Pay for a Wedding
Friday, January 11, 2019
Hey Fletch … If a pastor performs a funeral or wedding and is paid directly, the pastor gives the check to our church finance office. I then add it to their salary […]
Friday, January 11, 2019
Hey Fletch … If a pastor performs a funeral or wedding and is paid directly, the pastor gives the check to our church finance office. I then add it to their salary […]
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Hey Fletch … I’ve been reading the columns for a while. It seems like you know so much about churches. I would say that ‘Fletch knows how to run a church.’
DRF—Thanks for […]
Monday, January 7, 2019
Hey Fletch … I heard you say at the Smart Money workshop, “If a pastor has low housing costs, it can actually hurt them financially.” My question is how? Isn’t it beneficial […]
Saturday, January 5, 2019
Hey Fletch … Do I need to pay unrelated business income tax on my parking lot? I heard a lot of noise about this last fall but what was the final ruling?
DRF—The […]
Friday, January 4, 2019
Hey Fletch … Do you have any policies or procedures which outline appropriate spending? Our SP has a credit card but we haven’t ever put limits on spending. We are currently running […]
Friday, December 14, 2018
Hey Fletch … I was at the Smart Money for Church Salaries workshop in Dallas. It was awesome. I’m creating an executive summary of my notes for our directional team at […]
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
Hey Fletch … We are in an unusual place. Many times new churches rent or lease space from public school systems. Our county school system is seeking to lease classroom space from us to house […]
Thursday, December 6, 2018
Hey Fletch … I am senior pastor in Kenya. We face financial problems in our small church. A salary for me is just a dream. We kindly request if any assistance.
DRF—Thank you […]
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Hey Fletch … Anything on your radar regarding 2018 tax law that is calling for non-profit organizations to file a 990-T for tax on parking spaces provided for employees? Our CPA has […]
Friday, November 30, 2018
Hey Fletch … When I first became a pastor, people advised me to opt out of Social Security. I had been in business for over 20 years and they said, “you already […]
Hey Fletch … This may not be in your wheelhouse but I know you have a lot of experience and knowledge! We are doing […]
Saturday, November 24, 2018
Hey Fletch … We are thinking of offering all staff who work 32 hours a week or more discounts to church retreats and functions for which there is a charge. My question […]
Friday, November 23, 2018
Hey Fletch … I have a question related to a special donation. A family in our church had a very unexpected death in their family. Another family in the church would like […]
Monday, November 19, 2018
Hey Fletch … A few months ago we discussed our pastor’s lack of retirement planning. You mentioned you could recommend a non-profit attorney for a consultation.
One of my “strategies” is to help […]
Hey Fletch … At the Smart Money for Church Salaries […]
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Hey Fletch … We are considering outsourcing our financial roles. Any insight on this? Pros / Cons?
DRF—I answered a related question on August 29, 2018 in “Would We Save Money by […]
Friday, November 2, 2018
Hey Fletch … I read the question about receipts being turned in to the church within sixty days of the expense. We also have a staff member who is turning in late […]
Thursday, November 1, 2018
Hey Fletch … I’ve been reading about designated funds and I’m still confused. Do you have a tax expert or attorney who can also comment on the issue?
DRF—We have done several “Hey […]
In a recently issued Tax Court case, Judge Mark Holmes rendered a decision that may be the most thorough judicial analysis of the law surrounding “love gifts” for pastors that has ever been published.
In a […]
California has recently updated the requirements for sexual harassment prevention training. Your state may have similar regulations. The bottom line—train all staff. Tiffany Henning at HR Ministry Solutions, XPastor’s go-to resource for HR information, […]
Among the many nonprofit financial reporting standards changes in Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-14, one of particular importance to churches is the new liquidity and availability disclosure. The ASU […]
All churches that issue external financial statements (complete with footnote disclosures) for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 (calendar year 2018 and fiscal years ending in 2019) are subject to the new nonprofit financial […]
Monday, October 22, 2018
Hey Fletch … I promised to send you the results of our poll of 18 churches. Here is the file with what we found. What do you glean from the findings?
