Recently I've visited several churches. I've noticed something in common about all of them, and it's something that is disconcerting for an organization whose primary purpose is to help people have a faith relationship with Jesus Christ. Here's my … [Continue reading]
Spears, Tridents, Pitchforks, and Rakes
Posted on October 30, 2012 Written by
I am concerned about the focus of the church, or its lack of focus. There was a time when the church in the United States was relatively financially flush and spent its money on a variety of ministries. Churches had food pantries, libraries, gyms, … [Continue reading]
Financial Records Retention for Churches
Posted on October 26, 2012 Written by
Records retention of financial data can get very complicated very quickly but I think it should be simple. I've studied different charts but it all can be divided into two categories: 7 years and permanent. 7 Years Bank statements & … [Continue reading]
Proverbs 22:9
Posted on October 12, 2012 Written by
Blessed are those who are generous, because they feed the poor. Motives are at the heart of generosity. Why are you generous? What action, event, cause, purpose, or reason makes you generous? Every person has a different motivation for being … [Continue reading]
Generosity Index
Posted on October 5, 2012 Written by
You need to know about the annual Generosity Index which is an interesting measure (at least to us numbers geeks) of how generous people are. This link is to the 2011 publication of the 2009 tax data. The compilers gather data from the US Internal … [Continue reading]
EveryTHING Ends Up in the Trash
Posted on September 24, 2012 Written by
I have two kids: a teenager and a preteen. One of the lessons that I, as a parent, am trying to teach them is the lack of value of possessions. My wife are not wealthy, but we are blessed financially and can use our money to give our kids lots of … [Continue reading]
Choices
Posted on September 10, 2012 Written by
Have you noticed? Young people today just don't have the same level of commitment to church as their parents and grandparents! They have no loyalty. They have no deep roots. They don't believe and support the one thing that their ancestors did - that … [Continue reading]
Benevolence Gifts
Posted on September 3, 2012 Written by
A friend asked me what the IRS rules are regarding benevolence gifts to help people. I mean, if someone is in really, really dire straits, don't they get an exemption from having any tax consequences if they get some money from a church? The church … [Continue reading]