day 2 church growth & managing church finances 2_managing church finances.pdf · church growth...
TRANSCRIPT
Day 2 Church Growth & Managing Church
Finances Vryheid Church of Christ
Workshop: Church Finances 16 & 18 June 2011
Facilitator: Sabelo Mdlalose Buhle Park Church of Christ www.buhleparkcoc.co.za
Answers to Ind. Exercise 2
1. Christians are to give MORE than Israel (more than 10%) and with love in our hearts. Our giving must exceed of the Pharisees (Matthew 5:20)
2. Yes! Because they must focus on evangelising & put more work on our spiritual needs
3. We should assist them as there are no soldiers who fight and also fund themselves (1 Corinthians 9:7-11)
1.Church Growth through Giving: Introduction
Church?
Growth?
Group of people (Men, Women, & Children)
gathered for a specific purpose/ or “Called out”(Acts 9:2)
Its an organisation!
A NATURALLY occurring phenomenon whereby an
Organism/organisation increases in QUANTITY & QUALITY
There are NECESSARY Pre- conditions in order to promote
growth! E.g. A tree needs water, sunlight,
nutrients to grow
A by-product
occurrence
Church Growth Defined
Church Growth
This is the aggregate/increasing progress of Christians and the
Church in…
Quantity (number of church members)
Quality (Spirituality) Level of maturity in knowing
Christ & doing His will
Organization (Leadership) Elders, deacons, church programs,
visibility in the community, etc
When the church does not grow in these 3 aspects, its in a
process of dying!
Stages of Church Growth
Time
(years, decades, etc)
Gro
wth
(Num
bers
, S
piritualit
y, &
Leaders
hip
)
0
Decline Stage
Stagnation Stage
All churches are at one of these stages
Group Exercise 1
Separate yourselves into 2 groups.
Each group discuss & answer the following questions.
1. Mention pre-conditions that exists in each stage.
2. And state how you would encourage growth in each stage
Nature of Church Growth
For Church growth to occur the must be correct/favourable
conditions
Most important conditions: UNITY (John 17:20-23) & LOVE (John 13:34-35)
Unity as of the Body
(1 Cor 12:8-28)
All members are therefore
responsible to promote church
growth
Evangelism is the BEST
VEHICLE for church growth
All energies, plans & finances MUST focus/ Centre on
Evangelism
Churches exist to & for
EVANGELIZING (Act 2:47)
Too much focus on internal church
programs will hinder Growth
Church growth & Giving
Growth brings with it Financial Obligation
Example: -we need to extend our building,
membership has increased -We need a Sunday school
teacher, number of children has increased
Churches of Christ are set to be
Autonomous
Each church is self-governing, self-
propagating and Self-supporting
Financial needs of a local church are a responsibility of that local church!
Mature Churches are at this stage
Foreign Financial aid must be TEMPORAL!
(e.g. starting a new church)
Therefore GIVING/Contribution of local church members becomes a serious issue in the church
Disadvantages of foreign aid (Banard Howel, Creating Independence, Gospel light 1987)
1. At times no much work is done because the preacher is not answerable to the local church (neither to the elders above him).
2. It becomes difficult to distinguish between genuine preachers and those who are preaching because of foreign salary.
3. It tends to excite a mercenary spirit and to increase the number of mercenary Christians (325).
4. The supporting congregation becomes the “master” while the native preacher, “the servant.”
5. Evangelists may not act until they find out what their master thinks. (They will teach what the supporting congregation believes. Going contrary may cost one‟s salary).
6. It tends to thwart the voluntary work of unpaid members.
7. It tends to take away the congregation‟s freedom to function and operate as they judge wise and acceptable in their society (326)
Recommendations (Mathew Muchingani, Church Growth, School of Preaching, Mutari, Zimbabwe, 2011)
1. Those who came before us have been blamed for the way people give, however, Lets look forward. It has to be understood that this was a missionary strategy used in many places.
2. The methods being used to teach giving need a lot of revision.
3. People need to be taught budgeting.
4. The concept of stewardship need to be continually taught.
5. The concept of seeding is vital but should be correctly applied.
6 There is need for purposeful giving, sacrificial giving, proportionate giving, planned giving and reasoned giving.
7. One‟s giving shows the level of our knowledge and corresponds to God‟s grace within us (cf Macedonian churches). It shows how God‟s doctrine has been accepted within a person. Tithing is not a solution though we recognize that our giving is far below it. N. T. giving goes beyond 10% and a lot of teaching is required. N.B To whom much is given much is also demanded.
END of Session 3
Lets give more to ensure that the church grows & becomes fruitful
2. Managing Church Finances
The Church Is a
Kingdom (Col 1:13)
It has Subjects: Christians (1 Pet 2:9)
A King: Jesus Christ
(Eph 1:21-23)
Therefore it‟s a Nation with specific
goals/ Mission
In order to fulfil its goals, money is one
of the requirements
Improper management of these funds will compromise the mission of the
church
Mission „Preaching Christ (Mark 16:15-16) and
Caring for communities & Church members (Mat 25:35-40)‟
A Need for Managing Church Finances
A person might ask …why is there a need to do all this work?, anyway we are a small church & our funds are not that much, this
is for big churches, but Christ says…
„…you have been faithful with few things; I will put
you in charge of many things (NIV)‟ (Mat 25:23)
Stewardship is for all churches, big
or small. If you do well in small
things then u will do well in big
things
Stewardship is expected from a person with 5 talents, 2 talents,
& 1 talent (Mat 25:14-30)
Basic Necessities for managing church finances
1. Church Banking Account
For Payments and banking incomes
of the church
Preferable a Business Cheque
Account Requires:
• Church constitution • Resolution letter •3 signatories
(Church Leaders)
2. Recording Books
For All incomes & expenses. Must
have a storing file for all proof of
payments/receipts
Includes: •Recording book for weekly contribution •Petty cash book
•Cash receipts book
3. Volunteers
•Banking of weekly contribution •Book keeper
Managing Cashflow
Cash Planning Through
Budgeting &
Needs Analysis
Allocate a budget for church work/
needs & programs
What is the most
important program?
EVANGELISM
Income of the Church
Expenses/Needs
Sources: 1. Sunday Contribution 2. Pledge 3. Investment Income (Mat 25:27, Parable of Talents)
Leaders & Book Keeper, This session must be done
on regular basis
Depends on the needs of a local church, but a budget for evangelism MUST not be left
out
Modern way of Pledging
Pledging is the most effective way of giving
(can plan better)
A Pledge list of brethren becomes important in
planning (Managed by the Book Keeper)
Pledging to the Church Account
through: Electronic Banking
-Stop order -Internet banking
Modern Financial Reporting
Why is the a need for financial
reporting?
Informs the Church of its
Financial Status
Helps in future
planning (Budgeting) Can motivate
church members to give more
Must be made available to all
church members
Reporting must be on regular basis E.g. quarterly,
yearly, etc
Financial reports
Financial Statements are
Church Financial Statements
Financial Statements Prepared by the Book Keeper
Income Statement
Balance Sheet Auditing done by
Church Leaders
Provides financial summary of the church‟s operating results during
a specified period
Actual total operating church incomes and
expenses
What the church has in terms of Assets and what
the church owes (debt/liabilities)
Summary statement of the church‟s financial position at given point
in time
E.g. of Church Financial Statements