Key focuses of the ministry should be covered, with concerns and present emphases being stressed. The board should get a picture of what your ministry is "about" right now. I also think the board report is a great time to give testimony to what God is doing in your ministry, as well as expressing concerns. These things bring a great amount of connectedness to the body, allowing us to praise God for what he is doing, and asking him to do things in our midst together as a body of believers.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Thursday #3: Staff Board Report
What a staff member reports to the board I believe is a lot of times a very subjective issue. The church one is serving in will determine a great deal. In smaller churches, there is a much smaller staff reporting to a board. This probably means that your ministry covers a much larger portion of the church's efforts. If you have a big percentage, you should give a big account of what is going on in your ministry. In larger churches, where there are several staff members with their own ministries, there is simply not enough time for every ministry to give a comprehensive account of what is going on in their spheres of influence.
Thursday #2 - 1/27
Since Robert’s Rules for meetings seems to quench the Spirit’s work within the leadership of a church, this is an attempt to make the process more welcoming to the Spirit’s leading on the body.
1. Instead of a motion by a single person, the motion, for a larger issue, should be decided before the actual meeting, and agreed upon by several people and then brought to the whole group in the meeting, suggesting that this might be what the Spirit is leading because more than one are in agreement.
2. The first step cuts out the need for a second, this would just go to the discussion stage. This stage would look different in a church such as this, the people are focused on the question “what does the Spirit want?” This directs every issue and concern for the decision back to God.
3. Once everyone is in agreement, then it is prayed over, asking for the Spirit’s confirmation on the decision. Then the decision is made by the agreement.
4. They then decided who will take action, only by agreement of the whole group.
There are quite a few problem with this suggestion.
First, this way assumes that people are going to be completely self-less in there thoughts and decisions. People have to completely understand what the Spirit is telling them down to the specifics, but last time I checked, the Spirit doesn’t speak to me in fine details for everything. I think that this would just force people to be unrealistic and maybe even create what they think the Spirit is telling them. Last, this says that the person has no ability to choose. This could imply that everyone is in touch with the Spirit, but that always isn’t so.
I believe that God has given people different experiences so that they can have the wisdom to make decisions, the Spirit is a part of this, but not making every decision. The Spirit empowers us by His wisdom, allowing us to think for ourselves.
1. Instead of a motion by a single person, the motion, for a larger issue, should be decided before the actual meeting, and agreed upon by several people and then brought to the whole group in the meeting, suggesting that this might be what the Spirit is leading because more than one are in agreement.
2. The first step cuts out the need for a second, this would just go to the discussion stage. This stage would look different in a church such as this, the people are focused on the question “what does the Spirit want?” This directs every issue and concern for the decision back to God.
3. Once everyone is in agreement, then it is prayed over, asking for the Spirit’s confirmation on the decision. Then the decision is made by the agreement.
4. They then decided who will take action, only by agreement of the whole group.
There are quite a few problem with this suggestion.
First, this way assumes that people are going to be completely self-less in there thoughts and decisions. People have to completely understand what the Spirit is telling them down to the specifics, but last time I checked, the Spirit doesn’t speak to me in fine details for everything. I think that this would just force people to be unrealistic and maybe even create what they think the Spirit is telling them. Last, this says that the person has no ability to choose. This could imply that everyone is in touch with the Spirit, but that always isn’t so.
I believe that God has given people different experiences so that they can have the wisdom to make decisions, the Spirit is a part of this, but not making every decision. The Spirit empowers us by His wisdom, allowing us to think for ourselves.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Thursday Response #2 Parliamentary Law
Here is my list of how I would adapt parliamentary Law if I held to the Quaker/Brethren perspective.
1. Instead of 1 person motioning for something, I would require a group motion, meaning at least 3 people must motion initially.
2. In order for a motion to be verified, a discussion amongst the group would be a held and a majority vote must be reached to have a valid second.
3. I would keep the discussion similar to Robert's way but made the chair ask more specific questions, trying to weaken the chairs power to sway the vote.
4. I would require at least a 75% vote in order to pass the motion.
5. It less than 75% is achieved discussion is continued until it is reached.
6. If it is seemingly impossible to reach 75%, the motion must be dropped.
Problems with my new method.
1. More discussion time allows the "blabber mouths" to overwhelm the discussion process.
2. It would be harder to get things past if a 75% vote was needed.
3. The meetings would take a long time because a higher percentage vote is needed as well as more discussion time is included.
1. Instead of 1 person motioning for something, I would require a group motion, meaning at least 3 people must motion initially.
2. In order for a motion to be verified, a discussion amongst the group would be a held and a majority vote must be reached to have a valid second.
3. I would keep the discussion similar to Robert's way but made the chair ask more specific questions, trying to weaken the chairs power to sway the vote.
