Finance and Stewardship Committee

[Mrs Haruo]

I was recently not only voted into the deaconate but made head of the finance and stewardship committee. The previous head handed me a stack of notes on how the job has been done in the past, but I have very little to no experience in this on a corporate level other than doing some very basic bookeeping while the regular bookeeper was out with an injury when I worked at an office supply store 30 years ago. We have a professional bookeeper to do books, but does anyone know of any good books to read on stewardship on a church level? I am not by nature an organized person and the idea of holding a key to a file cabinet in an office I rarely have been in before has me feeling like the proverbial deer in the headlights.

[William Thornton]

One of the areas that my denomination does well is in working to educate lay leaders in church administration, especially finances.

Dozens of short articles on various topics at



Click the "resources" tab and pick the ones that seem relevant.

[William Thornton]

And this isn't an area where there are vast theological differences. IRS rules are the same, good money handling policies are good wherever they're found, reporting, audits, etc.

[Tim Bonney]

I was prepping to teach a Stewardship Workshop at a district event that I ended up missing do to a family emergency. But I'll see what materials would be useable cross denominationally and get back to you. As William has said, there isn't a lot of theological differences related to stewardship.

Is your committee responsible for stewardship campaigns? Pledging? Budgeting? Etc?

[Mrs Haruo]

Thanks brothers. I think the outgoing chair is so glad she doesn't have the job she was very helpful showing me some of the procedures after church re: accounting for the morning collection and where different mail goes to etc. There's a lot to the job I wasn't expecting somehow, but it at least gives me incentive to clean off my desk at home as a lot of work can just as easily be done from home. Our new office manager is very pleasant and helpful too.

[William Thornton]

Mrs. Haruo, my brother the CPA reminds me occasionally that when accounting classes wish to teach about embezzlement they pick an example of a church secretary. Happens all the time mainly because no one is paying attention.

You have an important job. It helps to scowl a lot and ask numerous questions. That's what I do...the first comes naturally.

[Mrs Haruo]

Oh I know it is an important job, that's why I wish I didn't have it I have been perfectly happy singing in the choir and being a pew warmer when the anthem was over.
As for the proverbial church secretary absconding with funds, with all my years volunteering with Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Camp Fire, PTA and Little League, I have heard and seen enough examples of the cookie money floating off into the sunset that I can see why an outside bookkeeper was hired rather than continuing to go with someone from the congregation who has done it for free for so many years. Just safer practice. And as much as I would rather be setting up tables and bringing out chairs for fellowship hour or assisting with repair projects (Before I was married to the esteemed Haruo I was a carpenter's apprentice, mostly working setting up and taking down trade show displays in the Seattle area) My worn out knee joints and bad back have me better off flying a desk. I feel honored to be asked to be part of the movers and shakers. I just just want to do the best job I can and be as diplomatic as possible when stepping on the toes of those who mostly gripe and snip because "This isn't how WE used to do it". There are massive changes going on in the neighborhood around our church, and if we don't want to have to sell our "home" and move out to a cheap warehouse out in the burbs we have to be open to doing church in some different ways to serve the people who live nearby once the cranes and bulldozers leave our hill.