DRF—Thank you […]
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Hey Fletch … A licensed professional marriage counselor who attends our church wants to rent a room so he can see clients in a location that is on the opposite side of […]
Wednesday, October 3, 2018
Hey Fletch … Our church staff can purchase items from their own funds and then be reimbursed. This happens a lot with youth trips and out-of-town ministry. We have a policy that […]
Monday, October 1, 2018
Hey Fletch … Thanks for your answer to my designated funds question. Let me submit another question. Someone brought an article today with the ideas of “restricted” and “designated” funds. The gist […]
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Hey Fletch … Our church wants to take up a special offering for a woman who has cancer. Can we ask people to give money through the church for her?
DRF—With the spirit […]
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Hey Fletch … Can you educate me about “preferred ministry” rather than “designated” funds which are restricted. We are a church of 165 and struggling to make budget. As a member of […]
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Hey Fletch … I believe I’m clear on the minister’s housing allowance designation. What about a car allowance? We have a new employee who says ministers can claim a car allowance that’s […]
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Hey Fletch … I am looking for some advice on health insurance for my team. We provide a high deductible plan for our employees and have contributed a percentage of the deductible […]
In past months, scores of allegations of child sexual abuse have come to light, many for the first time. On the heels of these revelations, churches and ministries have begun to better understand that every […]
Every child-serving organization is responsible for the protection of children in its care. To discharge that responsibility, the organization should take reasonable steps to create an effective safety system that prevents child sexual abuse. These […]
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Hey Fletch … I am involved with trying to get our church’s financial situation back on track and healthy again. Would any of your reports contain information on a church that has […]
Friday, August 31, 2018
Hey Fletch … I am a full time associate pastor and am applying for an apartment that is part of the SMART Housing program, a kind of government assisted, affordable housing program. […]
Monday, August 27, 2018
Hey Fletch … We are looking at beginning to allow online giving. We are looking at three different providers: pushpay.com, gyve.io and tithe.ly. We are evaluating each platform and […]
Monday, August 20, 2018
Hey Fletch … Our church is considering starting online giving. What are the kinds of things that we should be looking for?
DRF—From a user’s perspective, the number one thing for me in […]
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Hey Fletch … I have a question about rising medical costs for employers. There are several Christian-based health cost-sharing ministries, such as MediShare, Christian Healthcare Ministries, and Samaritan Ministries. On the surface […]
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Hey Fletch … Have you heard about this scam? According to police in Troy, Michigan, a church received a $4,500 donation for hurricane victims. Later that day, police say the donor contacted […]
Are the musicians your church pays to perform for worship services and other church events employees or independent contractors? Contrary to what some churches may believe, whether a musician paid by a church to perform […]
Do you remember the E.F. Hutton advertisement? The essence of the ad is two people are talking about investments. One says, “My broker is E.F. Hutton and he says …” At that point everyone in […]
Friday, July 13, 2018
Hey Dr. Fletch … Hi! My church of 2,000 members has dwindled from over 2,000 members to barely 300. What should I do?
DRF—Thanks for your note. There must be lots of history […]
Saturday, July 7, 2018
Hey Fletch … We charge outside groups to use our facility. Some are concerned at our church that we should be paying tax on this income. They want us to not host […]
Monday, July 2, 2018
Hey David … You told me that doing this church plant was going to be a challenge. And you were so right. Our funds are so limited. I can barely afford any […]
Can a capital campaign in a church cause a spiritual revival? Absolutely! I know from first-hand experience. When I was 25 years old and went through my first capital campaign, it transformed my life, my […]
If your church uses a calendar year-end of December 31 as its fiscal year-end, you may want to consider changing it. A fiscal year-end such as May 31, June 30, July 31, August 31, or […]
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Hey Fletch … Our church has $2 million in umbrella insurance. Does that cover sexual abuse as well?
DRF—When I get a question on insurance issues, I always turn to the professionals. Insurance […]
Friday, June 15, 2018
Hey Fletch … Our church has $2 million in umbrella insurance. Does that cover sexual abuse as well?
