Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices

March 2018

Church Finances for Uncertain Times

Church Endowments: Blessing or Curse?
By Ken Quigley
How is an endowment managed effectively and who is responsible for it? In Church Endowments: Blessing or Curse, Kenneth Quigley details the roles of those responsible as fiduciaries, explains the goals of an endowment committee and shares simple steps to help achieve those goals.
Cultivating Emotional and Financial Resilience
By J. William Harkins, Ph.D., LMFT
J. William Harkins details different approaches to building resilience in the face of hardship.
Editor's Letter April 2018
By Charis Bhagianathan
While working with church finances it is often easy to slip into a routine, never stopping to ask ‘why’ and continuing to do something because that’s the way it’s always been done.
Editor's Letter March 2018
By Charis Bhagianathan
ECFVP Editor Charis Bhagianathan introduces the March 2018 issue of Vestry Papers that examines our complicated relationship with money, and what we can do to improve it, using our faith as a guide.
Finanzas saludables
By Wendy Pineda
Wendy Pineda analiza las finanzas personales, y explica que las tres cosas más importantes que debemos saber son nuestros ingresos mensuales, nuestros gastos mensuales y la cantidad de deuda que tenemos.
Five Things Every Church Treasurer Should Know
By Linda Puckett
Linda Puckett lists the primary responsibilities of anyone who is tasked with managing the finances of a church.
Four Lessons in Speaking About Money
By Brendan O’Sullivan-Hale
Brendan O'Sullivan Hale shares important lessons on how we should talk about money in the church.
Healthy Finances
By Wendy Pineda
What does a healthy approach to finance involve? And what steps can we take to improve both our personal and church finances immediately? In Healthy Finances, Wendy Pineda gives us easy tips to move towards sound financial management in all spheres of our life.
Maine Puts its Money Where its Mouth Is
By Heidi Shott
The Diocese of Maine has taken the lead in securing a fair minimum wage for its lay employees. In Maine Puts its Money Where its Mouth Is, Heidi Shott describes the diocese’s path toward economic justice for lay employees.
Money — What’s It To You?
By Demi Prentiss
Demi Prentiss explores how both nurture and nature affect our relationship with money and shares what we can do to be better stewards of our gifts.
Pledging: Why Clergy Must Know Who Pledges, and How Much
By Susan Erdey
Susie Erdey explains why pledge transparency can only be beneficial to the life of both individual members and the parish as a whole.
The Purpose of Basic Financial Statements
By Nancy Fritschner
Before putting together financial statements, it’s important to ask the question – who is reading this? In the Purpose of Basic Financial Statements, Nancy Fritschner presents four goals around presenting financial data that is clear, accurate and meets the needs of those who read it.