Mastering Church Finances

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Many pastors don't like to think of themselves as fundraisers, but the function seems to go with the position. And whether we like it or not, the better we fulfill that part of our job, the more effective our ministries.
—Gary Fenton

There is an old story about a young seminary graduate who came to a rural congregation as their first seminary-trained pastor. The people were proud of his vocabulary, the evidences of culture and education, and his sophistication.

Several weeks after his arrival, he announced that on the following Sunday he would speak on "The Fiduciary Stewardship of the Royal Priesthood." The congregation eagerly anticipated this learned young man's sermon.

When the minister completed the sermon, one of the members said, "Pastor, I don't know exactly what it was you preached about, but it sounded like what our former pastor used to say when he was trying to lift an offering."

Regardless of how we say it, we are fund raisers in the eyes of many people. Many pastors don't like to think of themselves that way, but the function seems to go with the position. And whether we like it or not, the better we fulfill that part of our job, the more effective our ministries.

I have heard a few pastors say that they don't become involved in the financial procedures of the church—although I have heard very few say this in the presence of their church members! As much as I sometimes rebel against the idea, I've come up with several reasons I take an active role in the financial procedures of the church.

• The pastor is a part of the church family. For a member to be ignorant of how the church is actually using its funds would amount to poor stewardship. If church members are expected to be at least somewhat ...

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