Beyond the Collection Plate: Overcoming Obstacles to Faithful Giving (Book)
Michael Durall, Author. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2003.

Questions such as what is your congregation’s financial identity, what role should professional leadership play, what undergirds the church’s attitude toward money, and who really controls the money are addressed in this book. Practical advice is offered for clergy and lay leadership to consider.

Church Administration and Finance Manual (Book)
Otto F. Crumroy Jr., Stan Kukawka, Frank M. Witman, Authors. Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1998.

This handbook covers a wide range of day to day church administration issues including planning, staffing, leading, assessing and reporting. It addresses topics such as budgeting, job descriptions, interviewing, leadership style, financial management; as well as sample letters and forms. It serves as a hands-on resource for clergy and staff. Intended for churches of all sizes, it is oriented in practice toward larger churches.

Church Administration in the Black Perspective (Revised) (Book)
Floyd Massey, Jr., and Samuel B. McKinney, Authors. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 2003.

Newly revised for 2003, this practical guide covers all facets of administration for clergy and laypersons. Guidance for organizing church boards is included, along with up-to-date information on budgeting, technology, and the Web.

Community-Based Organizations: The Intersection of Social Capital and Local Context in Contemporary Urban Society (Book)
Robert Mark Silverman, Editor. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press, 2004.

Though this text is dense with economic analysis, the essay by Sherri Leronda Wallce—"Social Capital and African American Church Leadership"—suggests that the African American Church is a great source of both leadership and social capital. She invites the church to consider the role it is positioned to play in the economic development of contemporary urban society.

The Complete Guide to Capital Campaigns for Historic Churches and Synagogues (Book)
Peggy Powell Dean, Susanna A. Jones, Authors. Philadelphia, PA: Partners for Sacred Places, 1998.

Here is a guide written specifically to aid congregations, offering step-by-step assistance for planning and executing a successful fund-raising campaign. Learn proven techniques to ask members for money and find support from outside the congregation. Any congregation needing to raise funds to renovate historic buildings should obtain a copy of this guide.

Prelude to Struggle: African American Clergy and Community Organizing for Economic Development in the 1990's (Book)
Katie Day, Author. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2002.

Katie Day offers an insightful analysis of African American activist congregations. Using qualitative and quantitative data, she builds a strong description of selected African American congregations in Philadelphia who organized to meet the economic needs of their surrounding communities. Special emphasis is also placed on the role of the pastor in the community.

Render unto God: Economic Vulnerability, Family Violence, and Pastoral Theology (Book)
James N. Poling, Author. St. Louis, MO: Chalice Press, 2002.

Noted pastoral theologian James Poling suggests that unfair economic practices affect communities across the globe, especially women and children. Poling focuses on the particular impact of these practices on the African American community and suggests a new way of reading the Gospel of Mark in order to respond to the needs of the poor.

Safe and Secure: The Alban Guide to Protecting Your Congregation (Book)
Jeffrey Hanna, Author. Herndon, VA: Chalice Press, 2002.

Finances, among other topics (such as building security, visitor protection, personnel issues, and insurance liability) of importance to the economic health of the church are addressed in this practical, hands-on approach to planning for and securing a congregation. Using concrete examples and case studies written in everyday language, Jeffrey Hanna presents many resource materials for people in positions of accountability in faith based organizations.