“It all starts with mission and purpose.” These opening words by author Mike Batts sum up the proper role of financial administration in the church. Financial administration is a critically important and unique calling. Church Finance: The Church Leader’s Guide to Financial Operations provides you with the information and resources to successfully lead your church’s financial operations in keeping with your church’s unique mission and purpose. Whether you’re new to the role or experienced, you’ll appreciate Mike’s come-alongside style blended with proven expertise. Whether you serve as treasurer, accountant, controller, CFO, business administrator, executive pastor, finance committee member, or in any other role responsible for church financial operations, Mike will help you: Evaluate and adapt your budget in keeping with your church’s mission and purpose Reduce and manage expenses wisely Create practical and effective financial reports for decision-makers Use key metrics for financial health that work for almost any church Manage the liquidity and financial position of your church Understand and properly administer nontraditional gifts including restricted, planned, deferred, noncash, and other types of gifts Understand the ins and outs of alternative revenue sources Properly establish compensation for your leaders and staff Use and manage debt, plus negotiate debt terms with a lender Maintain sound internal controls Understand the fundamentals of federal tax law for churches Determine what tools and practices (audits, accreditation, etc.) are available to enhance accountability Employ ministry-wide risk management Understand and evaluate insurance coverage And much more What's new and why you should update to the 2nd edition of Church Finance: Tax information is updated to reflect the major changes arising from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Accounting and financial reporting information is updated to reflect recent changes in generally accepted accounting standards (GAAP) New sample GAAP financial statements and notes All-new chapter on financial policies for churches with multiple sample policies Sample conflicts-of-interest policy Sample giver privacy policy Sample gift acceptance policy Sample budget administration policy Sample record retention guidelines for churches Sample executive compensation-setting policy Sample fraud, dishonesty, and whistle-blower policy And more Updated content on alternative revenue sources All-new chapter on compensation and benefits for churches All-new chapter on tax compliance for churches All-new chapter on risk management for churches

Learn how to talk about giving and inspire people to live generously. Discover strategies to cultivate a culture of giving at your church, including how to teach on giving and how to live by example.

Providing receipts for donors and following Internal Revenue Service guidelines are essential to keeping your church financially accountable; it also will help further the generosity of church members and friends. In this downloadable resource, we have assembled 16 letters and forms for providing receipts to donors for several different kinds of donations. You also will learn which Internal Revenue Service guidelines and forms you will need to be in compliance as a donation recipient in receipt of tangible, non-monetary gifts.

Raising thousands of dollars for a special project is no simple task for churches. Use this guide to determine if it's worth hiring a professional fundraiser, learn about the availability of grants, and discover tips on raising and borrowing money.

Church leaders are faced with an overwhelming number of questions related to keeping the church safe, legal, and financially sound. Richard Hammar receives thousands of questions every year and shares his answers to 20 of the most widely asked and relevant tax and finance questions for church leaders.

Learn the steps to better plan, organize and allocate your organization’s financial resources today with the 12 Steps for Sound Ministry Budgeting, complimentary download. Whether you lead the finances of a church or a nonprofit, certain basic budgeting principles hold true. Through this resource, based on renowned CPA Michael E. Batts's Church Finance and Nonprofit Finance books, you'll learn 12 of those basics. This PDF will help you and your team establish, step by step, basic building blocks needed to achieve a sound foundation for budgets.

Churches face complex compensation questions every year, making compensation planning an important task for many reasons. Richard Hammar walks through several key legal and tax elements churches need to consider when planning a pastor's compensation.

Whether it's one staff member or hundreds, churches usually must negotiate wages and benefits. With tight budgets, it is sometimes a struggle to set competitive pay rates and provide benefits to employees. Learn about key aspects of compensation planning for church employees, including consideration of non-monetary rewards for your staff's hard work.

