Here is a late night sneak peak at the Video we are showing before our special offering tomorrow for our Nashville Flood Relief Efforts. This video was created by Cross Point’s team, we just added our message at the end. Let’s step up big tomorrow at New Passion!
UNLEASH 2010: Breakout Session 2
Breakout Session 2
Giving…Budgeting…Spending
Paul Marshall & Joe Sangl
Giving:
0-1,000 People –
- Established Accurate (Excellent) record-keeping (Used Simple Access Database)
(Without accurate record keeping, you have a mess!) - 1st Time Giving Letter (No matter how much given)
- Let God be in the equation
- Build margin, early & often!
1,000 – 5,000 people –
- Moved to FellowshipOne (Helps track Ministry & Giving)
- Did 1st Capital Campaign (3 year pledge)
- Educating people about finances (FPU) – The church decided to take on the responsibility to teach the people about finances.
5,000+ people –
- Did 2nd Capital Campaign (3year pledge)
- Class – “Financial Learning Experience”
*Common sense is uncommon - Group Study: “I was broke. Now I’m Not.”
- Started looking at tithing/offering as a “Worship Experience”
(52 Weeks – 52 Different Ways to focus)
Budgeting
0-1,000 people –
- Commitment to pay staff well from the start
- Benefits to staff employees from the start (100% of employee. 50% of dependents)
- Lead Team: Monthly review of finances
- Budget for a year
- Let God be in the Equation
1,000-5,000 people –
- ACS for Accounting (Linear System)
- Retirement plan w/ matching funds
- POs
5,000+ people –
- 3rd party salary survey for senior pastor
- Annual budgeting with approvals by SMT
Spending
0-1,000 people –
- Accurate record keeping of expenditures
- Pastor NEVER signs (signed) checks
- 2 Signatures required on all checks, with a signing limit (only a handful of signers 3-4, 2 signatures required)
- Farmed out Payroll
- Let God be in the Equation
1,000-5,000 people –
- Annual review by 3rd party (CPA)
- Brought payroll back in-house
- Purchased Land
5,000+ people –
- Changed to new PO system
- Sage MIP Accounting System (Segment Based)
- Microix
- True 3rd Party Audit
- Project next years budget from last 6 months income
- Watch cash flow
- Provide a wish list if God gives a special gift to the church (this is separate from budget)
- Individual ministry budgets: Breakout with current years expenses (money spent), column to list suggested next years budget with an additional column to list reasons why it is being suggested.
- No fundraisers. People give to a vision before they give to a need. Every Sunday is a Big Event, that helps cast vision.
ReThink Money Workshop
Casey Graham spoke at TCAG Sunday about God’s purpose for our money. I loved the verse he used from the Message:
1 Timothy 6:17-19 Tell those rich in this world’s wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.
His bottom line thought was: “God wants us to do well (financially) so we can do good.”
His main ideas: God gives us riches (money) so we can…
- Do Good
- Help Others
- Be Extravagantly Generous
The message was an introduction to our new series, “Bling” which will include a financial workshop on Saturday, November 8 from 8:15 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. If you live in the Augusta, Martinez, Evans, or North Augusta area, I highly recommend you attend this workshop. The details for the workshop are as follows:
____________________________________________________________________________
During our next series, “BLING,” Casey Graham, of ReThink Money, will be hosting a workshop to help you get your finances in order.
- Wouldn’t it be great to learn how to get rid of your personal debt quickly?
- Can you imagine what it would fell like to have an exact date that you will be debt free?
- What about retirement…are you ready?
ReThink teaches four life-changing concepts:
- Spend Less
- Kill Debt
- Invest Wisely
- Provide Hope through Giving.
You can’t AFFORD to miss out!!! Cost for materials is $20/singles & $30/couple. RSVP Today or contact our office to sign up.
Conversations with a 5 Year Old
Nicki was reading the Bible story of Jesus’ first miracle to Gavin out of his Bible story book. It got to the part where Mary told the disciples to do whatever her son told them to do. So I was trying to convey to Gavin that he could be a disciple of Jesus and part of that was doing whatever Jesus tells him to do…
Gavin: “I asked Jesus to come live in my heart, but I don’t know what he’s doing in there. I don’t know what he says, I won’t know what he says until I get to Heaven!”
I love the innocents of children. Everything is pure and simple to them. I was so excited that he was talking about asking Jesus into his heart…this was news to Nicki and me. Nicki talked about it with him about 6 months ago, but she did not know he asked Jesus in his heart or even remembered the conversation. We are continuing to talk to him about “asking Jesus into his heart,” as he had trouble remembering ‘why’ he did it.
We finished the night by talking about miracles. I told Gavin that a miracle would be like Jesus turning a cup of water into a cup of chocolate Milk (His favorite beverage of choice).
Gavin: “If I went to the store and bought a watch and prayed that Jesus turned it into an Omnitrix watch, that would be a miracle!” – [Yes! He understands miracles…]
Me: “Yes, that would be a miracle!”
Gavin: “Well at night and in the morning I prayed that Jesus would give me an Omnitrix watch, but I never got one!”
Me: “Well, Jesus doesn’t always give us what we want, but he promises to give us what we need. You can pray and ask Jesus for extra money so you can buy food and mosquito nets for children in Africa…” (We are trying to teach Gavin to help other people less fortunate than himself) “That would be a miracle for those little kids.”
Gavin: “Well I ‘need’ an Omnitrix watch because when mommy goes into the hospital to have Hailey, when someone comes here to watch us, I will need an Omnitrix watch to turn into an alien to beat up the bad guys if they break into the house.”
We still have a long way to go, but Gavin did agree to start sorting through his toys to give to less fortunate kids. We discussed him living outside and having to sleep in the grass. He didn’t like that, because bugs would bite him, so since he has been taught that bugs bite little boys and girls all the time who do not have a house to protect them from such things, he is going to bless them with his excess. Little by little, I hope we instill healthy lessons in our boys. It is tough!