4. I would require at least a 75% vote in order to pass the motion.
5. It less than 75% is achieved discussion is continued until it is reached.
6. If it is seemingly impossible to reach 75%, the motion must be dropped.
Problems with my new method.
1. More discussion time allows the "blabber mouths" to overwhelm the discussion process.
2. It would be harder to get things past if a 75% vote was needed.
3. The meetings would take a long time because a higher percentage vote is needed as well as more discussion time is included.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Week #3 Staff Report to the Board
By: Nick Smith
I will base my thoughts from my limited knowledge of how church board meetings function. It seems to me the smart thing to include in would be everything. When it comes to Church politics, and that is what this basically is, I would say you need to cover everything. Tell what all is going on in your specific area; growth, health, impact, enthusiasm of those under your care etc. I would not blab on and on about each topic, but the more topics included, the more together you will look and the more together you look, the better perception the board will have of you. As a staff member you are reporting on an area that is your expertise, so own up to what is going on their and don’t make it seem better than what it really is. The goal here is for an honest assessment of what is going on with your department. If your department is not doing well, lying about its health just because you want job security is not a good thought pattern to adopt. The goal should show the board members exactly what everyone in your department knows without them personally having to be there. I would add to that, your own personal assessment of how you believe things are working out.
I will base my thoughts from my limited knowledge of how church board meetings function. It seems to me the smart thing to include in would be everything. When it comes to Church politics, and that is what this basically is, I would say you need to cover everything. Tell what all is going on in your specific area; growth, health, impact, enthusiasm of those under your care etc. I would not blab on and on about each topic, but the more topics included, the more together you will look and the more together you look, the better perception the board will have of you. As a staff member you are reporting on an area that is your expertise, so own up to what is going on their and don’t make it seem better than what it really is. The goal here is for an honest assessment of what is going on with your department. If your department is not doing well, lying about its health just because you want job security is not a good thought pattern to adopt. The goal should show the board members exactly what everyone in your department knows without them personally having to be there. I would add to that, your own personal assessment of how you believe things are working out.
Tuesday #3: Administrative Work
I interviewed Thad Spring at College Wesleyan church about the administrative part of his job, and how much he dedicates to it.
Tasks:
1. Scheduling for meetings he is involved in: 1hr/week
2. Bulletin Information-classes being taught and the like: .5 hr/week
3. Coming up with order of service, contacting people about service: 1 hr/week
4. Being in Meetings and developing agendas for them: 5hr/week
5. Writing letters of follow up or appreciation: 2 hr/week
6. Printing and Making Copies: 1 hr/week
7. Keeping track of budget matters: minimal
8. Request forms for transportation and facilities: .25 hr/week
9. Upkeep and work on website: 2.5 hr/week
10. Inter-office Emails: 5 hr/week
That equals just under 20 hours every week doing administrative work. Thad said this is the most administrative job he has ever had. I asked him if this was because he was at a larger church, and he confirmed that. He said that because there is a larger staff, there has to be an incredible amount of communication to make sure everyone knows what page everyone else is on.
Week #3 Administrative Work
January 27, 2009
By: Nick Smith
Last Friday I interviewed Bob Woods about the types of “administration” he does as a pastor. The following is a list of what he does.
1. Sending and receiving correspondence (letters and emails)
2. Planning and participation in meetings such as elders, board, missions, etc.
3. Planning worship services and other gatherings (such as Thursday evening, Christmas Eve, etc.)
4. General organization and coordination of the church calendar and programs
5. Serving as a contact person for the church with prospective members, sales people, etc.
6. Purchasing various items for the church such as office supplies, worship materials, some building supplies, etc.
7. Corresponding with various missions individuals and groups
8. Working with the church secretary with church communications such as emails, newsletter, bulletins, etc.
9. Oversight of several church staff members.
Bob said that throughout the years this number has fluctuated quite a bit but here recently it has been about 20-25 hours a week spent on administrative type of work.
The first thing that surprised me about the work that Bob does is the amount of time spent on these tasks. He was the solo pastor for many years and has been able to give some of his administrative type of things to the youth pastor. I am guessing in a larger church, not all pastors are going to say that they spend that much time on administrative type of things. Another observation that I had was at the number of times that Bob said “etc.” This caught my attention because it seemed to me like he was saying, “This is generally it, but there is more than this and there are always exceptions to this.” I also got the sense that Bob didn’t especially like doing this type of work but he didn’t hate it either.
By: Nick Smith
Last Friday I interviewed Bob Woods about the types of “administration” he does as a pastor. The following is a list of what he does.
