Banking
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could store our money in a piggy bank so it would be right at our fingertips? But in a world complicated with loans, thieves and online giving, banks are a dire necessity. What are some best practices when it comes to Banking?
Faith Driven Investment Policies for Churches
Doing ministry in the twenty first century is expensive—and that was before the recent bout of inflation. Finding ways to generate increased returns on the resources the Lord has blessed and entrusted to your [...]
River Valley Church Receives $400,000 in Crypto Donations
Creating Catalysts of Generosity with Cryptocurrency An interview with Clynt Reddy, Executive Director of Operations for River Valley Church and Engiven. Each year River Valley hosts an annual event called Kingdom Builders, where they [...]
Virtual Currency and Charitable Contribution Guidelines in Federal Tax Law
Charitable Contribution Guidelines in Federal Tax Law for Donors of Virtual Currency Valued at Greater than $5,000 Whatever you may think about virtual currencies, one reality is that a significant number of people have [...]
Leadership Lessons from a Bank with a Biblically-Centered Culture
Most banks have a culture of profit. What if a bank took a biblical world view that included profit with the biblical principles of honesty, integrity, truthfulness and fairness? The bank created a document [...]
Emerging from Covid : 8 Steps your Ministry Must Consider
Join Fletch and Chris Lewis, Senior Manager at Thrivent, for a look at the financial implications of emerging from Covid. We will look at ministry strategy, costs, cash reserves, expansion issues and more. Your [...]
Turning to Technology to Fill Collection Plates as Churches Remain Closed
As the pandemic continues to affect the traditional methods of engagement, it’s more important than ever to adopt digital solutions to streamline ministry management and boost donor giving The pandemic has affected almost every [...]
Use Technology to Keep Staff Safe and Cash Secure
How do you deliver ministry funds, like Sunday’s offerings, to your bank? A priest in Chicago learned the hard way that making a weekly trip to the bank is a risk that’s not worth taking. According [...]
What If Your Bank Closed Your Accounts Tomorrow?
Things don’t always turn out the way we expect. Some call this Murphy’s Law. Sociologists call it the Law of Unintended Consequences. People who work with money have long recognized this. In 1691 John Locke was [...]
Five Questions to Ask Your Banker
What’s on your XP to-do list as the New Year approaches? Year-end giving, for sure. Which is precisely why another item should be on your list. You need to talk with your banker. Why? The annual [...]
You’ve Been Deceived: Three Myths Pastors Believe About Church Giving Technology
It’s hard to spend half a $5 bill. Yet that’s exactly what happens to many churches when givers want to be generous but can’t. For decades, giving in the church remained a familiar process. At [...]
Congratulations to GuideStone
Congratulations to our friends at GuideStone for this significant award! We are posting this press release as a way to say both "thanks" and "congratulations" to GuideStone---one of our loyal sponsors of our annual [...]
Creating a Way for People to Give Online
As a child, I remember my dad placing a check in the offering plate at church on Sunday mornings. As I got older and got a job, I began to be serious about giving and [...]
Mobile Phones and Online Giving
With 87% of the U.S. adult population now carrying mobile phones, (52% of them internet-enabled smartphones), people are changing the way they buy things. According to a survey recently released by the Federal Reserve Bank, 15% [...]
Staying on Mission—Adapting to Economic Pressure
ECCU Ministry Development Officer Randy Marsh presented, "Staying on Mission: Adapting to Economic Pressure" at the XP-Seminar in February, 2013. Thanks to Randy for sharing wisdom with churches regarding finances in this video. [...]
Credit Card Policy and Forms
XPastor tries to help churches by providing some of the essentials for running a church---items like job descriptions, employment applications, review forms and policies. Below is the Credit Card/Debit Card Policy and forms for [...]
Credit Card Policy
XPastor tries to help churches by providing some of the essentials for running a church---items like job descriptions, employment applications, review forms and policies. Below is the Credit Card Policy of the First Church [...]
Liquidity: Managing Ministry Funds During Tough Economic Times
Managing ministry funds is a challenging responsibility, especially during tough economic times. In response to this challenge, Evangelical Christian Credit Union (ECCU) has published a number of articles on liquidity in Ministry Banking Today, a [...]
Liquidity: How Much is Enough?
We have all either heard or uttered the phrase, “How much is enough?” and the answer always seems to be, “Just a little bit more!” For ministries, resources are limited. Determining how much liquidity is [...]
Handling Cash
Consider the following scenarios: (1) A newspaper headline reads: “Sticky Fingered Deacon Pads Wallet with Offering Plate Funds.” Nobody wants this humiliating portrayal of their church to appear in the paper. (2) A senior pastor dreads [...]
Cash Reserves: How Much is Enough?
We have all either heard or uttered the phrase, "How much is enough?" And the answer always seems to be, "Just a little bit more!" In business, we have also heard the phrase, "Cash is [...]
Cash Recycling: Utilizing Cash Donations Without Compromising Deposit Integrity
As a financial decision maker, you have many responsibilities and often not enough time to complete them all. In order to manage this never-ending challenge, you frequently look for ways to make processes more efficient. [...]
Cash Equivalents and Alternatives: Reduce the Cash You Keep on Hand
If you handle the finances for your ministry, you know how inefficiency can keep you from staying on mission. And if your ministry is growing, you’re aware of the increased demands being placed on staff [...]
Should Your Church Use Corporate Credit Cards?
The church’s credit card bill arrives and you look at it with dread. It has so many charges on it, and you only have five receipts in the folder. You know you’ll have to pester [...]