Who paid for Jesus’s ministry? Seriously. Who came up with the money to cover the living expenses of about 20 people for about 1,000 days (3 years of Jesus’ ministry)? Do the math in today’s dollars – what would it cost to feed, clothe, and house … [Continue reading]
2 Instincts
Posted on July 23, 2013 Written by
Humans, like other creatures, are born with instincts that lead to greater chances for their survival. Human babies are born with at least two instincts (there may be more but I want to focus on two). Other animals are born with more instincts … [Continue reading]
1 Bank Account
Posted on July 16, 2013 Written by
The rule of thumb is that a church needs just one bank account for its financial needs. If you have more than one account, you are incurring additional bank charges, taking up staff time to transfer funds and reconcile bank accounts, and constantly … [Continue reading]
Church Fellowship Budget
Posted on July 9, 2013 Written by
Decades ago many churches decided that they would be intentional about church fellowship, so they created the Wednesday night supper followed by the mid-week Bible study and children’s programs. This system worked well till about the mid-1990s. For … [Continue reading]
Church Debt #2
Posted on July 2, 2013 Written by
My previous post was a primer on church debt. In this post, I want to focus on the interest rates that churches pay. There is a simple way for churches to pay less in interest and use that money for staffing, buildings, programming, or additional … [Continue reading]
Church Debt #1
Posted on June 25, 2013 Written by
Many churches have sizable amounts of debt. Too often this debt hampers the church from paying its staff properly, maintaining its buildings adequately, or funding its programming sufficiently. Let me be clear: I despise church debt and encourage … [Continue reading]
Wedding, Funeral, and Other Services Income
Posted on June 18, 2013 Written by
Question: When a pastor performs a wedding, funeral, or other event and is paid, does he/she have to claim that money as taxable income? Answer: Yes, wedding/funeral/speaking gifts to a pastor are considered taxable income. These gifts usually go … [Continue reading]
Moving Expenses
Posted on June 11, 2013 Written by
Question #1: If the church creates a form which states that an employee agrees to repay the moving costs if their employment is voluntarily or involuntarily terminated before two years of service are completed, does this constitute an employment … [Continue reading]