1. Sending and receiving correspondence (letters and emails)
2. Planning and participation in meetings such as elders, board, missions, etc.
3. Planning worship services and other gatherings (such as Thursday evening, Christmas Eve, etc.)
4. General organization and coordination of the church calendar and programs
5. Serving as a contact person for the church with prospective members, sales people, etc.
6. Purchasing various items for the church such as office supplies, worship materials, some building supplies, etc.
7. Corresponding with various missions individuals and groups
8. Working with the church secretary with church communications such as emails, newsletter, bulletins, etc.
9. Oversight of several church staff members.
Bob said that throughout the years this number has fluctuated quite a bit but here recently it has been about 20-25 hours a week spent on administrative type of work.
The first thing that surprised me about the work that Bob does is the amount of time spent on these tasks. He was the solo pastor for many years and has been able to give some of his administrative type of things to the youth pastor. I am guessing in a larger church, not all pastors are going to say that they spend that much time on administrative type of things. Another observation that I had was at the number of times that Bob said “etc.” This caught my attention because it seemed to me like he was saying, “This is generally it, but there is more than this and there are always exceptions to this.” I also got the sense that Bob didn’t especially like doing this type of work but he didn’t hate it either.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Board Meeting Experience - 1/27
This past week, 1/19, I observed a board meeting at College Wesleyan. I observed this with Joel Liechty and we were only allowed to observe about half of the meeting, which lasted about an hour. This meeting was unique because it was the first week they started a new board system which is split up into two boards, an elder board and a deacon’s board. This meeting was with the deacon board, which is more of the administrative and building operations board.
This meeting had one major decision that was the biggest topic of discussion that night. This was the discussion on the ceiling tile in the building which they were having some problems with and what should be done in regards to that issue. This started with a recommendation from a subcommittee which is the committee that is formed to discuss and find a good solution. This recommendation then went to this board and they then had discussion about the decision. This took awhile to get everyone on the same page and to understand what the problem was and then there was a split decision on what to do. So they decided to table the decision to see if the problem could be fixed in the mean time. So this will be discussed again next month. In order to make the decision I believe that they would have to all agree and vote for the same resolution.
I have observed several board meetings in the past at other churches and I find that one thing is the same for them all; that is, there is always going to long discussion and disagreements. I think that is important because if there were no tension then it would be easy for one person to take control without accountability and a process of making the best decision.
One thing I appreciated was the spiritual awareness of the board as a whole. While we were there, a request came up to pray for someone related to the staff and one of the members suggested that they stop and pray right then for the family then which they did. This made me thankful for a board that isn’t just about the details but are concerned about the congregation and the people. I think that this is an important aspect to the board, that they are most of all wanting to serve and love those in the church.
This meeting had one major decision that was the biggest topic of discussion that night. This was the discussion on the ceiling tile in the building which they were having some problems with and what should be done in regards to that issue. This started with a recommendation from a subcommittee which is the committee that is formed to discuss and find a good solution. This recommendation then went to this board and they then had discussion about the decision. This took awhile to get everyone on the same page and to understand what the problem was and then there was a split decision on what to do. So they decided to table the decision to see if the problem could be fixed in the mean time. So this will be discussed again next month. In order to make the decision I believe that they would have to all agree and vote for the same resolution.
I have observed several board meetings in the past at other churches and I find that one thing is the same for them all; that is, there is always going to long discussion and disagreements. I think that is important because if there were no tension then it would be easy for one person to take control without accountability and a process of making the best decision.
One thing I appreciated was the spiritual awareness of the board as a whole. While we were there, a request came up to pray for someone related to the staff and one of the members suggested that they stop and pray right then for the family then which they did. This made me thankful for a board that isn’t just about the details but are concerned about the congregation and the people. I think that this is an important aspect to the board, that they are most of all wanting to serve and love those in the church.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Tuesday Report #2 Administrative Work
I talked to Coach Drury and he said I can work backwards on the "Attend A Board Meeting" blog and instead do week fours "Administrative Work." So I will be talking about doing Administrative Work in ministry.
This past Friday, January 23rd, I interviewed my practicum supervisor Emily Vermilya. Emily is the Worship Director at College Wesleyan Church. The following is numbered list of the "Administrative Work" Emily does weekly.
1. 20 hours. Emily spends 20 hours a week doing communicative work. Meaning she spends this time organizing and contacting lay people for the Sunday service, coordinating with venue leaders, and developing the service order.
2. 10 hours. Emily spends 10 hours a week attending and presiding over meetings. These meetings include worship planning meetings, pastoral meetings and practicum meetings.
3. 5 hours. Emily spends 5 hours a week scheduling musicians and worship leaders. This means contacting musicians and worship leaders through email or phone.
4. 1 hour. Emily spends 1 hour a week budgeting. This includes things such as a checking on budget development and looking at future spending.
