{"id":36583,"date":"2023-07-12T09:00:54","date_gmt":"2023-07-12T13:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thinkorange.com\/blog\/five-ways-a-church-bookkeeper-can-save-senior-leaders-time-money-and-energy\/"},"modified":"2023-07-12T09:00:54","modified_gmt":"2023-07-12T13:00:54","slug":"five-ways-a-church-bookkeeper-can-save-senior-leaders-time-money-and-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkorange.com\/blog\/five-ways-a-church-bookkeeper-can-save-senior-leaders-time-money-and-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Ways a Church Bookkeeper Can Save Senior Leaders Time, Money, and Energy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Few people are comfortable talking about money. Even fewer are comfortable handling the bookkeeping of it, especially church leaders.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now, sure. You aren\u2019t the <\/span>only<\/span><\/i> people in the position of handling the task of managing finances\u2013a Herculean task if we\u2019re being honest\u2013but for many church leaders, it\u2019s often so far beyond your scope of work, passion, and calling that we know it can prove downright painful.<\/span><\/p>\n

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We\u2019re not trying to be hyperbolic, but ask any pastor you know if they got into ministry to be the church\u2019s record-keeper and we\u2019re sure you\u2019ll be met with a hearty, dismissive guffaw.<\/span><\/p>\n

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And fair enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The bottom line is that you didn\u2019t become a pastor to be an accountant, and you didn\u2019t attend seminary to learn about software.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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As a result, too often, senior pastors end up making less-than-ideal choices when it comes to church finances. Common mistakes include:<\/span><\/p>\n

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– <\/span>Finding a well-meaning retiree who can \u2018handle the books\u2019 even though they may not be up to date on current accounting practices.<\/span><\/p>\n

– Lining up a friend or family member who will do the books in their spare time \u2014 allowing for a potential conflict of interest.<\/span><\/p>\n

– Giving them to someone who isn\u2019t accredited.<\/span><\/p>\n

– Trusting the books to an accredited person in the congregation who has the credentials but not the time means the books get behind and mistakes can get made in the haste to \u2018catch up.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

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We recognize that many believe that faith and finances can\u2019t coexist. And superficially, that makes sense. Faith is about trust and belief and using metrics, <\/span>software<\/span><\/a> and a <\/span>chart of accounts<\/span><\/a> for matters of the heart and soul can feel emotionally and spiritually disconnected.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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But if a church is going to continue to grow in ministry effectiveness\u2013and that\u2019s <\/span>always<\/span><\/i> the goal\u2013church leaders <\/span>need<\/span><\/i> to get comfortable with it. And if their church is going to not only grow but thrive, they\u2019ve got to get <\/span>good<\/span><\/i> at it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Thankfully, getting \u2018good\u2019 at handling church finances can be just as simple as shifting your perspective a bit and then knowing a few best practices for financial transparency and accountability.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Change Your Lens<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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First, when you ditch the mindset that church accounting is a \u2018<\/span>have to<\/span><\/i>\u2019 of church leadership life, and instead begin to believe it\u2019s a \u2018<\/span>get to,<\/span><\/i>\u2019 handling church finances becomes something entirely different\u2013<\/span>especially<\/span><\/i> when you consider that some of that responsibility is managing money that so perfectly demonstrates how the people you shepherd have <\/span>truly <\/span><\/i>embraced the generosity of God in all areas of their lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Not too shabby a perspective, right?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Still, you certainly didn\u2019t get into ministry to devote so much time to managing money. But trust us when we say: You <\/span>can <\/span><\/i>do this. And we can help.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A thriving, healthy, financially flourishing church doesn\u2019t <\/span>just<\/span><\/i> happen. It\u2019s the result of leaders committed to church finance best practices which they accept as part and parcel of what they believe God is calling them to do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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On the other hand, many churches aren\u2019t quite large enough to hire a full-time staff person to handle the accounting and finances. So, what do you do?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Well, one cost-efficient option would be to contract a church bookkeeper from BELAY. And contracting a church bookkeeper comes with far more benefits than just getting your church finances in order.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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5 Ways a Church Bookkeeper Can Make Your Life Easier<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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1. Free Time<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Finally free to relax. Free to grow. Free to breathe.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Bookkeeping is a time-consuming task and is often responsible for church leaders working overtime because if you want accurate figures, you have to be patient, take your time, and double-check every calculation you make.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Forget the days when you would arrive home to a cold plate of food with your kids already in bed for the night. Your time is once again your own \u2013 and every minute matters!<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. More Attention to What Matters<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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More accuracy. Improved efficiency. Increased productivity.<\/span><\/p>\n

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With a Bookkeeper owning your church finances, you can devote 100 percent of your focus to what really matters to you: Shepherding those in faith while knowing that the bookkeeping is still being done right.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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3. Accounting Accuracy<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Bookkeepers <\/span>willingly<\/span><\/i> look at a thousand different numbers a day. Math is their livelihood; they understand it, they like it and they\u2019ve gotten pretty good at it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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If you hand over all of your financial tasks to someone as mathematically competent as a professional bookkeeper, then you can have accurate calculations, reports, and statements.<\/span><\/p>\n

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With a bookkeeper, you can be sure that your sums are indeed accurate since you\u2019ve got a professional devoting their skills, time, and concentration to getting everything right \u2013 the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n

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4. Independent Contractors<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Even less to think about.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Bookkeepers are independent contractors, which means you don\u2019t need to think about \u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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