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.

The Bivocational Pastor

Spoiler alert...I am a 34 year old bivocational pastor.  In case you don't know or need a reminder, a bivocational pastor works outside of the church or ministry they serve in order to supplement a shortage of salary that can't be provided from their church.  Chances are, you clicked this link because you are one. There could be many reasons for this but the main reason is that the pastor or staff pastor serve a smaller church, typically less than 150 people but sometimes, depending on the churches financial situation, could be a church up to 250 people.  This is my situation as pastor of Velocity Church in Mansfield, OH.  Velocity Church is a church that currently averages 75-85 people (including kids) on a Sunday morning.

Moving forward, I'm hoping to take a few minutes each week to encourage those currently in bivocational ministry or who may find themselves there someday.  Know this...being a bivocational pastor doesn't make you a second class pastor.  You and I experience things, see things and have insight to things that some full-time pastors could only dream to be part of.  At the same time, we experience struggles that at times, have our mouths watering to be in full-time ministry or perhaps wanting to throw in the towel every other Monday.

As for me, I have been in some form of pastoral ministry since 2005.  I'm not saying I know all there is to know about ministry...far from it.  I just hope that some of my experiences will help or encourage someone else. In 2005, my home church, New Hope Assembly of God in Lancaster, Ohio asked me to serve as youth pastor after being active in the church and youth ministry since 2000.  I did have a 10month break in there and someday, I may share that situation.  I was thrilled to accept the position while I was also working full-time outside  of the church while serving the students of New Hope. After getting credentialed with the Assemblies of God in 2007, I went to New Beginnings A/G in Tiffin to serve as full time youth pastor and was there until 2011.  In April of 2011, my family and I made the move to Mansfield.  Originally, I was full time but in August of 2012, made the move back to bivocational ministry and continue to do so to this day.

If you are keeping track, of my 11 years in pastoral ministry, all but 5 years and 4 months have been as a bivocational minister.  I wouldn't say this makes me an expert on the subject but it certainly makes me qualified considering I have done it as both a team pastor and a lead pastor.  No, I have never written a book, done an interview or been a conference speaker. Until now, I have never really blogged about it and yet I am sure there are some finer writers out there on the subject.  I have simply been that guy that has gutted it though hurdle after hurdle, year after year and am still active in ministry.

Be encouraged by Galatians 6:9 (ESV)  "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." You are doing good.  Lots of Good.  Keep it up! Don't give up!!!

So, in the posts to come, I will share some REAL thoughts, REAL struggles, REAL loses and REAL victories that I have experienced as a result of nearly 6 years in bivocational ministry.  I hope to give you insight of experiences that were good and not so good for me personally, my family or the church.

Waiting Room

Today, I am with my mom and nephew in Marion as my nephew awaits an oral surgery. As I sit here, I am thinking of the people that sit and wait for a procedure as they struggle with thoughts of fear of the unknown or thinking of all that can go wrong. They have the stress of how they will pay for it and what kind of restrictions they may have with foods to eat or time off from work and school. Then, I thought of my time on earth as I await Heaven. It is not with fear of whether or not I will make it or what the price will be. Jesus paid that price on a cross for me already. Because I accepted that price, while I am in the "Waiting Room" of heaven, I can live a life that looks forward with great anticipation of His second coming. What about you? How is your wait to get to Heaven going?

Philippians 3:20-21 NLT "But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.” 

Chill Out

It seems the closer we get to Christmas, the crazier some people get.  We are 15 days away and so much is happening.  If going from house to house to see family causes you to flip out on someone, why do you do it?  If making 60 dozen cookies causes you to stress eat, why do you do it?  If spending hundreds of dollars you don't have so your kids get the perfect gifts sends you into a whirlwind of worry, why do you do it?  If trying to prepare the perfect Christmas Eve candle light service has you wishing it was over already, why do you do it?  If the Christmas season brings you more panic than peace, something is wrong.  If this time of year causes you to be jumpy instead of joyful, something is wrong.  If you have fear over something going wrong rather than having fun, you missed it.   How about you just "Chill Out"!  This is supposed a time of year filled with kindness, love and lasting memories.  Take some today to evaluate what your next 15 days look like.  If you dread them, then you probably need to take some time for yourself and get alone with God.


Philippians 4:6-7 (ncv)  Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. ⁷ And God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

What's Next

As I am approaching 5 years as a lead pastor, and trying to navigate a building change or addition, I am constantly asking God,  "What's Next?". Many times, that question is followed up by the reality of me having no idea how to do what He has in mind. I constantly find myself in prayer with God and having conversations with mentors and friends that I value a great deal. I realized a long time ago that if I want to go very far in ministry, I need to surround myself with people who have taken a similar journey. Of course I know God has given me a vision for ministry and yet at the same time, He instructs us to seek advice. So, if you want to know what the next step is, you likely need to follow someone that has taken the step prior to you. 

Proverbs 19:20-21 (esv) Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Purpose First

We've all been there. You get an idea or thought and you act on it. You plan out so many things that you just know it's going to work how you planned. When you get into the thick of things, something happens you didn't plan for. You don't understand it and you may not even get why it happened. Sometimes, the end result seems to be better than what you planned. How about this? As you go through this week, seek out God's "Purpose First". You can still make the plans necessary to carry out what is ahead but when you seek God's purpose as the end result, it will save you from some unnecessary setbacks and possibly even some failures. 

“You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.”

Proverbs 19:21 NLT

Never Settle

I am stirred in my spirit today about settling. As I feel I am gaining traction as a lead pastor, I am being challenged to "Never Settle" for where Velocity Church is. Challenged to not be satisfied with the great things that have happened in Mansfield the last 4 1/2 years but to know that there is so much more to be done for the Kingdom of God. Velocity Church has been in a great season of growth and spiritual maturity as of late but I know that the Holy Spirit has so much more to accomplish through my leadership. 

What about you? Do you have that job you have always dreamed of?  Are your finances better than they have ever been?  Does your relationship with Jesus seem to be closer than ever?  All that is great but there is so much more. The cool thing about serving God is that there are no limitations; except the ones we set in place when we settle for where we are or for what God has done. Today, I challenge you to take a look at your spiritual walk and see where you have become comfortable or settled. Once you discover that, chase after God with all you have. Acknowledge and praise Him for all he has done but ask for His guidance as you move forward because He has so much He wants to accomplish through you!

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

Philippians 1:6 NLT