Meeting with Emily helped me get a better since of how a Worship Director spends his or her time. One observation was the amount of time Emily spent simply communicating with people. As a future minister, I must learn how to efficiently and properly communicate with lay people and fellow staff members. Another thing I found interested was the numerous hours spend in meetings. Meetings and ministry seem to go hand in hand. My final observation is the lack of weekly hours truly spent in "ministry." I guess what I mean by this is most of Emily's week is not spent actually leading worship or rehearsing for Sunday worship. Most of her time is spent preparing for Sunday.
This past Friday, January 23rd, I interviewed my practicum supervisor Emily Vermilya. Emily is the Worship Director at College Wesleyan Church. The following is numbered list of the "Administrative Work" Emily does weekly.
1. 20 hours. Emily spends 20 hours a week doing communicative work. Meaning she spends this time organizing and contacting lay people for the Sunday service, coordinating with venue leaders, and developing the service order.
2. 10 hours. Emily spends 10 hours a week attending and presiding over meetings. These meetings include worship planning meetings, pastoral meetings and practicum meetings.
3. 5 hours. Emily spends 5 hours a week scheduling musicians and worship leaders. This means contacting musicians and worship leaders through email or phone.
4. 1 hour. Emily spends 1 hour a week budgeting. This includes things such as a checking on budget development and looking at future spending.
Meeting with Emily helped me get a better since of how a Worship Director spends his or her time. One observation was the amount of time Emily spent simply communicating with people. As a future minister, I must learn how to efficiently and properly communicate with lay people and fellow staff members. Another thing I found interested was the numerous hours spend in meetings. Meetings and ministry seem to go hand in hand. My final observation is the lack of weekly hours truly spent in "ministry." I guess what I mean by this is most of Emily's week is not spent actually leading worship or rehearsing for Sunday worship. Most of her time is spent preparing for Sunday.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Week #2 Ethics - Alternative Blog
By: Nick Smith
The scenario’s given in the original article are pretty interesting. It seems like there is a choice to either do whatever you would like to do because you have some sort of right as a pastor to or to go ahead and go the hard route, wait it out and see what the board or treasurer has to say about it. As far as ethical issues go for me, it seems like if the situation is going to benefit you even a little bit, then its probably wrong. If some guy wants to give the church a house to sell it back to his daughter then it gets a bit harder for me. The church needs the money, but that deal seems a bit shady. If anyone outside of the church ever got a hold of that one they would destroy you in the papers. The church probably doesn’t need the money that badly. If it got itself into a poor financial situation well then maybe it doesn’t deserve to grow… If a question of ethics pops into your head then it is probably a good bet that whatever seems the easiest is not the best situation. If you use the church credit card for something of your own, then make sure it gets paid back. If you are not an honest enough of a person to pay it back then you probably don’t deserve the credit card or deserve to be a pastor.
The scenario’s given in the original article are pretty interesting. It seems like there is a choice to either do whatever you would like to do because you have some sort of right as a pastor to or to go ahead and go the hard route, wait it out and see what the board or treasurer has to say about it. As far as ethical issues go for me, it seems like if the situation is going to benefit you even a little bit, then its probably wrong. If some guy wants to give the church a house to sell it back to his daughter then it gets a bit harder for me. The church needs the money, but that deal seems a bit shady. If anyone outside of the church ever got a hold of that one they would destroy you in the papers. The church probably doesn’t need the money that badly. If it got itself into a poor financial situation well then maybe it doesn’t deserve to grow… If a question of ethics pops into your head then it is probably a good bet that whatever seems the easiest is not the best situation. If you use the church credit card for something of your own, then make sure it gets paid back. If you are not an honest enough of a person to pay it back then you probably don’t deserve the credit card or deserve to be a pastor.
Response #2 - Ethics 1-22-09
I think this popular take on tithing is interesting. This seems to be a more American view that says that we need to see some tangible difference with our giving. We have this view that what we earn is ours and in our materialist thinking says that evening in our giving we should receive something because we deserve it. So we give to the cause that we most believe in so we can see the exact results and gains because WE gave OUR money. But when we just throw our money into the general offering plate, we are giving with the population, we aren’t giving to anything specific, we don’t get thanked, it just goes in and we don’t get any recognition and we don’t see the direct results.
But is this a good biblical model of giving? I don’t think so. We need to get outside of ourselves and outside our need to find worth and satisfaction in seeing results, and give, trusting that God is being glorified out of our faithful giving. I am not sure that there is a clear biblical mandate of a specific amount, but I do know that there is a clear call for Christ-followers to be more than generous with what God has blessed them with. This is evident in Acts 20 with those who give are more blessed than those who give. But it is not just good to give, but those who are a part of the body, that is, a local body, should be giving to support the ministry of that body and also take care of those in leadership in those positions. We see evidence for this in Galatians 6 with Paul calling those believers to provide support for those who teach the Word of God.
