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Treasurers know: It's all in the numbers
What do the following numbers mean to you?
10% The starting point for a biblical tithe
.300 An excellent batting average in baseball (Go, Sox!)
20/20 Perfect vision
15/51 Number of churches in the diocese who still need to submit parochial reports.
51/51 Number of churches whose parochial reports we'd like to have . . .
Please help us reach our goal: Ask whether your church has submitted its forms.
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If your roof leaks, fix it!
No one wants to tackle large maintenance problems -- but putting off the work can lead to much bigger bills.
Persistent leaks can damage plaster and other systems, increasing the expense of an already costly repair. It's a lesson that our cathedral and several other churches are learning the hard way.
What if you don't have the money for repairs?
1. Consider borrowing from the diocesan revolving loan fund, with rates as low as 1.5% interest for churches that participate in the Diocesan Investment Trust.
2. Call church insurance to talk things over. Your rates won't necessarily rise after a claim -- and if the inspection finds that your building needs other updates to meet code, insurance may roll that cost into your claim.
3. Get in touch with Canon Linda Grenz to talk things over, request help negotiating with your insurance company, or find answers to your other questions.
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Teach people about personal budgets
Personal financial planning can drive changes in stewardship practices.
Churches need solid financial plans, but parishioners do too.
Have you ever thought about sharing your financial expertise within your parish to help people better manage their personal budgets? It could have a big impact on their lives -- and their stewardship.
Living Wi$ely from TENS is a personal finance and budget counseling ministry that explores the basics of creating and living within a budget; saving, giving, and getting out of debt; and biblical principles and spiritual issue of money.
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Shining light into corners
Knowing the details of your parish budget helps vestries make better budgeting decisions.
Vestries make important decisions about the parish budget. But members may not have a strong understanding of money management or how investments and budgets actually work. As treasurer, you can help them unpack the numbers so they can make more informed decisions.
In this article from ECF Vestry Papers, former senior warden Dick Kurth discusses common misconceptions about the budget in his parish -- for instance that "there was a lot of slush in the budget, only that it was going to some program other than their own."
Instead of getting defensive, Kurth launched a program to shine light on every aspect of the budget. The results spoke volumes: Not only did the vestry pass a budget, but their pledging also increased by 36% to support the vision they had helped to craft.
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