Money Matters in Church

Aubrey Malphurs, Steve Stroope

Description

Money Matters in Church helps leaders to discover a one-stop, comprehensive model for managing finances and fundraising. It guides leaders of any size church or ministry to create a culture of giving that supports savvy, faithful, and legal financing. The authors present a biblical theology of stewardship that supports ways to develop donors and maximize contributions, enact a strategic budget and effective audit process, project income and expenses, work with banks, compensate staff, and address debt. The book's practical step-by-step approach makes finance issues understandable for leaders without a business background.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 juillet 2007
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9781441200372
• Langue: English

Extrait

There are no two people that I have learned more from than Steve Stroope and Aubrey Malphurs. Steve is a brilliant pastor with incredible insights on information about churches. Aubrey s systems are always clear and accurate. I encourage every pastor and church planter to read this book from cover to cover.
- Bob Roberts , senior pastor, NorthWood Church; author, Transformation and Glocalization
Few seminaries teach it, and fewer pastors find financial expertise in their nature or skill set. But strong financial management couldn t be more important to the success and health of a church. Aubrey Malphurs and Steven Stroope s Money Matters in Church fills a much needed gap of understanding for pastors and lay leaders. It is an excellent book for a church board s study together for the first thirty minutes of a year s board meetings. The smart pastor will share copies with his or her elders, board, and stewardship committee.
- Ronald E. Keener , editor, Church Executive magazine
Some church leaders are hesitant to talk about money. But they shouldn t be. After all, Jesus talked about it more than he talked about prayer, heaven, or hell. And now Aubrey Malphurs and Steve Stroope have developed a how to manual that not only gives the biblical support for teaching about money, but also reveals the step-by-step process of developing a community of givers and an attitude of gratitude in your church.
- Ed Young , senior pastor, Fellowship Church; author, Outrageous, Contagious Joy
Money does matter! In this excellent book by Aubrey Malphers and Steve Stroope, you will be exposed to both the solid biblical principles and sound financial practices necessary for effective growth in a church of any size. With years of experience in both the academy and the development of a large church, they know what they are talking about. Don t miss out.
- Bob Buford , founder, Leadership Network; author, Halftime and Finishing Well
Money matters in the church because money matters to God and to all of us. Steve and Aubrey have provided church leaders with a fine combination of biblical teaching on money and practical applications in the life of the church. This is must reading for any pastor or church leader who wants to see the church maximize its financial resources for kingdom business.
- Bryant Wright , senior pastor, Johnson Ferry Baptist Church
Great vision is only a pipe dream without resources. A principle job of a leader is securing resources for vision, and Steve Stroope and Aubrey Malphurs have provided a tool that is both biblically solid and intensely practical. The question we have been asking each other is, Where has this book been for our ministry up to now?
- Jeff Jones , senior pastor, Fellowship Bible Church North; and Gene A. Getz , pastor emeritus, Fellowship Bible Church North; director, Center for Church Renewal
The Lord placed in my heart long ago that we are never more like Jesus than when we are giving. I have found that stewardship is one of the words that I would place in the top four of things that are most important in my life. I am grateful that Aubrey and Steven have brought their hearts and minds together to challenge us in managing resources that will one day change the world in which we live. This is a must-read!
- Johnny Hunt , pastor, First Baptist Woodstock
This fine work will provide pastors with a critical tool for understanding and addressing the financial needs of their churches. It s a practical book that will fill a void that has existed for too long in training of pastors for their fiscal management role in the church.
- Tony Evans , senior pastor, Oakcliff Bible Fellowship
Money Matters in Church
Also by Aubrey Malphurs
Advanced Strategic Planning
Being Leaders
Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
Building Leaders (coauthor)
Church Next (coauthor)
A Contemporary Handbook for Weddings, Funerals, and Other Occasions (coauthor)
Developing a Dynamic Mission for Your Ministry
Developing a Vision for Ministry in the 21st Century
Doing Church
The Dynamics of Church Leadership
Leading Leaders
Maximizing Your Effectiveness
Ministry Nuts and Bolts
A New Kind of Church
Planting Growing Churches for the 21st Century
Pouring New Wine into Old Wineskins
Strategy 2000
Values-Driven Leadership
Vision America
Money Matters in Church
