Finance
By Sandra Montes
How can the church make a difference in creating just economic systems? In Managing Assets to be Stewards of Humanity, Sandra Montes leads a conversation with Steven Lee, Bishop Matthew Heyd and Miguel Escobar as they discuss…
By Dick Kurth
We pushed and pried in private with some vestry members. What were their real attitudes toward “the numbers?”
By Nancy Davidge and Susan Elliott
“Managing Resources, Part 1” by Nancy Davidge and Susan Elliott, offers an overview of the Vestry Resource Guide’s chapter on finance and administration. Part 1 takes a broad look at the vestry’s role in financial management …
By Susan Snook
Susan Snook lays out the importance of looking outwards, re-focusing our money on God’s full mission for us and allowing ourselves to “be sent” where God leads us.
By Kelly Sundberg Seaman
Kelly Sundberg Seaman shares her experience of becoming full-time, the many benefits it brought her and her congregations.
By Sandra Montes
Sandra Montes shares six one-minute videos to help start the conversation about finances and stewardship in a meaningful and memorable way.
By Dick Kurth
Dick Kurth shares his experience of learning the importance of authenticity and directness when tackling money matters in the church.
By Jerry Keucher
Jerry Keucher unpacks the basics of simple budget reporting, sharing the fundamentals you need to create and decipher a church financial report.
By Jerry Keucher
Jerry Keucher lays out the basics both for writing financial reports, and analyzing them correctly to present a clear reflection of a church’s financial health.
By Kyle Matthew Oliver
Kyle Oliver explains why digital giving is first and foremost an act of hospitality and relationship building, and shares basic principles to help any congregation start a digital giving program.
By Julie Young
If you’re a new vestry member, beginning your role can be an overwhelming time of information overload. Julie Young highlights a few must-know pointers to help you get started on your journey.
By Jerry Keucher
In bad times and good, the principles that vestries should follow in their fiduciary oversight of long-term investments are the same. Especially when the markets are down, it is essential not to lose your head.
By Mary Sulerud
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life; what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on....”
By Kathleen Hall
Do you ever think of your parish administrator as a primary part of your community’s root system?
By Fred Osborn
How do you manage your parish’s operations when the value of the endowment shrinks?
By Bill Nolan
Like pruning a vineyard in a drought, how a parish spends its money during tough times is critical — and like it or not, sends a strong message to parishioners about their own spending
By Ken Quigley
Swimming naked, you say? How is that like using endowment income for operating needs? Answer: No one notices ‘til the tide goes out.
By David T. Leibell
Healthy endowments play a significant role in the long-term stability of a church. Part of the stewardship responsibility of a vestry, therefore, is to understand the rules associated with the proper administration of endowme…
By Ken Quigley
There are two basic ways of distributing money from your endowment fund: an “income-only” policy, or a “total return” policy.
By Ken Quigley
Two stories, one problem. Both were small churches. Perhaps they thought they were too small to have an endowment fund. Or perhaps they thought the vestry would deal with a major bequest when the time came. In both cases, the…