DRF—When I get a question on insurance issues, I always turn to the professionals. Insurance […]
Monday, June 11, 2018
Hey Doc … You answered my question regarding the average percentage of General Fund that is allocated towards Creative Arts. Are there rough percentages of General Fund expenses for Youth, Children’s Ministry […]
Thursday, June 7, 2018
Hey Fletch … In all of the church connections you have, do you know of other churches that are attempting to give away large percentages (50%+) of what they receive annually? If you […]
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Hey Fletch … We live-stream our worship service and also have some recorded worship songs on our website. Someone asked me if that is legal. Thoughts?
DRF—That is a huge can of worms. […]
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Hey Fletch … On Sunday, Mrs. Gold (that’s really her name) handed me an unmarked envelope with a letter in it. When I got back to my office and opened it, the […]
Friday, June 1, 2018
Hey Fletch … Would you mind sharing an example of a Weekly Financial Reporting spreadsheet? I’d love to see it and incorporate it.
DRF— A weekly financial reporting spreadsheet should contain a […]
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Hey Fletch … I like your suggestion about getting people’s stories. How do you do that in a church?
DRF—One of the best way to measure the effectiveness of your vision statement is […]
A weekly financial reporting spreadsheet should contain a church’s actual income and the budget forecast. The following numbers are from WheatFields Good News Church. This is a compiled case study church, as no church wants […]
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Hey Fletch … my boss stole my idea and said it was his. What gives?
DRF—That’s a hard one to hear. I’m so sorry that you had this experience. Can you go back […]
Friday, May 11, 2018
Hey Fletch … Thank you for putting together another successful XP-Seminar. I enjoyed it once again and look forward to it each year! I was wondering if you had any insights […]
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Hey Fletch … Seriously—this is an invaluable resource. Love that you are doing so much writing. I like the “Hey Fletch” column. Thanks for featuring the 14 years of XP-Seminar in the […]
Monday, April 23, 2018
Hey Fletch … I’ve been in ministry a long time. Your XP-Seminar is unlike anything that I have attended before. I absolutely love it. The XPastor site exudes something different than […]
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Hey Fletch … Do you encourage churches to acknowledge first time givers through a thank you letter? I am considering starting this because I see this as a significant opportunity but […]
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Hey Fletch … I have been a fan of your work and website for several years. I have a question and would love your insight. As a board member, let me say […]
Monday, April 16, 2018
Hey Fletch … Thanks for the encouragement. As you might expect, working with the church does not come with a cheerleading squad. The more we work with churches in the ditch, the […]
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Hey Fletch … Our church is barely keeping the payroll and bills paid and we enter the budget process in June. Our elders keep casting a vision that requires 10% or more […]
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Hey Fletch … I doubt you remember me but I was part of a group in 2011. I am currently an XP of Operations. I serve under two Co-Lead Pastors…two young guys […]
Church events are the lifeblood of any congregation’s community. From youth camp to volunteer activities to childcare, parents love having kids enjoy the events their church hosts every week. But not a week goes by […]
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Hey Fletch … Our school is owned by our church. They are the umbrella. All online donations are being completed through the church. For example, if I want to donate to our […]
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Hey Fletch … A pastor here at the church allows his assistant to work overtime and then they don’t put it on the assistant’s timecard. I have warned both of them but […]
Monday, March 19, 2018
Hey Fletch … Someone who is a supposed tax expert emailed me the following letter in response to a question: “If you buy everything you need or want in the name of […]
Friday, March 16, 2018
Hey Fletch … There was a column on January 14, 2018 that all of a church’s W2s vanished. Some insurance policies have coverage for this and the church may have a legal […]
Friday, March 2, 2018
Hey Fletch … I just began as the pastor of a rural midwestern church with 150 in worship. We do not have a tax exempt status. We pay tax on what we […]
February 4, 2018
Hey Doc … Our new giver email is a mess. I clicked on a link and got a 404—page not found. The fonts are all strange for people who get it. Help!
DRF—An email […]
February 1, 2018
Hey Fletch … Someone suggested that we record some songs during our worship service and create a CD from them. Any thoughts on this?
