For the first time in four decades, church attendance is rising. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research’s 2025 study of 7,453 congregations found that median in-person attendance climbed to 70 adults—above […]
Many factors are coming together to present challenges to current construction projects. During our time together, we will be discussing the most common derailers such as: ill-timed capital campaigns, lack of financial clarity, […]
Ever curious about what happens to all of the financial statements that you submit when applying for a loan? Or how church lenders view the financial health of your church when you’re looking […]
Despite uncertainties in the financing market, your church may be in a place where you are considering financing for renovations or new building projects. We’ll discuss what many churches overlook about lending readiness […]
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 […]
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 ask […]
Debt is a challenge. Let’s examine prudent and not so prudent debt. How much can your church afford and how much will make it sink.
Whatever you may think about virtual currencies, one reality is […]
The moment has come where your organization is facing significant Capital Expenditures (CapX), this might be a roof or HVAC replacement. But, you have not established an appropriate capital reserve fund. Your roof won’t survive […]
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 […]
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 single industry, […]
Join Fletch and leaders from Thrivent for an insider’s look into church loans. Both Chris Lewis and Teresa Loker have extensive experience that can pull back the curtain on these issues. When your […]
Getting a church loan is an area that most church leaders find murky and complicated. Chris Lewis from Thrivent has expertise from his years of helping churches with their borrowing capacity. The video ranges […]
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 […]
It isn’t very often that you get to save $17,000 per month for your church. I was able to do just that by refinancing my church’s debt while maintaining a strong local relationship with a […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
When it comes to managing facilities expansion in most dynamic churches, many people think first of building a brand new facility. But in today’s changing world, there are good reasons a church should seriously explore […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 Village […]
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 of […]
David Fletcher asked Paul Sewell to lead a presentation on Financing Your Building at a conference.
The attendance is climbing and the membership is growing. Each Sunday you notice there are fewer empty seats. With three services already in place, you wonder how many more people you can accommodate without having […]
God called you to plant a new church, and you’ve followed His calling. For the last year (or two years or five years), you’ve been renting adequate facilities to meet your congregation’s needs. You have […]
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 […]
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 […]
One of the most significant events in the life of your church is preparing for a building project. A new building can mean an opportunity to start new ministries and grow those that exist. It means touching more […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
Borrowing money has become a way of life for many. And credit use raises more than a few questions: what does the Bible say about money? Does church financing have a place in building the […]
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 […]
