5 Mistakes Pastors Frequently Make With Finances

By Ron Edmondson

“As pastors, we have to remain above reproach, and that’s especially true in this area of finances.”

I came into ministry after a long business career, so I’m sometimes considered unique in my involvement or interest in our church finances. I work closely with our business administrator and finance committee on the budget and administration of our church finances.

I have been known to negotiate contracts, meet with bankers and I can intelligently analyze financial statements. I understand the business side of the church. It comes naturally for me.
Working with different churches over the years, I’ve seen lots of approaches by pastors in this area of finances. Some are completely hands-on, while others run from the issue completely. It’s helped me form some thoughts around the topic; specifically some mistakes I think we can avoid.

Here are the top five mistakes pastors make regarding money:

Not knowing anything. The pastor doesn’t have to be business-minded. He can surround himself with wise counsel, but the pastor needs some basic knowledge in order to lead the church effectively. Learn to read the financial documents of the church. Get some basic training in financial terms so you can lead people well. Especially in today’s world of speculation and trust issues, those who give to a church want to know that leadership has a handle on the finances of the church before they are willing to invest in the mission.
Handling too much. The pastor never, ever, ever needs to be the sole person to handle money. I’m careful even when someone hands me a check in the hall. I quickly find someone on our finance committee or our business administrator. I would never want to sign checks. As pastors, we have to remain “above reproach,” and that’s especially true in this area of finances. For appearances, but also to guard our own heart. Temptation is huge for all of us in the area of money.
Being Controlling. When the pastor is the only one who decides how the budget of the church is going to be spent, a few problems occur. First, great ideas are left off the table. Collaboration is the best approach to most decisions, but especially spending someone else’s (God’s) money. Second, the pastor becomes too powerful. Money is power. In the business world and the church world. The pastor doesn’t need that load of responsibility on his own. Finally, eventually people begin to mistrust the system, the pastor and even the church. The pastor will make some decision no one agrees with and the troubles begin. Beware. Invite trusted people into the process.
Not asking for money. If the church is going to disciple people, it can’t avoid the subject of money. This isn’t even as much about funding the ministry. God can take care of that. If you’re following His will on what you do, He can fund it. But, this is about leading people to be disciples. And as we know, God doesn’t fully have a person’s heart until He has control of their finances. Pastors, we have to teach this to our people.
Not being transparent. Tell everything. You don’t have to share details that people don’t care about, but there shouldn’t be any secrets when people ask. And keeping people abreast of the general financial welfare of the church is critical. I heard from a church recently that is in serious financial difficulty, but no one in the church except the pastor and bookkeeper even knew. When it was found out, there were obvious repercussions—anger, frustration, hurt. Those emotions can usually be avoided if people know in advance where you stand.
Money is a big issue for all churches—for all of us. Which is surely why the Bible addresses it so often. As pastors, we must diligently lead our churches wisely in this important matter of Kingdom ministry.  

Ron Edmondson is a pastor and church leader passionate about planting churches, helping established churches thrive, and assisting pastors and those in ministry think through leadership, strategy and life. Ron has over 20 years business experience, mostly as a self-employed business owner, and he's been helping churches grow vocationally for over 10 years. More from Ron Edmondson or visit Ron at http://www.ronedmondson.com/

GREAT QUOTES from JOHN WESLEY

GREAT QUOTES from JOHN WESLEY



"Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn
out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who
can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God?
O be not weary of well doing!"
- John Wesley

"What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace."
- John Wesley

"We should be rigorous in judging ourselves and gracious in judging others."
- John Wesley

"Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and
desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be
clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell
and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth."
- John Wesley

"Catch on fire and others will love to come watch you burn."
- John Wesley

"Earn all you can, give all you can, save all you can"
- John Wesley

"Beware you be not swallowed up in books! An ounce of love is
worth a pound of knowledge."
- John Wesley

THE ANATHEMA of ENTERTAINMENT

THE ANATHEMA of ENTERTAINMENT
by A.W. Tozer

In our day we must be dramatic about everything. We don´t want
God to work unless He can make a theatrical production of it. We
want Him to come dressed in costumes with a beard and with a
staff. We want Him to play a part according to our ideas. Some
of us even demand that He provide a colorful setting and fireworks as well!

