The Church Money Manual

The Church Money Manual is the most up-to-date and easy-to-use handbook for churches seeking better ways to manage finances. Brief and straightforward chapters each focus on a specific problem or issue. The book covers topics of day-to-day operation and the perennially critical themes related to church money management and stewardship. Some examples include: · Planned giving and endowment funds. · Strategies to increase end-of-year giving. · First steps for the newly-appointed pastor. · Pastors’ knowledge of donors and giving in their church. · Timing of building projects and capital campaigns. · Special offerings. · Selecting members for the finance committee. · What to do when giving is down. · Preaching about tithing.

A field-tested guide to the management and finance of church congregations, revised for a new generation. Clergy are generally equipped to preach and provide spiritual care. But when it comes to budgets, insurance, fire safety, and church management many find themselves at a loss. The Church Administration and Finance Manual is the classic guide to running a church, written to answer key questions for clergy and lay leaders. Not simply a theoretical resource, the Manual provides suggestions for almost every aspect of parish administration: position descriptions, financial forms, materials for stewardship and Christian education, building use and safety issues, employee record keeping, and much more. This revised edition offers guidance on many new topics that are of vital importance to churches, including protecting children, information security, approaches to preventing and responding to violence, planned giving, social media, and hybrid work and worship. Whether clergy are just out of seminary or well-seasoned in parish life, the Manual is full of excellent guidelines, tools, and forms for improving the management of the parish.

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.

Most of the time, members who accept the position of church treasurer have little or no background in accounting, especially in smaller churches; and even those with accounting experience may have trouble knowing what's expected of them when they begin their duties.The Church Treasurer's Manual is a practical tool that provides treasurers everything they need to know about handling church finances. From an overview of duties to helpful guidelines for completing tasks, new and veteran treasurers alike will learn practical tips and time-saving suggestions that will help them carry out their responsibilities in an effective and efficient manner.Resources include:an easy-to-understand overview of basic accounting principlesan extensive explanation of tax regulationsoptions for monthly and annual financial reportinga general job description for the church treasurerrecord keeping form for taxes, accounting ledgers, individual contribution records, budget worksheets, the offering, and moreadvice for handling payroll, housing allowances, and other compensations for the pastor and stafftips on communicating with the church board, the pastor, and the financial committeeethical guidelines for handling money

Providing Christians with guidance to help them break out of the bondage of materialism, this book helps readers effect a change of heart, not budgeting strategies. It inspires readers to spend less than they make and be content with what they have.

Work has become for many people the central reference point in their lives and the main consumer of their time and energy. Whether people have much or little money is what much of life revolves around. There is an implicit theology in everyone's attitude to and handling of work. This book looks at the relationship between God and the marketplace, at work as a spiritual discipline, and at how to handle some of the main pressures and dilemmas that arise in a work setting. The combined wisdom of dozens of experts makes this volume a great place to start thinking about how Christians should approach subjects such as: . ADVERTISING . BUSINESS ETHICS . COMPETITION . COMPROMISE . CONTRACTS . CREDIT. DEBT . FIRING . GOSSIP . INSURANCE . INTEGRITY . INVESTMENT . LEADERSHIP . LOYALTY . MANAGEMENT . NEGOTIATING . NETWORKING . OFFICE POLITICS . PROMOTION . RETIREMENT . SHIFTWORK . STEWARDSHIP . STRESS . STRIKES . UNIONS . VOLUNTEER WORK . WHISTLE-BLOWING R. Paul Stevens is the David J. Brown Family Professor of Marketplace Theology and Leadership at Regent College in Vancouver and the author of many books on marriage, work and everyday life. His many books include The Other Six Days, Liberating the Laity, Marriage Spirituality, Living the Story and Down-to-Earth Spirituality. Robert Banks is past director and dean of Macquarie Christian Studies Institute in Sydney, Australia. He has written widely on work, community, and popular culture, including The Tyranny of Time and Redeeming the Routines.

If you want people to give, offer them a compelling vision of how their giving is going to build God's kingdom.