DRF—Off the top of my head, I can think of […]
January 14, 2018
Hey David … A shipping firm claimed they left the W-2s for all of our employees at the church’s front door. No signature was required and they left the package at 9:00 pm. […]
When was your last church audit? What process do you use for both your internal and external audits? Regular audits help your church identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A proper audit schedule also creates […]
Mike Batts is one of our workshop leaders at the 2018 XP-Seminar. He is a noted leader in the nonprofit and church financial arena and author of five books. Mike has just released his […]
Givers have certain universal expectations. They expect to be listened to, treated with respect, and never taken for granted. When you ask people to give financially, you must understand that it’s not something they’re naturally […]
One of the most important decisions an Executive Pastor will make for his church is insurance coverage. Do you know what to look for when shopping for an insurance policy for your church? Are you […]
Virtually every church sets a budget. Is your budget aligned with your purpose and vision? Who can help you best define and set your budget? Kirk Morgan created this infographic using his class notes from […]
What are internal controls? How do you begin to implement ICs? Kirk Morgan created this infographic using his class notes from two of XPastor’s Online Courses–Operations 103 (Finances, Part 1) & Operations 104 […]
In these three videos, Fletch and Brad Leeper (President of Generis) talk about generosity in the church. As they answer questions posed by Executive Pastors, many illustrations will be shared regarding how churches have succeeded […]
We’ve all seen the tragic headlines about churches becoming the victims of fraud. To borrow some real-life examples: “Father and Son Pastors Plead Guilty to Stealing $3.1M from Church,” “Nebraska Archdiocese Sues Nun Accused of […]
Receive training to help your church avoid sexual abuse. In 1997, a watershed lawsuit—the Rudy Kos Case—resulted in a $119 million verdict against the Catholic church for child sexual abuse. Twenty years later, much of Christendom has […]
Are you ready for a flood? Are you praying for a flood? Are you anticipating a flood? A flood can be devastating, transformative, or a combination of both. Imagine waking up one Sunday morning to […]
Our friends at Generis have created a great resource called The Offering Moment. They say, “The church has a unique moment, 52 times per year, to engage with their givers in a real and meaningful […]
David Fletcher and Brad Leeper began a video dialogue regarding giving, money, leadership, culture and many other important topics that fall on the shoulders of the Executive Pastor in a church. In Part One of this […]
Our friends at Generis are offering their Annual Giving Statement Guide to the XPastor Community. This is an excellent resource! As a leader, you have much to do. Not only are you responsible for the daily […]
Rich Birch will be our featured guest in two years at the 2018 XP-Seminar. He leads a great work called unSeminary. The latest edition of unSeminary magazine centers on […]
As an attorney, the vast majority of business and church executives I talk to dread their copier lease expiring as they must deal with leasing new ones. Recently, we helped a church with a multiple […]
A sales rep stops by your church office with a simple offer. Your building is ideally suited to be a cell phone tower. The equipment will be practically invisible. If you lease the space to […]
Sharing stories of people doing both good and great things inspires others. When it comes to giving, people can often feel shame and inadequacy. However, the Bible reveals great nuggets from people who lived attainable […]
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 […]
The number of Americans calling themselves Christians has dropped sharply in recent years, according to a new Pew Research Center survey—while the population of religiously unaffiliated adults is on the rise. This trend is driven […]
Am I a mandatory reporter? If an adult describes having been abused as a child, am I required to report? When? How do reporting requirements impact individuals providing spiritual guidance? Around the country, state legislatures are […]
Recently I had the privilege of having David Fletcher talk with us on a NavXP webinar, “How to Grow Ministry with Less Money.” He shared his wisdom, struggles, and stories of how vision clarity has been the guiding […]
I recently read the book, Contagious Generosity: Creating a Culture of Giving in Your Church by Chris Willard and Jim Sheppard. I found this book […]
For a homework assignment in the XPastor Online Course, Operations 103—Finance, I chose to compare the budget process of First Assembly in Winston-Salem, Lakeside Church in Greensboro, Georgia, Berean Bible Church in Greene, New York […]
I should preface this review of a somewhat painful education with the proclamation that some of the people I enjoy most in the world are insurance agents and brokers. With that said, I think I […]