Then there are some among us these days who have to depend
upon truckloads of gadgets to get their religion going, and I am
tempted to ask: What will they do when they don´t have the help
of the trappings and gadgets? The truck can´t come along where
they are going!

For there are millions who cannot live without amusement; life
without some form of entertainment for them is simply intolerable;
they look forward to the blessed relief afforded by professional
entertainers and other forms of psychological narcotics as a
dope addict looks to his daily shot of heroin. Without them they
could not summon courage to face existence.

We now demand glamour and fast flowing dramatic action. A
generation of Christians reared among push buttons and automatic
machines is impatient of slower and less direct methods of
reaching their goals. We have been trying to apply machine-age
methods to our relations with God. We read our chapter, have our
short devotions and rush away, hoping to make up for our deep
inward bankruptcy by attending another gospel meeting or listening
to another thrilling story told by a religious adventurer lately
returned from afar.

The tragic results of this spirit are all about us: shallow loves,
hollow religious philosophies, the preponderance of the element
of fun in gospel meetings, the glorification of men, trust in religious
externalities, quasi-religious fellowships, salesmanship methods,
the mistaking of dynamic personality for the power of the Spirit.
These and such as these are the symptoms of an evil disease,
a deep and serious malady of the soul.

-Source-

propheticcollege.wordpress.com/category/tozer-on-entertainment/

YIELDEDNESS and THE SECRETS OF GOD

YIELDEDNESS and THE SECRETS OF GOD

by Smith Wigglesworth

The baptism of Jesus must bring us to have a single eye to the
glory of God; everything else is wasted time and wasted energy.
Beloved, we can reach it; it is a high mark but we can get to it.
You ask how? "What wilt thou have me to do?" That is the plan. It
means a perfect surrender to the call of God, and perfect obedience.

A dear young Russian came to England. He did not know the
language, but learned it quickly and was very much used and
blessed of God; and as the wonderful manifestations of the
power of God were seen, they pressed upon him to know the
secret of his power, but he felt it was so sacred between him
and God he should not tell it, but they pressed him so much he
finally said to them: "First God called me, and His presence was
so precious, that I said to God at every call I would obey Him,
and I yielded, and yielded, and yielded, until I realized that I was
simply clothed with another power altogether, and I realized that
God took me, tongue, thoughts and everything, and I was not
myself but it was Christ working through me."

How many of you today have known that God has called you over
and over, and has put His hand upon you, but you have not
yielded? How many of you have had the breathing of His power
within you, calling you to prayer, and you have to confess you
have failed?

If God can have His way today, the ministry of somebody will
begin; it always begins as soon as you yield. Paul had been
bringing many people to prison, but God brought Paul to such
a place of yieldedness and brokenness that he cried out, "What
wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:6). Paul´s choice was to be
a bondservant for Jesus Christ. Beloved, are you willing that
God shall have His way today? God said, "I will shew him how
great things he must suffer for my name´s sake" (Acts 9:16). But
Paul saw that these things were working out a far more exceeding
weight of glory. You people who have come for a touch from God,
are you willing to follow Him; will you obey Him?

What Wilt Thou Have Me Do?

-Source-

http://www.smithwigglesworth.com/sermons/misc15.htm


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POWER for TODAY

POWER for TODAY
by David Wilkerson

The apostle Peter was made of flesh and blood, just like the rest
of us. Yet he wielded spiritual authority over the devil. He said to
the lame man at the temple gate, "In the name of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth rise up and walk" (Acts 3:6), and the man was healed.
The religious leaders of the day recognized this power in Peter and
asked him, "By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?" (4:7).

Nowhere does the Bible suggest that this same power isn't meant
for us today. When did the Lord ever say to His Church, "I've
helped you so far. Now you're on your own"? What kind of God
would empower His people in the wilderness when they needed
it-would empower Israel's kings, prophets like Elijah, the crowds
at Pentecost-and then withhold it from his last-days Church,
when we need it more than any generation?

According to Scripture, Satan's power has increased in our day:
"The devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because
he knoweth that he hath but a short time" (Revelation 12:12).
Why would God permit Satan to attack a weak, powerless
church that has no defense? His people have never lost access
to His divine power.

