background.

"Written from years of ministry and business experience, Smart Church Finances is built on a solid foundation of business principles but--unlike many business books--in a straightforward style that anyone can grasp. You'll learn how to: Communicate vision and strategize with a team; Steward resources well (yes, including budgeting); Prioritize goals, wisely make decisions, and evaluate outcomes based on vision and data; Leverage the existing talents of men and women at your church, many of whom don't fit in 'traditional' ministry roles."--Back cover.

For more than thirty years the solution to all Britain’s problems has been better management. As a result management schools dominate higher education and managers are at work everywhere developing ‘strategies’ and ‘systems’ and quantifying ‘outcomes’. There are now more managers on the rail network than train drivers, yet the benefits of modern management of railways, schools, hospitals and universities are elusive. This is because ‘management’ does not exist—the academic study of ‘management science’ and the assumption that there are universal management skills are bogus. This book shows how modern management practices have all but destroyed politics, education, culture and religion—modern management is the cause of our national malaise.