Financial Peace for Your Congregation
Whether you're the lead pastor, treasurer, administrator, or a friend to these folks, you'll benefit from Kindred's resources designed specifically for faith communities.
Toolkit Contents
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Church Finance Check-Up Guide
This worksheet will help you reflect on important stewardship questions as you right-size your church’s finances post-pandemic. For example: How much are our bank fees? How much are we paying for our mortgage? Do we have credit cards in the church’s name?
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Best Practices for Handling Offerings
Learn some helpful ways to ensure the safety of both the money donated to your church and the people collecting it.
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Best Practices for Year Round Stewardship
By reviewing these practices, pastors and lay leaders can better identify two to three areas they may want to focus special attention on next year as they develop their congregational stewardship plan.
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Budget and Reporting Overview
Learn about budgeting and reporting best practices, along with the differences and benefits of narrative vs. line-item budgeting and when each can be the most effective tool for communicating with your congregation.
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Narrative Budget Report Example and Template
See an example narrative budget report and customize this template for your church.
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Line-Item Budget Report Example and Template
See an example line-item budget report and a customizable template for your church.
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Creating and Managing a Benevolence Fund
This guide is designed to help congregations start or update a benevolence fund policy so they can adequately respond to people in financial need. This guide also provides help on managing the fund wisely and responsibly.
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Stewardship Ministry Teams
What we call our teams or committees says a lot about them and what we want them to accomplish. How does your church think about stewardship, generosity, or finances these days?
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Above-Budget Financing and Special Gift Policy
This is a sample policy document helpful for those who you wish to donate to a non-budgeted organization or individual through the congregation.
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Designated Gifts Policy Guide
Encouraging generosity and inviting people to donate to ministries often results in people “designating” their gift. Designating a contribution is the act of stipulating that donated funds may only be used for a specified purpose. Here are some guidelines.
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Endowments
Endowment funds are long-term, lasting resources that support the works, mission, and beliefs of the Church and its members. Here are the Biblical principles to consider and a sample policy.
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Gift and Bequest Policy Example
Our church welcomes and encourages donations, bequests and charitable gifts. The purpose of this policy is to provide a consistent process for managing the acceptance of such gifts.
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Faith Communities Mission Trip Policy
Short-term mission opportunities also form bonds between team members that are tangible expressions of community within our congregation. Successful short-term mission trip will have policies in place from the outset. Here are some suggestions.
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Online Giving for Congregations
This document is to help congregations consider the opportunities involved in providing electronic giving options to worshippers.
