Urban Ministry Live And Unplugged: Church Finance Recipe

Thursday, April 5, 2018

Church Finance Recipe

I am reposting this, because it was popular, and should be helpful. In my ministr(ies), most years, we had a financial surplus -- although most years, we projected a financial deficit. All of my Churches grew stronger financially, and all of them markedly so. Here is my (Congregational) recipe for success, a comprehensive one, though not necessarily perfectly prioritised:

· The Church should be spiritually balanced and sound
· The Church should be humming constitutionally and all on track
· One should always speak with faith, hope, and vision about the finances
· There should be confidence in the administration of the finances
· One should follow the details of sound financial management
· One should focus on what the Lord wants, not what the Church needs
· One should approach financial needs proactively not reactively·
· One should honour both rich and poor in the way one speaks about money
· The lowliest members should understand the financial statements
· All portfolios and budget categories should be synthesised prayerfully
· The deacons should survey financial statements before meeting
· The deacons should authorise all payments except repeat or emergency
· No payment of more than 1% of budget without Church authorisation
· All payments should be minuted in deacons' meetings
· Missions and evangelism should receive special financial priority
· There should be some provision for compelling acts of charity
· One should copy periodic statements, budgets, and audits to all members
· Audits, by a registered auditor, should be shown annually to the members
· There must be a mechanism for members to check contracts and transactions
· A finance committee should meet monthly, with the minister in attendance
· One should have an annual planned giving scheme and campaign
· One should develop a culture of tithing, the minister setting the example
· One should rotate finance office-bearers, best every two to three years
· One should avoid major investments, run 'lean', and put money to use
· One should prioritise ministry, not property
· Fund-raising should not be critical to the functioning of the Church
· One should encourage members to make bequests to the Church
· Long-term ministry is desirable for sustainable finances

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About This Blog

I have spent ten years in suburban ministry, twenty-two years (total) in urban ministry, and seven years in country ministry. My involvements in ministry continue, now reduced.

There are a few reasons for this blog: 1. To help people form a picture of what ministry is about -- in particular urban ministry -- not least seminary students who may be destined for urban ministry. I have found that the image and the reality may be far apart in academia. 2. My experience in ministry may be (and, in fact, often has been) an encouragement to other ministers -- alternatively, a cautionary tale, as the case may be! Many notes of thanks have been recorded on this blog. And 3. Friends have simply told me how interesting reports of ministry are.

This is not a "parochial" blog. Only a tenth or so of readers are local (in South Africa). Outside of my home country, this blog is most read in Europe and North America. Russia is no. 4 on the list, and there is some interest in Muslim nations. At one point, this was the most authoritative Religion blog in Southern Africa (I now do not know how it is ranked).

With all of the above in mind, the purpose of this blog is simply to record urban ministry "live and unplugged", in the form of accounts. This blog is not a "church blog", but a "ministry blog". For the most part, I don't intend to share my views. The emphasis is the experience of ministry and the various events that surround it.

A definition of “live” is “actually being performed at the time of viewing”. A definition of “unplugged” is “without amplification or modification”. However, see my Posting Policy below.

Posting Policy

This blog may be unique with regard to its degree of transparency about urban ministry. Many people have written to me to say how they cherish the help they have received through this. However, this means that special attention needs to be given to confidentiality in particular. I use the following guidelines for posting on this blog:

I apply the following questions to posts: Are they posted in good faith? Are they balanced? Are they compassionate? Are they informative about ministry? Do they help one better understand a problem or issue?

I consider a post to be unproblematic if a person's identity is unknowable in the post, if the facts are public knowledge, or if a change of particulars (name, place, date, and so on) will truly protect privacy. If I consider that anyone who was not involved in an incident would recognise those who were, then I do not post. If a post could compromise the safety of those I blog about, then I make a post safe, or I do not post.

I believe that these measures should enable me to continue to be "open" about urban ministry while not compromising privacy.

In 2013, ninety percent of the posts on this blog were removed. I then put the question of the freedom of the blog to the South African Human Rights Commission. The position is this: if a post is legal, it is legal. Essentially, all of my posts were OK. There is freedom of expression in South Africa.

Having said this, if any post should even cause discomfort, it will be removed from this blog immediately. This has always been the position. One does need to contact me for that, best through an e-mail or a blog comment, and I prefer to see a name on it. The post will be put back up only if there would seem to be compelling reason for it. It is hoped that there will be the assumption that I wish to address any discomfort satisfactorily, compassionately, and efficiently.