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TO: Interested Onliners or Ministries FROM: Jim Bramer, Retired CPA-Auditor
FILE: 0210-03/jrnl
RE: J I Ms J R N L for the month of October 2003 Originated: October, 2003PURPOSE: To help your Ministry Finance Team be more effective:
This process allows me to share some rather personal comments/thoughts (and sometimes written Prayers) about Ministry Finance issues during this month. Please go to 0200 for further explanation and links to earlier JIM's JRNLs. The four digit links xxxx below come from www.bcidot.org . See list of Frequently Used Vocational Terms at the bottom of this document. If you would like to receive the next current JIM's JRNL during the first week of the next subsequent month, please join the following Yahoo Group: ---- http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JIMsJRNL/. Caution --- the non www.bcidot.org web links that I reference in these JIMs JRNLs; do NOT imply my endorsement per se. Further, if any of the links below do not work, let us know which one at Jim@bcidot.org . Incidentally, our more recent www.bcidot.org Web Docs, or writings, can be found at 9712.
These suggestions could pertain to the Chairperson of any Ministry Board or Committee, but, of course, our emphasis is the Board Finance Committee or the M)INISTRY (F)INANCE (T)EAM - MFTeam . The Chairperson is the key to getting the job done! The Finance Committee and/or the MFTeam will function according to this person's leadership. The group will be responsive, address relevant issues and meet needs to the degree the Chairperson gives effective leadership and direction. Please consider the following PLEASE DO and PLEASE DO NOT suggestions below.
PLEASE DO:
1. Make a meeting agenda with the Ministry Officials in advance of the meeting itself.
2. Provide members with written agenda in advance.
3. Start promptly even if members are late (they'll soon learn you will start on time).
4. Lead courteously, yet firmly, to insure that everyone is heard.
5. A consensus of the members is very significant; if not possible, be sure all have opportunity to express themselves.
6. Be sure the MFTeam meetings and activity dates are calendarized.
7. Personally maintain posture of independence so views of others will be expressed.
8. Be "goal-oriented" so that issues and needs are defined and targeted.
9. Insist on the appropriate blend of fellowship and business during the meeting.
10. Contribute to a clear understanding of the real issues and needed resolutions
11. Be sure MFTeam actions are documented for both future reference and appropriate follow through.
12. Agree as to what is an Emergency that requires a person in the meeting to either respond to a Cel phone call or to leave the meeting, etc. Hopefully the meeting is important enough to defer all phone calls or meeting interruptions.PLEASE DO NOT:
A> Wait until the last minute; plan ahead for effectiveness.
B> Allow regular meetings to go beyond two hours, if possible. Discretely take long meeting breaks.
C> Allow meeting discussion to go off on "tangents". Stay with the agenda.
D> Permit matters to "dangle"; insist that group reach a decision whether to act or properly defer.
E> Permit one person to do all the talking.
F> Attempt to do all the Committee work yourself. Share the work with other members
G> Allow the Ministry Executive, or other Officials, to dominate the meeting and contribute to your Group being a "rubber stamp" of management.
H> Forget to use proper parliamentary procedure.
J> Permit side discussions; all of the members need to hear someone's input; not just his/her neighbor.
K> Forget the absentee member; s/he should inform you in advance. If not, find out why absent, etc.OBSERVATIONS:
-- CLOSURE ON ONE ISSUE AT A TIME
-- COURTESY AND JUSTICE TO ALL
-- THE LEAST TALKATIVE MEMBERS MUST BE HEARDEndowment and Quasi-Endowments (3)
The following was captured from a recent newsletter from a well known worldwide denominational Mission Organization.
During our January xxxx meeting, the Board took historical action in unanimously approving two 'first ever' Endowment Funds .... the XYZ Fund and the QPR Fund. The XYZ Fund (or Endowment) was created to provide "seed" funds for New Ministry Expansion. And the QPR Fund (or Endowment) was created to help offset the assessment of every missionary's support that is needed to cover the costs of the Ministry's General Fund costs. The long term goal is that every missionary support package will be reduced as the QPR Fund corpus, or principal, is invested for income/growth and the endowment income so earned is used to offset the assessment mentioned above. The Board was careful to insure that endowment income from the QPR Fund would NOT insulate the mission, or each missionary, from constituency relationships. As we know, much constituency support is non financial in nature. This Endowment emphasis is important due to the following:.