So as my generation is moving into the main financial support and leadership roles in the church, we need to be the most selfless when living our lives. The body of Christ is called to give to the ministry in order to be faithful to God. The members of the body should always be quick to give; also be faithful and consistent in their giving in order to show their obedience and love for God and His Word.
But is this a good biblical model of giving? I don’t think so. We need to get outside of ourselves and outside our need to find worth and satisfaction in seeing results, and give, trusting that God is being glorified out of our faithful giving. I am not sure that there is a clear biblical mandate of a specific amount, but I do know that there is a clear call for Christ-followers to be more than generous with what God has blessed them with. This is evident in Acts 20 with those who give are more blessed than those who give. But it is not just good to give, but those who are a part of the body, that is, a local body, should be giving to support the ministry of that body and also take care of those in leadership in those positions. We see evidence for this in Galatians 6 with Paul calling those believers to provide support for those who teach the Word of God.
So as my generation is moving into the main financial support and leadership roles in the church, we need to be the most selfless when living our lives. The body of Christ is called to give to the ministry in order to be faithful to God. The members of the body should always be quick to give; also be faithful and consistent in their giving in order to show their obedience and love for God and His Word.
Thursday #2: Response to Ethics
Oh how much questions can help us. I think so many of these ethical issues could have been solved if the poor minister involved had asked a few questions at the start of his job or situation. I know that at my internship this past summer, before I was given a church credit card I was told the basic policies, and then I asked questions about anything questionable that came to mind. Before I would take a student out for lunch, I made sure that my lunch was also a part of that budget as well. Assuming I didn't have an ethical opposition to the church's policy, if my actions were to come into question, I could be confident that they lined up with the authority of the church.
But what do we do when we haven't asked the right questions beforehand? I think in this case, we have to stick with the idea of being "above reproach." That is, what we do is so ethically pure, that no one would even call our actions into question. I think sometimes this could result in us spending money we shouldn't necessarily have to, or getting the short end of the stick so to speak, but from there we know what questions to ask in the future. In the ministry, being perceived as something is just as bad as being it. We don't have to practice shady financial habits to get into trouble with the body. The body just has to think that we are engaged in less than ethical practices and it might as well be true. When in doubt, we have to take a step above what could even possibly be called into question.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Thursday Response #1 Ministerial Ethics
I thought your questions were quite thought provoking coach! I anticipate running into these issues in my future ministry. I do believe that Pastor's are called to a "hire" standard than other believers. This does not mean they are better than everyone, it simply means that what the do is more closely watched and people look to them for ethical answers. I read the article and come up with my responses to each question.
1. I would take the money from Mrs. Kramer and tell her I would put it in the offertory. If she insists that it is a personal gift, I would keep it. But I would make sure to include it in my taxes and tithe 10% of it as well. It would be quite rude to act like you would keep it as a gift then just put it in the offertory.
2. I would ask the Pastor what the set amount is to put in and then put the money in the jar right away. I would make sure that some policy was in writing so the issue would be avoided in the future.
3. I would pay for my whole family. But I would talk to the church Pastor and/or the church treasurer and make sure they know how I spent it. I would also make sure there was a clear policy on what to do in these situations.
4. I would endorse the check then give it to the secretary as a rebate. I don't need the extra cash...also it is not a personal printer by any stretch. It is the churches printer, I am just using it.
5. This is a tough one. I think it would be wrong to just take it as a gift. I would definitely consult the church staff. Honestly, Ross seems to be giving the gift more as a kickback not so much as a thank you for being a great minister.
6. I would tell mister Powers thank you for the offer but I would tell him to sell the house to his daughter and give the $300,000 to the church. What is important to decide is his intentions. Is he using the church as a tool to get what he wants or is he truly selfishly giving of his possessions?
7. I would call the church Treasurer and ask for a corrected giving receipt. I honestly can't see justifying it any other way.
These issues seem to be quite "muddy" if you will. I think the best thing is to set up a lot of policies...yes sounds somewhat stiff but I think it helps avoid some of these "gray" issues.
1. I would take the money from Mrs. Kramer and tell her I would put it in the offertory. If she insists that it is a personal gift, I would keep it. But I would make sure to include it in my taxes and tithe 10% of it as well. It would be quite rude to act like you would keep it as a gift then just put it in the offertory.
2. I would ask the Pastor what the set amount is to put in and then put the money in the jar right away. I would make sure that some policy was in writing so the issue would be avoided in the future.
3. I would pay for my whole family. But I would talk to the church Pastor and/or the church treasurer and make sure they know how I spent it. I would also make sure there was a clear policy on what to do in these situations.