A Practical Guide for Leaders
Aubrey Malphurs and Steve Stroope
2007 by Aubrey Malphurs and Steve Stroope
Published by Baker Books a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakerbooks.com
E-book edition created 2011
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-for example, electronic, photocopy, recording-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-0037-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Laws relating to taxes, salaries, and contract labor may change from year to year. Though the authors have made every effort to present accurate and up-to-date information, the reader is responsible for knowing and abiding by current law.
Unles otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. www.zondervan.com
Scripture marked Knox is taken from The Holy Bible: A Translation from the Latin Vulgate in Light of the Hebrew and Greek Original (Ronald A. Knox).
To my best friend and wife, Marsha, to my two wonderful girls, Rachael and Lydia, to their husbands, Scott and Mason, who were an answer to many years of prayer, and to my three grandchildren, Jax, Maleah, and Austen, who have been three of God s most delightful gifts. Steve Stroope
To all the pastors with whom I ve consulted over the years through The Malphurs Group, who have affirmed the need for this book, along with my students at Dallas Seminary. Aubrey Malphurs
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part 1 Creating a Culture of Giving
1. Developing and Communicating Your Theology of Financial Stewardship
2. Developing Donors
3. Maximizing Contributions
Part 2 Managing Your Kingdom Resources
4. Developing a Strategic Budget
5. Analyzing Your Strategic Budget
6. Deciding Who Decides
7. Protecting the Church s Financial Integrity
8. Funding New Facilities
9. Understanding Good Banking Basics
10. Paying the Staff
11. Keeping It Legal
12. Dealing with Debt
Part 3 Conducting a Capital Campaign
13. Preparing for a Capital Campaign
14. Implementing the Capital Campaign
15. Following Up the Campaign
Appendix A A Theology of Financial Stewardship
Appendix B Precampaign Questionnaire
Appendix C Campaign Position Descriptions
Appendix D Campaign Calendar
Notes
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Sandra Stanley, who did the hard work of making my thoughts legible, to the people of Lake Pointe and specifically the board of elders, who have allowed me the freedom to invest in the church beyond our local fellowship, and to Aubrey Malphurs, without whom I would not have been able to write my first book.
Steve Stroope
Thanks to my family for their support of my ministry-especially my wife, Susan. I also thank Sandra Stanley for all her hard work in making this book a reality.
Aubrey Malphurs
Introduction
Without question the area where most pastors feel least prepared to lead their churches is stewardship in general and church finances in particular. This is true regardless of the size of the church. Whether it is a congregation of fifteen people or fifteen thousand people, few leaders feel more than just adequate to lead in the financial aspects of their ministry. The problem, however, is that most churches expect and depend on their pastor not only to raise the finances but ensure that those finances are managed in a God-honoring way after they are collected. And if pastors don t know how or can t do it, then it won t get done, at least not well.
A number of you who picked up this book are seminary graduates with master s degrees, and some even have your doctorates. Here s the question: how many courses did you take in seminary on church finances? And for those of you who majored in pastoral ministries and leadership, how many of you took even a single course on church finances? At Dallas Theological Seminary where I (Aubrey) teach, I have a short unit on the pastor and finances. But this is rare for most seminaries. And when I introduce the topic, many of the students raise their eyebrows and get a pained expression on their faces. I know what they re thinking: As a pastor, all I want to do is to teach and preach the Bible! I m not good at arm-twisting and making people feel uncomfortable over money. And I don t want to add to the perception of those who think the church is only after their money. That s not who I am or what I want to do.
This is where some pastors who come from the business world may have an advantage over the seminary graduate. Those who lead in the corporate world are expected to have a good knowledge of finances in order to run their company, or their particular branch of a large company, with integrity and competence. There are aspects of church finances, however, that are foreign even to those who have advanced degrees in business and finance.
The problem for the local church is that not only is it an organism (Paul compares it to the human body in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31), but it has a business aspect, with corporate responsibility to its constituents as well as the government.
The Importance of Church Finances
Why is the topic of church finances so important? The church s mission in this world, according to the Savior, is to make disciples (Matt. 28:19-20; Ma