Main > Lesson 4 > Part 2 — Your congregation's finances The Whys and Hows of Money Leadership
A curriculum for pastors/leaders just getting started
by Mark Vincent, Lead Partner, Design for Ministry
  1. Evaluative Questions
  2. Background — Money and faith: applications to households and congregations
  3. Part 1:  Study/Reflect — Your personal finances
  4. Part 2:  Your congregation's finances
  5. Part 3:  Comparison between the two (optional)
Part 2 — Your congregation's finances
Divide your congregation's chart of accounts into the money pools described in the background section. Some of this is arbitrary and might even require some recategorizing. That is okay. The placement into pools and their ongoing management is more important than an academic argument about what goes where. Compare your congregation's distribution percentages to the ideals. What would you bolster and what might be lessened? How would you go about this?

Make note of your congregation's cash on hand. Does this balance represent an intentional reserve account or no? What percentage of the annual congregational budget does this represent? What is your normal standard by which you manage cash flow?

Be prepared to share your findings.

On to Comparison between the two (optional)