4. I would endorse the check then give it to the secretary as a rebate. I don't need the extra cash...also it is not a personal printer by any stretch. It is the churches printer, I am just using it.
5. This is a tough one. I think it would be wrong to just take it as a gift. I would definitely consult the church staff. Honestly, Ross seems to be giving the gift more as a kickback not so much as a thank you for being a great minister.
6. I would tell mister Powers thank you for the offer but I would tell him to sell the house to his daughter and give the $300,000 to the church. What is important to decide is his intentions. Is he using the church as a tool to get what he wants or is he truly selfishly giving of his possessions?
7. I would call the church Treasurer and ask for a corrected giving receipt. I honestly can't see justifying it any other way.
These issues seem to be quite "muddy" if you will. I think the best thing is to set up a lot of policies...yes sounds somewhat stiff but I think it helps avoid some of these "gray" issues.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Tuesday #2: Making a Budget
I interviewed Thad Spring at College Church on 1/14/09
In the making of the budget at College Church, there are five steps:
1. Ministry leaders go through their budgets line by line, creating a report for the finance team. This gives the specifics of ministry goals, as well as projections for the coming year.
2. The finance team then goes over the vision of the church, looks at the previous year’s expenses, as well as the projected expenses of next year, and creates a budget which is sent to the Local Board of Administration (from here on, LBA).
3. It is then the responsibility of the LBA to review and approve the budget. Once this is done, it is sent to the Local Church Conference (from here on, LCC).
4. The LCC, which is comprised of members only, meets once a year, usually for the sole purpose of reviewing the budget. They elect officials, and approve the final budget.
5. The process continues throughout the year, with the finance team playing the justice department, so to speak, making sure everyone is holding to the budget, until next year, when the process is restarted.
Week #2 Making A Budget
By Nick Smith
Week #2
Tuesday 1/20
Budget
This weekend I interviewed Rita Camden who is a major player in creating and managing the budget for our church.
When I asked Rita how the church makes the budget she replied with this, “Well, it’s not exactly rocket science.”
This church is relatively small, working on a more limited budget.
1. The first thing they do is look at the last few years of spending and see how much money was spent in certain areas.
2. The second thing they do is go ahead and estimate how much money is going to be spent on the things that have to be paid (utilities, payroll, etc.).
3. On the third step, they look at the income compared to the expenses and if the income exceeds the expenses then they increase the amount of money that can go to different programs such as the youth group, and children’s ministry. If the income was lower, they cut a little bit from these programs.
Rita told how the old secretary was stealing money so the biggest thing with the churches financial situation is incorporating more accountability. Since then the church has been receiving more money from tithes. It seemed to her that the more accountability allowed for people to be more at peace with what the church was doing with their money.
So as for now the church’s finances are handled pretty simply until they have more money to spend on ministry.
Week #2
Tuesday 1/20
Budget
This weekend I interviewed Rita Camden who is a major player in creating and managing the budget for our church.
When I asked Rita how the church makes the budget she replied with this, “Well, it’s not exactly rocket science.”
This church is relatively small, working on a more limited budget.
1. The first thing they do is look at the last few years of spending and see how much money was spent in certain areas.
2. The second thing they do is go ahead and estimate how much money is going to be spent on the things that have to be paid (utilities, payroll, etc.).
3. On the third step, they look at the income compared to the expenses and if the income exceeds the expenses then they increase the amount of money that can go to different programs such as the youth group, and children’s ministry. If the income was lower, they cut a little bit from these programs.
Rita told how the old secretary was stealing money so the biggest thing with the churches financial situation is incorporating more accountability. Since then the church has been receiving more money from tithes. It seemed to her that the more accountability allowed for people to be more at peace with what the church was doing with their money.
So as for now the church’s finances are handled pretty simply until they have more money to spend on ministry.
Practicum Research - Making the Budget 1/20
For this report, I met with Pastor Dave Drury at Baldwin for lunch today, along with Joel Liechty who is also doing his practicum with Pastor Dave. We talked over the procedure for developing a budget for College Church, from the individual budgets to the whole. It is as follows:
Individual ministry areas create their idea budget
- This includes coming up with an exact number of what they think they need to operate
their ministry for the next year.
Then those budgets are submitted to Pastor Dave for review
- Pastor Dave takes all the budgets and decides which budget gets cut if needed and
which budget should get exactly what is asked for; he makes sure everything is needed
so that parties don’t have to argue in person for money. He is an unbiased person who
can make the decisions on importance of the budgets. He decides what is most
missional for next year and what to protect.
Once these are decided upon by Pastor Dave, they are then voted on by the LBA
- This is the Local Board of Administration at the church. They have the right to make
changes as they see fit. They have to come to a decision on what needs to change and
why. They have the say on the larger, big picture things, such as building projects.
