Church Guidelines For Financial Integrity

Below are guidelines that can help a church provide general direction regarding how it will handle its finances. These guidelines are communicated each year as part of the church’s budget presentation.

We believe that the way a church handles itself in the financial arena is a reflection of its integrity in every area. The Elders, therefore, have established the following policies that will guide us in the years ahead:

1. Grace Church belongs to God. It is not a monument to one man or even to this present generation that serves through its various ministries. We are all merely fellow servants in the work of the kingdom.
2. In the last ten years the Lord has apparently chosen to bless our congregation both numerically and financially. Nevertheless, He gives and sometimes takes away. If He ever closes the door to this work, we will accept His leading and yield the outcome to Him. Until then, we will devote every ounce of energy to the task at hand.
3. One of the ways we can discern the Lord’s will regarding the continuation of our church is through the support He sends (or doesn’t send) from His people. Therefore, as the overseers of this church, we feel it is our obligation to make known to you our needs. We commit ourselves, however, to do so in a Christlike manner and with the greatest sensitivity to those who are visiting our church on any given week. We will never resort to what we consider to be disrespectful and dishonorable methods of fund raising, even when the needs are serious.
4. It is our belief that as you consider your giving, your first obligation is to the local church, in our case, Grace Church. After this has been met, you should prayerfully consider where God would lead you to give...including “parachurch” ministries that support and defend the same values we do.
5. We will not operate this ministry at a deficit. Although from time to time it is necessary to borrow funds for large capital expenditures, such as for a new building.
6. We consider the contributions we receive to be “blood money”–given by families who have to sacrifice to make their gifts possible. Our obligation is to spend that money conservatively and wisely in continuing the ministry.
7. We will carefully record each contribution and provide you with a quarterly update of your giving to assist you in your planned giving and tax preparations.
8. When we make a purchase, we will pay the invoice within 30 days, if possible. We do not intend to use the vendor’s money.
9. We will not try to raise more money than we need.
10. The Senior Pastor will not be the primary fund-raiser.
11. We will never sell or rent our mailing list to those wishing to use the names and addresses of our supporters.
12. We will strive to handle money given to Grace Church in a responsible manner.

To summarize, we will try to remember always that Jesus Christ is our possessor and our dispossessor. He ordained and blessed this ministry. It belongs entirely to Him.

Sample Personal Monthly Budget

Below is a sample budget illustrating the principles described on the previous page:

Budget
Income
Gross Monthly Income	$2,600
Taxes	$650
Tithe	$260
Net Monthly Income	$1,690
Expenses	(Alphabetically)
Auto
Fuel	$80
Maintenance	$20
Insurance	$60
Car Payment	$0
Clothing	$50
Entertainment	$50
Gifts
Anniversaries	$10
Birthdays	$10
Christmas	$40
Miscellaneous	$10
Groceries	$260
Housing	$623
Life Ins.	$24
Missions
Missions	$40
Building	$25
Personal Care	$50
Savings	$85
Supplies	$65
Utilities
Electric	$75
Garbage	$10
Natural Gas	$55
Telephone	$20
Water	$25
Total	$1,687

Guidelines for a Personal Budget

I.        Principles dealing with finances.

        A.        Use a written plan.

        B.        Provide for the Lord's work first.

        C.        Excel at your tasks.

        D.        Limit credit.

        E.        Think about buying:

        Is it necessary?

        Does it reflect your Christian ethic?

        Is it the best buy?

        Is it an impulse item?

        F.        Practice saving money regularly.

        G.        Set your own goals.

        H.        Get out of debt.

        I.        Avoid indulgences.

        J.        Seek good Christian counsel.

        K.        Stick to your plans.

II.        Purpose of a budget.

        A.        To define income vs. expense.

        B.        To detect problem areas.

        C.        To provide a written plan.

        D.        To aid in follow-up.

        E.        To schedule money in and out.

III.        What a budget will do.

        A.        Help you visualize your goals.

        B.        Provide a written reminder.

        C.        Reflect your habits.

VI.        What a budget will not do.

        A.        Solve your immediate problems.

        B.        Make you use it.

        C.        Take the place of action.

V.        How to:

        A.        Calculate actual expenses.

        Use a thirty-day expense diary (notebook).

        Use a checking account ledger.

        Use a creditor ledger showing each debt due.

        B.        Make out a budget.

        Define actual expenditures (present budget).

        Define proposed expenditures (future budget).

        Calculate income.

        Calculate fixed expenses.

        Calculate variable expenses.

        C.        Use a budget.

        Post it in the open.

        Set an achievable goal.

        Keep it up-to-date and establish a set time and day to review it.