While this is exactly correct, we found an area that many churches were leaving out and not considering.

A friend of mine has added a line item to his budget each year which he uses as contingency.  He purposefully budgets for opportunities that may arise throughout the year.  By adding this money into the budget, he is better able to make decisions as ministry opportunities arise.  He is also able to side-step potential landmines if unexpected bills should appear.

For most committee driven churches, the very idea of a contingency budget line will send most finance committee chairs into a frenzy.  However, I’d contend that the lack of this line could be more detrimental to your flexibility for ministry.

Take a minute and review your budget this upcoming year.  Have you budgeted to allow God to move and bring opportunities your way?

Starting January 1, the IRS has increased the rate of reimbursement by $0.01 for mileage driven for church-related business purposes.  Being aware of this change will help you to budget correctly should this be an area of spending for your church.

As always, if you’d like more information on making the bookkeeping process for your church more simple, Contact Us and we’ll show you our tool for simplifying church accounting.

Axess Network now has our entire concept operating out of O’Fallon, Illinois, just across the river from St. Louis, MO.  We’re excited about the opportunities that this creates for us being closer to a larger metropolitan area.

For Your Records -

please update our address in your records.

For Mail:
PO Box 195
O’Fallon, IL 62269

For Visits:
40 Commerce Drive
O’Fallon, IL 62269

Thanks so much for your continued support and the opportunity to work and serve your ministry.

1. SBC churches in North America are losing ground. In order to reach the church/population levels that existed in the 1960s, 15,000 churches need to be planted. While that sounds like a huge number, there is hopeful news. To reach that goal, the current churches in America need to each plant only 2 churches.

2. There is a definite need for our concept. I met with several planters and leaders to explain what we can to do to help plants. They were all very interested and saw the value in our concept. That was very encouraging to me.

3. The is a need to equip planters. There are several planting organizations out there that offer any number of resources and tools to help planters. While that is great, there is also a need for practical tips for planters. We realized that you could attend a conference relating to planting almost every week of the year if you wanted. What we need are for the boots to hit the ground. Quit talking and just get started.

I am very pleased to be working with NAMB to be a small part of their strategy to plant new churches in North America. The Gospel is advancing and we are blessed to be a small part of that effort.

In the discussion, he mentioned to me that I needed to be careful that I guard myself so that when I attend my church, I am a worshiper and not an advisor/consultant/etc.  It is so easy when we work to help churches for a living, that we can become unable to divorce business from worship.

That caution led me to an interesting observation.

He is the Executive Pastor at the church I attend.  I was confidently able to tell him that I am able to separate when I attend church because I trust him.  I can attend church and worship freely because I trust that the “business” of the church is being handled.  It’s amazing that:

“There is Freedom in Trust”

We’ll hash that idea out over the next few months but it does lead to the question:

Do the people that attend your church trust that everything is being taken care of on the back end so they can focus on worship?

We still have several projects on the docket, but will be making a conscious effort to get the blog updated and attend to it.

Expect some good things from us very soon as we are forming some strategic partnerships to get more information regularly updated on our blog.

Thanks for the patience!
Josh

There were quite a few things, however, that I picked up working at various golf courses that have had a transcendent impact into how I view ministry and ministry operations.

I remember vividly working at a golf course for a pro who evidently showed how stressed he was on a daily basis. While he was far from the best boss I’ve ever had, he did share with me something that has stuck with me. A small statement that I have remembered and used to this day.

“Josh, there are hundreds of golf courses that guys can choose to play. There are many within 40 miles that are very similar to ours, they are well maintained, provide challenge, and are in the same price point.

What is it that brings people to our course and keeps them coming back with all the alternatives? The SERVICE they receive when they walk in the door.”

I have used that statement numerous times throughout my life to share with people the importance of customer service.

“But we’re a church, we don’t have customers….”

You are correct, I agree, you don’t have customers. However, I would contend that you are being discreetly judged every Sunday.

Let’s agree that consumerism creeping into worship is a vicious trend in our churches that we need to avoid. I’ll buy that.

What I am saying is that as church leaders, we need to put our best foot forward at all times. The first impression a guest receives when they step foot in the door is often the impression that will stay with them. What was their impression?

- Is your church friendly? – a guest will perceive your friendliness in the first 10 seconds of walking in the door

- Is your church relevant? – a guest will figure that out as soon as they walk in and see you have not updated the fixtures since 1950.

- Do you truly care about new people coming to your church? - a guest will find out as soon as they pull in the parking lot and try to find the correct entrance.

It’s a funny thing about human nature, we get comfortable with our surroundings. We can walk into the church building, walk past the same outdated fixtures and signage without a thought. Remember, there are people that are not comfortable and have no idea where they need to go.

[quote type="center"]the experience of a first time guest will either be your best publicity, or your worst enemy[/quote]

In the business world they tell us that people will share with 1 other person a good experience, and 10 other people their bad experience. With social media, these numbers grow exponentially.

What Impression are you Giving Your first Time Guests??