Once the LBA approves the overall budget, it is then voted on by the Local Church Conference
- This is the meeting of all the voting members of the Church. They then have the
ability to propose a change with an addition or subtraction of funds in the budget. This
happens in the month of May as decided by the District.
This process seems to cut out the possible conflicts and hurt feelings in between the ministry leaders and gives them all equal opportunity when it comes to getting their “peace of the pie.” This also gives all the members their chance for input on the budget. I think that this is a good process and seems to work well for the church.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Tuesday Report #1 Making A Budget
This past Friday, January 16, I interviewed Emily Vermilya. Emily Vermilya is the Worship Arts Director at
The following is the step by step procedure Emily gave me on how the church goes about making a yearly budget.
1. All staff members (Worship Director, Young Adult Pastor, Youth Pastor…etc) create a budget for their given department. This budget is then submitted to the Executive Pastor team (Senior Pastor, Executive Pastor & Congregational Life Pastor).
2. The Executive Pastor team pieces the budget proposals together to form the 1st proposed budget.
3. The Local Board of Administration and the Executive Pastor team meet and make more edits to the budget.
4. This edited budget becomes the final budget and is signed appropriately.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Week #1 Thursday Report
Thursday 1/15
Kinds of Leadership
What is leadership? The first things that come to my mind when asked that question are; creating a vision and then casting that vision onto others around you to help you carry out that vision. Leadership involves making the impossible seem possible. Leadership evolves out of a need that is not being met, or it comes from oppression, but it can also come from the fear that things will not run as smoothly as we would like for them to if we do not step in and lead.
Leadership in the Bible was an interesting thing. What makes it most interesting to me is that it was never done perfectly (except with Jesus) and there was no set “rules” that made those particular leaders exactly that. The following are my thoughts on different kinds of leadership based on different people throughout Biblical History.
-Adam – Adam was a pioneer leader. Being the first man, he was heading out into uncharted territory as an explorer. He was put in charge by God to name the animals, be fruitful and don’t eat from that tree. The interesting thing about Adam’s leadership is that it came completely from God. But Adam was a leader who screwed up, big time. The worst leadership mistake of all time came from Adam even though God told him distinctly what to do.
Jesus – The perfect example of a leader. Lead by serving. Jesus was such a good leader for this reason; he was God. No one else could do it better because they lacked that quality which made it difficult to lead perfectly.
The interesting thing about leading in the Bible is that there were a lot of good leaders in there, but they all screwed it up somehow. I don’t know if it is necessary to go into any more detail than the first leader and the perfect leader. All the leaders in the Bible are given visions from God and then they did their best as humanly possible to complete those visions. They all screwed up somewhere along the road.
If you want to know how to lead a people to one goal, don’t look at Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, Samuel, David, Barnabas, or Paul. Look at Jesus.
In all of these people I see the same characteristics; they all loved the Lord and tried their hardest to live it out. Another characteristic of the Biblical leader was diversity. They all did it a little different. But why did they do it differently? I believe they all did it differently because they were all different people leading as best they could in the only way they knew how.
If you want to learn a lesson from the life of the Biblical Forefathers then all you need to know is this; keep focused on the Lord and when you screw it up, don’t stop.
When you apply that idea to the way Jesus led (with humility and leading by serving) then you have a pretty solid leadership style.
Kinds of Leadership
What is leadership? The first things that come to my mind when asked that question are; creating a vision and then casting that vision onto others around you to help you carry out that vision. Leadership involves making the impossible seem possible. Leadership evolves out of a need that is not being met, or it comes from oppression, but it can also come from the fear that things will not run as smoothly as we would like for them to if we do not step in and lead.
Leadership in the Bible was an interesting thing. What makes it most interesting to me is that it was never done perfectly (except with Jesus) and there was no set “rules” that made those particular leaders exactly that. The following are my thoughts on different kinds of leadership based on different people throughout Biblical History.
-Adam – Adam was a pioneer leader. Being the first man, he was heading out into uncharted territory as an explorer. He was put in charge by God to name the animals, be fruitful and don’t eat from that tree. The interesting thing about Adam’s leadership is that it came completely from God. But Adam was a leader who screwed up, big time. The worst leadership mistake of all time came from Adam even though God told him distinctly what to do.
Jesus – The perfect example of a leader. Lead by serving. Jesus was such a good leader for this reason; he was God. No one else could do it better because they lacked that quality which made it difficult to lead perfectly.
The interesting thing about leading in the Bible is that there were a lot of good leaders in there, but they all screwed it up somehow. I don’t know if it is necessary to go into any more detail than the first leader and the perfect leader. All the leaders in the Bible are given visions from God and then they did their best as humanly possible to complete those visions. They all screwed up somewhere along the road.
