Church Custodial Management (part 4 of 10)

Posted on December 4, 2015 Written by

2014 12-December 24 (668) Rome; Pantheon early morning

Have weekly walk-arounds

  • The administrator and custodian(s) should walk around the facilities regularly. Walking around is a great way to see what needs doing, and it lets the staff know you don’t live in your office.
  • Showing things to a custodian helps him or her know what you’re seeing and what they need to do about the item in question.
  • Keep a list (mental or in writing) of things you noted on the walk-around and follow-up on them at the next walk-around.

 

Lead On!

Steve

 

Filed Under: buildings, church staff, facilities Tagged: , ,

10 Financial Ratios (part 8 of 10)

Posted on December 1, 2015 Written by

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Receipts & Expenses: Ratio of Actual to Budget

  1. Definition: Divide actual receipts and expenses to the budgeted figure
  2. Results:
    1. Annual receipts should be between 95%-100% of the budget goal
    2. Annual expenses must never exceed the annual receipts figure (unless there was a significant event in the history of the church – departure of pastor, major local employer shutting down, etc.). Based on the figure above, expenses should be 90%-95% of the budget.
    3. Annual expenses should be less than the annual receipts in order to have a positive cash flow at the end of the year. There should be a difference of 2%-5%.
  3. Consequences:
    1. Receipts: if your receipts fall outside the 95%-100% of the budget (and there hasn’t been a significant event in the church), then you may not be budgeting properly.
    2. Expenses: these can exceed revenues for one or perhaps two consecutive years but any more than that is a sign of poor budgeting or lack of control over expenses. Both are unhealthy.
    3. The difference between receipts and expenses:
      1. This should be a positive cash flow which is added to the cash reserves at the end of the year.
      2. These reserves can be used for capital investment needs in the church.

Now What? So What?

  • Compare your church’s financial ratios to the optimum range for each ratio.
  • Develop a 2-3 year plan to bring your ratios in line with best financial practices.

 

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: accounting, budget, leadership Tagged: , , ,

Advent & the Church (part 2 of 4)

Posted on November 29, 2015 Written by

Advent means “the arrival of a notable thing, event, or person.” Christians celebrate the arrival of Christ – and that requires us humans to get ready during the weeks before Christmas.

 

The church has several major purposes: discipleship & education, worship & music, care & service, and outreach & missions. Many churches plan their budgets, staffing, and programming around these emphases. These areas can also be a focus during Advent.

2 Candles

Second Sunday of Advent: Worship & Music

On this Sunday we celebrate the role of the church in the worship of God. Every Sunday billions of Christians gather to thank God and sing praises for what God has done, is doing, and will do for us. We adore the Christ-child at Christmas and are grateful for his death and resurrection at Easter. Worship music dwells inside us and our minds recall it at weird times and needed moments. We live to praise God because God lives in us. In the Christmas story there are several groups of people and each of them have one thing in common – they all come to worship the baby Jesus.

  • Mary and Joseph – Mary & Joseph were privileged to be the first humans to learn that Jesus is coming. How are you helping others who don’t know about Jesus also come and worship God?
  • Shepherds – The poor and marginalized of society responded immediately because God intentionally included them. How can you include those who “aren’t like us” in your worship of God? How can you invite them to our places of worship and/or how do we go where they are for worship?
  • Angels – Angels praised God for God’s willingness to directly intervene in the human situation. What time(s) in your life have you been unconstrained in your public acknowledgement of God? How do others know that you worship God regularly?
  • Wise men – they traveled hundreds of miles because God came for the entire world. God is not exclusive, are you? God loves “the whole world” and Jesus came for all nations. What are you doing to tell the story of Jesus so that the entire world can praise & worship God?

2014 12-December 27 (2035) Barcelona; Sagrada Familia Nativity Entrance

Public acknowledgement lets others know what is important in your life whether it is a sports team, a company, or a belief. God publicly acknowledged that God came to the world because God loves us. In turn, we must let others know who God is to us through our worship and praise of God.

 

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: faith Tagged:

Church Custodial Management (part 3 of 10)

Posted on November 27, 2015 Written by

2014 12-December 27 (2135) Barcelona; Nave of the Sagrada Familia

Meetings

  • Keep the custodians informed. After all, they are some of the most visible members of a church staff and can answer questions about meeting locations. Helping in this way will help the ministers and administrative assistants who would otherwise have to answer these questions.
  • Meet with the custodial staff at least every other week to go over the upcoming calendar regarding out-of-the-ordinary events.
  • Use the meeting time to set high expectations for all areas they are responsible for. If you set low expectations, people will live down to them.

 

Lead On!

