Be About The Business

Well, it is another Monday morning.  For many pastors, it is the day they wake up and don't want to go to the office.  Sure, there are stats out there about how many want to leave the ministry on Mondays but who really knows how true those are.  Today, that is not where I am going. However, I do think many of those problems would be less concerning if pastors, especially those that are bivocational, did a better job of running the business of the church.  Oh No, I just lost you or you think I don't care about the ministry.  That isn't the case.  It is because of the business of the church that I can do a better job ministering to the people of the church and those in my community.

It was the advice of my presbyter, Kevin Crow (pastor of Harvest Ridge Church, North Ridgeville) where this mentality first surfaced.  Of course, this was new to me because at my two previous churches, I was in the role of a team pastor and wasn't very involved with the business of the church.  At the time, Kevin did not know me very well but today I would consider him a great friend and mentor.   What he did know was that I was a 29 year old Lead Pastor taking his first church.  As a presbyter, he also knew some of the struggles Velocity Church had faced in the decade or so before I arrived...many things I did not know and quite frankly, didn't care to know.  Look, if God calls you to a church, he wants you to dream about the vision not dwell on the past.  Kevin said these words to me, "Bill, many churches fail because of good pastors and terrible business men."  At the time, I didn't really get it.  It didn't take long for me to realize what he meant. As I came to the church, I began to look at some of the policies and procedures of bookkeeping, past tax practices, payroll practices, etc.  Oh, by the way, there wasn't a course at the Ohio School of Ministry on all of that.  And someone just felt, "This guy didn't even go to Bible college, what does he know?"  I know that if you don't heed this advice as I did, you will be out of ministry or at the very least, out of your church within 5 years.

Needless to say, I learned quickly how we needed to do business better with some help from our Ohio Ministry Network Resource Center (district office) leaders and their admins.  Within a year, the church had switched to a payroll system with W2's verses a 1099 or letter at the end of the year along with regular filing of our quarterly 941's (all for less than $200/year).  We did an overhaul on how expenses were paid and how deposits were recorded in Quickbooks.  We also purchased software to help us better track people's personal tithes throughout the year.  We developed a system for ministry leaders to PROPERLY be reimbursed for expenses they were racking up.  This hasn't been picture perfect for us, but we have done a good job of learning the right way to do things.  Since that time, we have even adjusted these systems as our church nears 100 people.

Here is a Facebook post of mine from March of 2015:  "HUGE VICTORY TODAY FOR Velocity Church!!! As a GROWING CHURCH (we don't use the word "small church") it is often left up to the pastor to act as Pastor, CEO, CPA, etc. all at the same time. Of course, most have people, as I do, that help out with these things but the reality is that most of the time...it is the Pastors butt on the line. Coming to #VelocityChurch as lead pastor, I knew very little about church law and finance and by no means am I an expert now. With help from churchlawandtax.com, The Ohio Ministry Network and Shelby Pratt, I have learned a few things along the way. Part of my natural DNA is a refusal to back down...from anyone or anything. Long story short, the IRS sent letter after letter explaining why we owed nearly $800 in payroll taxes from 4th qtr 2011. I knew if qtrs 1-3 were good, so was the 4th. They levied our bank account in December of last year. Once again...I sent them some more paperwork/documentation. Today, we got a check back for the amount they levied PLUS $4.48 in interest. If you are the pastor of a GROWING CHURCH and you do the payroll and taxes in house, don't just pay up. Swallow your pride, ask questions, get help, learn something and defend the gifts that come in for offering week after week!"  Side note, since this Facebook post, I have learned more about being a "small church" and it isn't all bad.  I will share more about that in a future post.

Just recently, the Secretary of State Office sent a letter informing us that we hadn't updated our articles of incorporation.  In case you don't know, that has to be done every 5 years. So, if you can't recall doing it since 2011, check their website as soon as you finish reading this. It was a quick phone call and a document reference that showed them I had filed it.  They called it a "clerical error."  

As I wrap this up, I want to remind you to keep copies of everything.  If you don't have a business or corporation folder for your church, start one.  Even for those emails and scans...keep some copies.  Perhaps you are blessed with people that "handle" all of these items for you.  If so, that is great! You need to encourage them and resource them as much as possible and at the same time, stay in the loop.  If not, you may find yourself in a legal battel you don't want to be in.  If you "Love people and preach Jesus" (advice from MY Pastor, John Dawson) and you determine to Be About The Business of the church, you will find Mondays a little less intimidating.  Perhaps that means you need to contact your denominations district or national offices for some help.  If you are an independent church pastor,  find a colleague in ministry to assist you. Pastor, at the end of the day whether you like it or not, you are running a business so don't let your church fail because you failed to care about the business of the church.