If you want to know how to lead a people to one goal, don’t look at Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, Samuel, David, Barnabas, or Paul. Look at Jesus.
In all of these people I see the same characteristics; they all loved the Lord and tried their hardest to live it out. Another characteristic of the Biblical leader was diversity. They all did it a little different. But why did they do it differently? I believe they all did it differently because they were all different people leading as best they could in the only way they knew how.
If you want to learn a lesson from the life of the Biblical Forefathers then all you need to know is this; keep focused on the Lord and when you screw it up, don’t stop.
When you apply that idea to the way Jesus led (with humility and leading by serving) then you have a pretty solid leadership style.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Thursday Post #1-Leadership
Leadership is the ability to provide vision for others, while empowering and uniting them in the pursuit of this vision. In looking at the broad spectrum of leaders, there are good leaders and bad leaders as well as good people and bad people. This is an important distinction to make, as good leaders are not always good people. Hitler and Mussolini were a couple of guys who inspired nations to be united behind a cause and most certainly empowered them to work towards this goal, but there is no way one could argue that these were good people. On the same note, there are plenty of people who are great men and women of integrity, but are not good leaders. I believe when God gets his hand on someone of integrity who has the ability of bringing people together and empowering them to work towards a cause we witness great things.
In the Bible we are given incredible examples of people in the Old and New Testaments who were incredible leaders for the people of God. Moses might be one of the greatest leaders of all time, who at the command and constant direction of God led an entire people in a quest for freedom against one of the most powerful ancient civilizations ever, armed with nothing more than a staff and unleavened bread. Joshua picked up this mantle, and led the entire nation of Israel in their conquest of the promised land. David was an incredible leader, who honored the authority over him, despite the fact that this authority wanted to kill him.
In Paul, we see a man with an uncontrollable passion for the gospel who spreads the church more than just about any individual over the course of history. Maybe the greatest example of leadership we are given though is Christ, who comes as the servant. I cannot think of anyone else who presents a vision more glorious than bringing the kingdom of God to earth and uniting those under him to share this vision. Not only are they united, but he also imparts his divine spirit to them in order to empower them to accomplish this goal. All of this is done as the leader who was willing to wash his students’ feet, and die upon a cross.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Post 1: Church Budget
Here is College Wesleyan Church's Budget in percentages from Largest to Smallest.
I interviewed Thad Spring on Wednesday, January 7.
46.6% on Minsters and staff including benefits
33.18% on Facilities including debt payments
11.74 on Programs
8.49% on Denomination support and missions
Three things that I found to be very interesting were:
1. College church spends less than half of its budget on salary, which I feel is better than most churches do.
2. I found it very interesting that there is only three percent more of the budget put into programming within the church than support of the denomination outside of the building.
3. In looking at the sum total of everything all added up, it was a great reminder of how much money comes through a church in a year and the great responsibility that comes with that.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Week #1 Tuesday Post
January 11, 2009
Church Budget
Michigantown Christian Church
I interviewed Pastor Bob Wood’s on this topic.
The Budget was divided as follows:
66% Ministers and staff (plus benefits)
15% Facilities
14% Missions (Non Denominational)
5% Programs
Observation #1
- From city-data.com, I found out that the average income in Michigantown (where the church is located) is $45,043 per year. The senior pastor is making about $5,000 more than that per year while the youth pastor is making about $15,000 dollars less than that. I found that sort of interesting.
Observation #2
- I noticed that only $27,000 is budgeted for missions yet the actual giving is $46,000 per year. It seems that a lot of the money that exceeds the budgets needs gets put into missions.
Observation #3
- The actual spending for the Sunday school was $3,500 the last fiscal year but nothing was budgeted for it the past year or the year to come. This is because a member pays for all Sunday school expenses out of pocket. I found that interesting.
Church Budget
Michigantown Christian Church
I interviewed Pastor Bob Wood’s on this topic.
The Budget was divided as follows:
66% Ministers and staff (plus benefits)
15% Facilities
14% Missions (Non Denominational)
5% Programs
Observation #1
- From city-data.com, I found out that the average income in Michigantown (where the church is located) is $45,043 per year. The senior pastor is making about $5,000 more than that per year while the youth pastor is making about $15,000 dollars less than that. I found that sort of interesting.
Observation #2
- I noticed that only $27,000 is budgeted for missions yet the actual giving is $46,000 per year. It seems that a lot of the money that exceeds the budgets needs gets put into missions.
Observation #3
- The actual spending for the Sunday school was $3,500 the last fiscal year but nothing was budgeted for it the past year or the year to come. This is because a member pays for all Sunday school expenses out of pocket. I found that interesting.
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