Faith-Based Accounting

Mentors Matter

 

“Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him.”  (2 Kings 12:2)

 

Joash “came to power” at the ripe old age of seven.  His life can be divided into two stark contrasting periods:

 

• The time when Jehoiada was high priest. - Joash was instrumental in restoring the temple and reinstituting its services.

 

• The period following Jehoiada’s priesthood  - Joash was instrumental in reinstituting the worship of Asherah poles and idols

 

What went wrong?

 

            Joash’s life teaches two important lessons about mentoring.  First, his life illustrates the tremendous impact a godly mentor can have on a leader.  As verse two tells us, as long as Jehoiada was there to coach and counsel Joash, Joash did what was right.  While Jehoiada was alive, Joash inspired the people to give sacrificially to the temple restoration campaign.  With the funds in hand he was able to see that the temple was restored from neglect and vandalism.  Most importantly, with Jehoiada at his side, Joash was able to reinstitute the long neglected burnt offerings. 

            However, Joash’s life teaches a lesson; what can happen when a leader has no mentor.  Like Joash, a leader with no mentor can easily succumb to bad advice.  After Jehoiada had died, Joash “listened to others”.  He abandoned the temple and shortly thereafter his people fell to worshiping foreign gods.

            KEY: A good financial mentor is an invaluable resource to a pastor.  This is true regardless of the experience level of the minister. From just beginning in ministry to closing in on retirement, every pastor, at every stage of life, needs financial counsel they can rely on.  Unfortunately, most pastors have limited knowledge and experience about money and management.  Because of these limitations, no pastor can afford to play “Lone Ranger.”  Someone a pastor can confide in and rely on is essential.  But, care must be exercised in selecting the right guide.

 

• A mentor should not be chosen on financial ability or business acumen alone.  The mentor needs to be someone on a spiritual journey himself.  Just because a person is good in business doesn’t mean he will be good for the church.  One thing needs to be remembered; the pastor needs to seek out godly business counsel. 
• A pastor also needs to choose someone who will shoot straight with him.  “Yes men” will get you nowhere.  (Actually they will get you somewhere you don’t want to be!)  Good counsel is sometimes painful, but it is still essential.  A pastor needs someone who will give him the truth, the bad as well as the good. 

Noted theologian Dr. Howard Hendricks describes this type of person as a Barnabas.  “Someone who loves you, but is not impressed with you.”  In short, someone who will shoot straight with you.

           

With these ingredients, a mentor can help the pastor interpret the financial times of his church.  A mentor will help guide the minister into good decisions and assist the pastor in “doing what is right.” 

 

Verne Hargrave is the Church and Ministry partner at PSK LLP and author of the book, Weeds in the Garden.

 

The Title "Mentors Matter"¹ 

[1] Excerpt from, Practical Aspects of Pastoral Theology. Christopher Cone Th.D Ph.D (Editor), Tyndale Seminary Press. You can find the book at http://www.tyndale.edu/tsp.html or at http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Aspects-Pastoral-Theology-Christopher/dp/0981479154/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1286287914&sr=8-10

Knowledgable Advice at Your Fingertips!

I was looking at The Church Law Group's website, and once again I'm impressed by the depth of service they offer.  In particular, I like the benefits their member churches receive.  See

http://www.churchlawgroup.com/benefits.html

Here at PSK, we have have come up with a similar service.  Churches and ministries can have ready access to our expertise on an ongoing basis: PSK's Optimize Program - POP.  POP membership brings you and your church the assurance that you have our expertise available whenever you need it - at a moment's notice!  Just go to our website and click on the large POP icon.  I think you'll be glad you did!

www.pskcpa.com

Masters Degree in Church Management!

The University of Dallas just announced a new concentration in its Masters in Pastoral Ministry program - in Church Management!  Now, this isn't a Masters degree in Church Management itself, but a concentration in Church Management in the context of a Masters degree in religion/theology.

Another indication that church denominations are recognizing the need for quality training that combines business expertise with a passion for ministry.  And I think that's great!!

http://www.udallas.edu/.  Just click on the following tabs - Academics; School of Ministry; and Our Graduate Programs

Pastor Coaching: A Remedy for Cloudy Vision

So you captured God's vision and executed your ministry plans, but now you feel like the chasing dog that caught the car! Lots of new believers, but now dealing with inadequate facilities...small group leaders a little crisp around the edges...budget constraints...

Is your vision getting cloudy?  We know a solution.

Through the leadership of Partners in Church Consulting, PSK (a proud member of the PCC Network) is excited to announce the unveiling of the PCC Coaching Network.  You can have access to Pastor Coaching from some of the nation's most innovative ministry leaders.

Check out the roster of coaches today:  pcccoachingnetwork.com

 

Your Church and Terrorists; Something Else to Worry About

Our clients keep us on our toes! Because we encourage them to call us when they have a problem and we generally don’t charge for phone calls, we get a steady stream of questions posed to us by our clients and friends.

Most of the questions are quite routine, dealing with things common to all churches: whether or not a particular employee qualifies for a housing allowance or if a designated gift should be treated as a deductible contribution. But occasionally something new comes along.

PSK hosts a monthly breakfast for church business administrators where in addition to a delicious meal the attendees are treated to a discussion of a topic relevant to church business administration. In May our breakfast was billed, “Know Before You Go” and we discussed things that must be considered when planning a short term mission trip. For example what do you do if a member asks for contribution credit for paying for a specific individual to go on the trip? We also covered trip organization (passports, visas, shots etc.), paymaster responsibility and record keeping and insurance.

But, something I was asked recently made me aware we had left something out. “We are sending money to a mission group in Africa. Can we get in trouble with Homeland Security?” Turns out they and other churches funding ministries like schools, hospitals and orphanages, should be concerned.

Now, I don’t want you to get overly concerned. The reality is that it is unlikely that a church will have its assets frozen or exempt status threatened by funding an orphanage. Provided, of course, it takes minimum precautions. Here’s just a few:

• First become familiar with Executive Order 13224 and The USA Patriot Act the legislation requiring that certain things be done. Helpful resources are The US Treasury’s Anti-terrorist guidelines (http://www.ustreas.gov/press/releases/docs/tocc.pdf) and The Principles of International Charity. (http://www.usig.org/PDFs/Principles_Final.pdf)
• Educate your church, both staff and laity, of the implications of the anti-terrorist rules.
• Do background checks on the groups you are helping, particularly referring to several government lists that identify terrorists.
• Keep good records of all of your activities and insist on accountability.

There you go; something new to worry about over your Christmas holidays. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call!

Merry Christmas!