I finally started to "get it" during a recent telephone conversation. My posts over the last year or more on the topic of Church Management Software (CMS) have resulted in many inquiries from readers who are making CMS selection decisions. For the most part, these conversations are with church leaders who have narrowed their search for an application down to 2 options. They want my input on why we selected Church … [Read more...]
Help With The Annual Budget
A List Of Executive Pastor Online Budgeting Resources
I hear it all the time, "Sunday comes with amazing regularity, every 7 days." As an executive pastor, I would say that budgeting comes with amazing regularity, every year. Knowing that many of you are now working on your church's 2021 budget, I thought I would post a list of Executive Pastor Online resources that will help you get it done. Take a look ... Developing An Income Model Developing A Chart Of … [Read more...]
Developing A Chart Of Accounts
Creating The "Backbone" Of The Church's Financial Infrastructure
A fundamental first step in completing a financial plan is the creation of a Chart Of Accounts. I've had more than a few conversations with church leaders on this topic. In my experience, the primary thing to consider when creating a Chart Of Accounts is "Reporting." I've run into more than a few financial types who want to break everything down into its category and subcategory, to the point of uselessness. The … [Read more...]
Creating The Annual Budget
The Annual Process Of Developing The Budget, Along With A Few Pointers
In my role as Executive Pastor, one of the things I can never avoid is doing the budget for the church each year. The budget is due to the eldership in early December, and it takes a bunch of work to get it together. I usually start working on it in mid to late August. I wanted to share the process I go through each year, along with a few pointers. I’ll assume your church uses QuickBooks or some other application … [Read more...]