Steve

 

Filed Under: buildings, church staff, facilities Tagged: , ,

10 Financial Ratios (part 7 of 10)

Posted on November 24, 2015 Written by

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Designated Funds

  1. Definition: The major ministry areas should have at least half their annual budget in a fund designated for their ministry. These major ministry areas are: Worship & Music, Care & Fellowship, Discipleship & Education, and Missions & Outreach.
  2. Results:
    1. Minimum: At least one-fourth of the annual budget for the major ministry areas
    2. Maximum: No more than the entire annual budget
  3. Consequences:
    1. Ministries should and must rely on their budget to accomplish the main tasks entrusted to them. If a church isn’t budgeting appropriately, then the church is setting the minister up for failure.
    2. Ministries should also have a designated fund from which they can use occasional funds to do things they didn’t budget for because they weren’t aware of these opportunities when the budget was requested.
    3. Ministers must never do aggressive fundraising for their designated funds because that can undermine gifts to the budget.

Now What? So What?

  • Compare your church’s financial ratios to the optimum range for each ratio.
  • Develop a 2-3 year plan to bring your ratios in line with best financial practices.

 

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: accounting, budget, leadership Tagged: , , ,

Advent & the Church (part 1 of 4)

Posted on November 22, 2015 Written by

Advent means “the arrival of a notable thing, event, or person.” Christians celebrate the arrival of Christ – and that requires us humans to get ready during the weeks before Christmas.

 

The church has five major purposes: discipleship & education, worship & music, care & service, and outreach & missions. Many churches plan their budgets, staffing, and programming around these emphases. These areas can also be a focus during Advent.

1 Candle

First Sunday of Advent: Discipleship & Education

On this Sunday we celebrate the role of the church in the Christian education of our children and adults. Education is a never-ending process – it is not a goal. We strive every day, every week, and every year to be a better person than before. Today we celebrate four components of Christian education. When we take each of these into our lives, we become better people, every day.

  • Joy – a radiance of today. Joy is a gift which changes moods and emotions. Do you have joy? Are you a provider of joy to others? What or who gives you joy?
  • Hope – a promise for the future. Hope is a future that is better than today, better for you, your family, and your friends. What gives you hope? What takes away your hope? How can you express to others what or who is your hope? How can you be a source of hope to others?
  • Peace – an inner calm. It is knowing that all will be well even if it is not well right now. What or who upsets your inner peace? Where or how do you have peace restored? How can you be a source of peace to others?
  • Love – an acceptance that you are worthwhile to others and yourself. Love is being a source of unconditional sustenance to others in good times and bad. Are you a source of love to others? What is your level of self-love?

2014 12-December 27 (2111) Barcelona; Nave of the Sagrada Familia

How are you learning about these emotions and concepts? Are you farther down the road than a year ago? Take time to do a self-inventory to see what is your level of each of these and where do you want to be.

 

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: faith Tagged:

Church Custodial Management (part 2 of 10)

Posted on November 20, 2015 Written by

2014 12-December 27 (2120) Barcelona; Nave of the Sagrada Familia

Give tools & equipment & training

  • A church is responsible for providing its custodians with all tools necessary to do his/her job. A custodian cannot be expected to perform duties well without the necessary tools, resources, and training.
  • Encourage the custodians to wear out a machine before it rusts out. Challenge them to really use up a piece of equipment by using it heavily.
  • Training is one of the most valuable and most overlooked tools for custodians. They need cleaning supplies and equipment, but they can also benefit a great deal by being trained in good and new techniques.

 

Lead On!

Steve

 

Filed Under: buildings, church staff, facilities Tagged: , ,

10 Financial Ratios (part 6 of 10)

Posted on November 17, 2015 Written by

Cash Reserves to Annual Budget

  1. Definition: Divide Total Unrestricted Cash Reserves by Annual Budget
    1. Unrestricted cash reserves are also known as Net Cash Assets
    2. Unrestricted cash reserves do not include donor designated funds, only monies the church has complete spending control over; these reserves can include building reserves and emergency reserves
  2. Results:
    1. Minimum: One month of the annual budget; e.g., if your annual budget is $1,200,000 then you should have at least $100,000 in reserves.
    2. Maximum: Three months’ of the annual budget. Any more than that then you can be considered hoarding and not spending money on God’s mission for your church
  3. Consequences:
    1. Not having sufficient reserves can lead to financial hardships if you have a major building system need (roof replacement, air conditioner or heating system failure, plumbing disaster, etc.).
    2. Having too much in reserves can lead members to give less because they feel “the church doesn’t need my money” or the church is hoarding money.

Now What? So What?

  • Compare your church’s financial ratios to the optimum range for each ratio.
  • Develop a 2-3 year plan to bring your ratios in line with best financial practices.

 

Lead On!

Steve

Filed Under: accounting, budget, leadership Tagged: , , ,
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