Between Monday and Sunday

I've just published a new article in the Pastor's Area of LifeWay.com by Keith Hamilton. He offers 9 Ways to Lessen the Chances of an IRS Church Audit . This is from the introduction to the article ... One of the greatest fears of a church treasurer is that of an audit by the Internal Revenue Service. Understandably, an IRS audit would scare every church treasurer. At least one sales organization plays on this fear in their advertisements by depicting a church financial leader going to jail over these issues. In spite of this misconception, the exact opposite is true. A church treasurer rarely faces jail time or harsh penalties over an IRS audit. However, an IRS audit can be challenging and stressful. Keith offers several things a church can do reduce its chances of an IRS audit .

While almost two-thirds of Southern Baptist pastors have preached on stewardship in the past year, a new study shows that few of those pastors believe members of their congregation have a significant amount of debt – revealing a serious disconnect with the realities of American family life. The survey of 3,500 Southern Baptist senior pastors was conducted by LifeWay Research on behalf of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention between November 2007 and February 2008. The study revealed that 65 percent of pastors had preached on financial stewardship during the previous year but only 25 percent said their church members have "a significant amount of personal debt." That stands in stark contrast to national statistics about the debt load American families are carrying, said Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research. Highlights from the findings: Pastors disconnected from reality of congregational debt load Church members often look to pastors...

Howard Dayton of crown.org has a simple and practical article on LifeWay.com called  Help in a Financial Crisis . Here is an excerpt ... What we do and allow in moderation, our children will allow and do in excess. - Benjamin Disraeli in an 1865 address before the British House of Commons Financial problems can be devastating, so it makes good sense for families to practice prevention rather than recuperation. You may feel it's too late to practice prevention, but it's not. In fact, the only way to correct a downward financial spiral is to institute basic, simple, preventive measures in order to counterbalance unbiblical financial practices and to prevent further financial problems.  Here are four steps The first is obvious – stop borrowing "The wicked borrows and does not repay, but the righteous is gracious and giving" (Psalm 37:21). Scripture clearly indicates that borrowing isn't God's best for His people and should never be used as a routine part of f...

The results of the 2008 Southern Baptist Convention Compensation Study are now online. Anyone can access the results and run free reports. This is valuable information for churches who are evaluating how they compensation their staff. It is also valuable for pastors and church staff as they evaluate their own compensation as it relates to their age, experience, and education as well as other important factors like church attendance and the church's budget. An electronic survey questionnaire was carefully designed by an advisory group representing Baptist state conventions , LifeWay Christian Resources , and GuideStone Financial Resources . The questionnaire was accessible via the internet from January 7 through April 15 of 2008. Authors of the study suggest you use the “Customized Study” menu option . It “cuts through” many apparent differences in data and gives you data for churches most like your own in size and financial resources. It is also important to use all state conventi...

Howard Dayton, co-founder of Crown Financial Ministries , has an excellent article in Baptist Press today addressing the crisis that many churches are facing as a result of the current US and global economy. In this article he deals with the issue of people cutting back giving as well as the biblical encouragement to counter the fears they are facing. He ends the article with four steps to follow in order to trust God with the present and the future. Read Howard Dayton: Downturn or recession? Also, here are several articles in our Leading / Administration Section of LifeWay.com/Pastor that will help you as you deal with the challenging economy and it's impact on your church finances. Keys for Overcoming Your Church's Financial Crisis Overcoming Four Coming Church Financial Firestorms Five Ways to Prevent Conflict over Church Finances 5 Vital Tasks of Your Stewardship Promotion Team How to Prevent Embezzlement of Church Funds

NASHVILLE, Tenn., 5/7/08 -- While economists debate how serious America’s economic slowdown really is, Southern Baptist pastors report their members are still giving, in spite of the financial pressures felt by many families. A new study by LifeWay Research shows that 72 percent of Southern Baptist pastors indicate difficulties in the U.S. economy are affecting their churches negatively, yet 76 percent say offerings are at or above levels they had expected when drafting budgets several months ago. At the same time, 24 percent of the pastors say offerings are below what they had expected and 27 percent indicate their congregations will not meet budgets if current giving trends continue. View more information about the study now ... Economy pinching churches, but giving still strong For help with stewardship in your church ... LifeWay Stewardship Solutions New Day Resources

Ministers can find additional help in preparing their 2007 federal income tax returns from GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. The annual Ministers Tax Guide for 2007 Returns details recent changes to tax laws and their effect on ministers. Includes link to the guidestone site to download guide. The tax guide can be obtained in an electronic, PDF format from the GuideStone Web site. Printed copies or a CD version can also be obtained as well.

I posted an article by Keith Hamilton in the pastors area of lifeway.com about Church Credit Card Use . It was very popular with my readers. One response from a reader was interesting, though. She said, "Aren't Christians supposed to avoid credit cards altogether?" My simple answer is, some Christians should avoid credit cards. Howard Dayton of Crown Financial Ministries is a respected voice in this area and posted an article in Baptist Press that is helpful called Should Christians use credit cards?

I've been glued to video.allthingsd.com watching Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher interviewing Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Microsoft CEO Bill Gates at the D5 Conference. While I've been fascinated by the interview, it was a question asked during the Q&A time by Jesse Cornbluth of headbutler.com that grabbed my attention. Here's his statement, followed by his question, "Because you're not the youngest guys in the room any more it's perhaps appropriate to ask you a question about legacy. Bill, even your harshest critic would have to admit that your philanthropy work is planet shaking, incredible, and could be, if you make it, a second act so amazing that it would dwarf what you've actually done at Microsoft (audience applause)." "Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, if you had to choose a legacy, what would it be?" Bill answers, "The most important work I got a chance to be involved in, no matter what I do, was the personal computer ... that's...

One e-mail has remianed in my inbox all week because I wasn't sure what to do with it. In Bob Buford's latest e-newsletter he deals with the topic of Why the Wealthy Don't Give More . It's very helpful, especially for his "half-timer" or successful over-50 audience. His main takeaway is that the really rich are aware of three main risks to giving their money to charities. These risks are Fear – of not having enough, Failure – even embarrassment, and Doing more harm than good . I think he's on to something. In my years serving as a pastor a pastor in Hawaii, I had a chance to meet many Christian men and women who had been entrusted with wealth beyond my imagination. I feel that after years of struggling and agonizing over how to relate to, encourage, and disciple those who have great wealth, I still don't have the answers. However, I feel I learned a few lessons I'll share with you... 1. Treat them as individuals, as fellow believers, and as equal...