Unfortunately, a number of Christians have a skewed idea of
spiritual authority. This is especially true in charismatic circles.
I know of a series of "power" conventions, where preachers lay
hands on people to endow them with an anointing of spiritual
authority. Yet, when the recipients return home, their efforts
against the devil still fail miserably. They end up asking the
same question the disciples asked Jesus: "Why couldn't we
cast out these spirits?"

You can't obtain supernatural power simply by having someone
lay hands on you. It isn't a gift, it's a way of life, of walking with
Jesus. And not everyone who asks for such authority will
suddenly be changed into a spiritual powerhouse. The fact is,
God entrusts His divine authority only to what Peter calls the
"hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible"
(1 Peter 3:4).

-Source-

http://sermons.worldchallenge.org/en/node/32700

© 2014 World Challenge, Inc
You are welcome to make copies for FREE distribution or
retransmit the devotional via e-mail, but all devotionals must be
copied or retransmitted in their entirety. However, devotionals
may not be posted on any website, printed, or used in any
media without written permission from World Challenge, Inc.
Each request is considered on a case-by-case basis. Please
contact World Challenge, Inc. using our online contact form or
by calling (903) 963-8626

GREAT QUOTES on PRAYER

GREAT QUOTES on PRAYER

'He stood up and said, "Friends, I have journeyed into Wales with
the hope that I may glean the secret of the Welsh Revival." In an
instant Evan Roberts was on his feet, and with an uplifted arm
towards the speaker he replied, "My brother, there is no secret!
Ask and ye shall receive!!'
-The great Welsh Revival of 1904.

"We read in the biographies of our forefathers, who were most
successful in winning souls, that they prayed for hours in private.
The question therefore arises, can we get the same results
without following their example?"
-Oswald J. Smith

"I have so much business to do today that I shall not be able to
get through it with less than three hours´ prayer."
-Martin Luther

"Prayer is the first thing, the second thing, and the third thing
necessary for a minister, especially if he have revivals. Pray,
then, my dear brother, pray, pray, pray."
-Edward Payson

"The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying.
He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and
prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom,
but trembles when we pray."
-Samuel Chadwick

WE MUST NOT MISS the MESSAGE

WE MUST NOT MISS the MESSAGE
by David Wilkerson

Ministers and theologians everywhere are saying, "God has nothing
to do with disasters. He wouldn't allow awful things to happen."
Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. This kind of thinking
is causing our nation to rapidly miss the message God wants to
speak to us through tragedy.

The fact is, we have to have a word from God. Like many pastors,
I've wept and grieved over awful calamities. I've sought the Lord in
prayer and through His Word. And I want to tell you, I've experienced
a grief that's even deeper than the mourning for innocent people
dying. It's a grief that says if we miss God's message, if we turn
a deaf ear to what He is loudly proclaiming, then much worse is
in store for us.

The prophet Isaiah speaks directly to what we've experienced.
If you object to using the Old Testament for examples, consider
Paul's words on the subject: "All these things happened unto
them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon
whom the ends of the world are come" (1 Corinthians 10:11). Paul
makes it clear that the examples of the Old Testament reveal just
how God moves in times like ours.

At the time that Isaiah prophesied, God had been dealing patiently
with Israel for about 250 years. The Lord had sent "light afflictions"
upon His people, calling them to repentance. He was trying to
woo them out of their brazen idolatry and back into His blessing
and favor.

All the prophets throughout the years had spoken to Israel the
same essential word: "Humble yourselves." Scripture says,
"They served idols . . . yet the Lord testified against Israel, and
against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying,
Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and
my statutes" (2 Kings 17:12-13).

But God's chosen nation rejected His call to repentance. "They
would not hear, but hardened their necks" (17:14). These people
mocked the prophets who called them to humility. And, instead,
they "followed vanity, and became vain . . . and they left all the
commandments of the Lord their God . . . and sold themselves
to do evil in the sight of the Lord. . . . Therefore the Lord was
very angry with Israel" (2 Kings 17:15-18).

-Source-

http://sermons.worldchallenge.org/en/node/32942

© 2014 World Challenge, Inc
You are welcome to make copies for FREE distribution or
retransmit the devotional via e-mail, but all devotionals must be
copied or retransmitted in their entirety. However, devotionals
may not be posted on any website, printed, or used in any
media without written permission from World Challenge, Inc.
Each request is considered on a case-by-case basis. Please
contact World Challenge, Inc. using our online contact form or
by calling (903) 963-8626