"In this country, we are on the cusp of a large inter-generational wealth transfer. Research reveals that people born before 1945, have accumulated more financial wealth than any generation in history. "
Please go to 0903 for some more Endowment and Quasi-Endowment information.
Mileage Rate via IRS for 2004 (5):
The mileage rate for 2004 is 37.5 cents per mile - per the contents of this web page http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-03-76.pdf It has been increased from 36 cents per mile for the year 2003.
How do you define "Procrastination"? What about some of the views of this Procrastinator ?
1> If anything is worth doing, it would have been done already.
2> If at first I do not succeed there is always next year
3> I believe that all deadlines are unreasonable regardless of the amount of time given
4> I'm convinced that tomorrow holds the possibility for new technologies, astounding discovers and a reprieve from my obligations
5> I will never rush into a job without a long period of adequate consideration.
My prayer is that you do NOT have these views as you righteously and timely care for your Ministry Finance Team responsibilities.
Fraine Zeitler makes frequent meaningful contributions to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/churchadmin/ . Not too long ago, in responding to some questions by a participant, he said: "I find the following to be very helpful when working with volunteers, regardless of the task."
1) Make sure the task or duties are clear. Be sure that what you ask them to do is exactly what you are going to expect when they actually show up--no changes unless this has been publicly announced. Too many folks have volunteered for something and then found out when they got to church that the duties or functions had been changed significantly. No surprises.
2) Be clear as to the length of time the service is to be performed. Again--many people have been "burned out' volunteering because they never had a closure time established in advance. Like walking into a grave with one open end . . . you just can't get out.
3) Be sure that when you ask for help that you also make it clear that training will be provided even if it is just a simple one or two step task. This little feature shows that you care about the individual volunteering and that you are going to help them to be successful from the very first day by providing training.
4) Ensure that the volunteer knows that they have a mentor they can contact if they have any questions. If something should change, who can they go to for help? Don't leave volunteers hanging out in the wind.
5) Reward your volunteers! Recognition can be in many different forms. Select a means that is appropriate and shows that the church "cares" about those who serve Him. Of late, we have started to "call" people to different jobs and tasks in our congregation.
We "invite" volunteers by as many different means as
possible but always make the final call in a
one-on-one manner. By lifting up the individual gifts, we want to show
people that ministry can take many different
forms and that a successful church ministry has many little tasks that
may seem small but are very important in the overall ministry mission.
If you have a problem with terms like
volunteer or disciple or helper, do what seems appropriate in your
local situation but do adhere to the five steps above.
Just some thoughts . . .
Shalom//Fraine
FRAINE C. ZEITLER
"Z" Eagle Ministries & Consulting
1733 North 26th Street
Bismarck ND 58501-2211
701-255-2599
zeaglem@bis.midco.net
"Providing Good Order to Ministry"
This Retired CPA-Auditor trusts you find such info helpful as you work with volunteers in/around the duties of your Ministry Finance Team.
Heavenly Father ... I am very impressed with what Mary of Magdala was told in John 20:17 by the Lord himself when He called her name and said to her right after His resurrection: ""I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." I am thankful that because of Jesus we can have an intimate relationship (my Father and your Father - my God and your God) with you. May it show up in our life style, etc. In Thy Precious Name -- Amen.
Possible "Frequently Used Vocational Terms" appear below:
CBA = Church Business Administrator, CBAer; CMS = Church Management Software/System; CPA = Certified Public Accountant; GAAP = Generally Accepted Accounting Principles/Practices; GPFund or GPF = General Purpose Fund; MFTeam or MFT= Ministry Finance Team; QBOE = QuickBooks Online Edition; QBooks or QB = Quickbooks; SPFunds or SPFs = Special Purpose Funds
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This document was updated last on: May 02, 2008