This resource highlights a stand-alone article from the pages of Church Law & Tax Report. In this Feature Report Michael E. Batts, an Editorial Advisor for Church Law & Tax Report and the president and managing principal of Batts Morrison Wales & Lee, P.A., provides a comprehensive, easy-to-understand analysis of how unrelated business income, and the possible taxes owed from it, works for churches. EXCERPT:Your church's annual fall festival is two months away, and you are looking for creative and appropriate ways to generate income from it. You get a call from a local car dealer who is familiar with your festival. The dealership offers to be the exclusive sponsor of the event by paying your church $20,000, so long as you recognize it as the exclusive sponsor by placing a large sign at the entrance with the following message: "Tri-City Motor Company; Exclusive Sponsor; tricitymotorcompany.com." The dealer also wants to display six new vehicles at the entrance of the festival as a part of the arrangement.Can you accept the dealer's offer without jeopardizing the church's tax-exempt status? If you do, is the $20,000 payment taxable as unrelated business income to the church? You may be surprised by the answers to this and other questions answered in this feature report about the often misunderstood world of unrelated business income.

Church leaders don’t need to be told that budgets matter. They know it. Budgets set the pace for what a church considers important throughout a given year. Decisions made about spending determine how much staff members will get paid, how much will go to each ministry, how much will get set aside for reserves, and how much will go toward basic operations. Of course, budgets aren’t simply about costs. They depend on giving and other areas of revenue. As church leaders look ahead to a new budget year, they need to be able to forecast expected income. This report will give you an inside look at how churches nationwide spend their money.

The "God Loves A Cheerful Giver" church media template uses bold colors and dynamic compositions to inspire generosity and joy in giving. The energetic visuals perfectly complement themes of charity and community involvement. Template Includes An easy-to-edit Photoshop file 12 pre-made JPG graphics 4K Title Slide + Background Only HD Title Slide + Background Only HD Notes/Blank Slide Lower Third Title + Background Only Square Social Image + Background Only Stories Social Image + Background Only FB Cover Image Created by Remix Church Media

This eye-catching church media graphic combines retro-inspired typography with a modern color palette to promote the concept of generous living. Perfect for stewardship campaigns or sermon series on giving, this design offers a fresh and engaging approach to discussing generosity in faith communities. Includes: Easy-to-edit Photoshop file with multiple artboard resolutions 12 pre-made JPG graphics 4K Title Slide + Background Only HD Title Slide + Background Only HD Notes/Blank Slide Lower Third Title + Background Only Square Social Image + Background Only Stories Social Image + Background Only FB Cover Image Created by Remix Church Media

Are you searching for dependable resources to help you navigate the complexities of church financial and tax matters? Our comprehensive resources offer the essential knowledge you need to confidently lead and ensure your church's financial operations are sound. Church Finance Pro Package Includes Church Finance: The Church Leader's Guide to Financial Operations - This updated 2nd edition provides you with the information and resources to successfully lead your church’s financial operations in keeping with your church’s unique mission and purpose. 12 Law & Tax Guidelines for New Ministers - Features a convenient Q&A format and is written in understandable and concise language. Get the insights you need to make potentially significant legal and financial decisions with confidence. Church Compensation, Second Edition: 2023 Updates - Elaine Sommerville’s Church Compensation will be your how-to-guide as you plan out every aspect of your church’s employee compensation plan. This bundle gives you 20% off these products.

Churches are struggling to keep their heads above water. Not only has the cost of living increased due to inflation, but many church salaries and benefits are lagging behind the market. To make matters worse, changes to the minimum salary exemption requirement by the US Department of Labor—this past July and again in January—are forcing churches to make hard decisions about classifying workers as exempt or non-exempt and compensating workers for overtime. In this free recorded webinar, Church Law & Tax's Matthew Branaugh and ChurchSalary's Aaron Hill are joined by Matt Steen from Chemistry Staffing and Dustin Gaines from My Church Law Firm to discuss the trends and the pressures churches face with compensation heading toward 2025. Additionally, they'll expand on these questions and the articles answering them: 1) How can your church be proactive and stay ahead of rising costs? The Rising Cost of Replacing Pastors Article 2) How much are other churches increasing their budget? What COLA are they using? 2025 Budget and COLA Changes Article 3) Are you classifying workers correctly and also correctly paying them, in light of the Labor Department’s changes? Fed Raises Minimum Salary Requirements For Exempt Status Article Add this item to the cart and checkout to access this free webinar!