This weekend my church had its first ever meeting related to finances. The financial details are supposed to be confidential so I will not talk about it here. However, I was pretty encouraged by what the leadership said about how they conduct the finances of the church.
The main message I got from the meeting is that God is in control, but we still have to be good stewards of the money we are given. My church is quite small so it is not very wealthy. The elders of the church are volunteers and they work on the finances of the church on their own time. They assured us that all of our tithes are being spent responsibly and they have been making great progress in eliminating debt. They also told us how our pastor is always dedicated to finding the best price when he buys something for the church and how they all try to live below their means to honor God. I was very happy to hear all of this because I agree with all of it. I know some Christian churches preach a philosophy that says you could be raptured anytime so it doesn’t matter how much money you spend. Also, some pastors of mega churches are also extremely wealthy and live very flashy lifestyles with sports cars and Rolexes. I am glad that I don’t see these attitudes at my church.
If you were there and heard some of the financial details, then you might be quite amazed as to how this little church has operated for so long in such an expensive place like San Mateo. Seriously, the events surrounding the finances of my church just convinced me further that God is working here and that living beneath my means is the right thing to do. I am really blessed to be part of this church, and I hope to contribute more to it in the future.
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10 comments ↓
It’s very cool that your church’s finance is healthy. Religious or not, how finance is run is a sign of whether the organization is run well or not. As a finance person, I’m sure you want to belong to an organization that has some clues about how to manage its assets.
I really think organization is one of the key barometers to figure out a business/organization’s strength and smartness. I myself need to work on that.
Thanks for sharing.
ari
Xin, why don’t you write something about the finance of church: How the churches get money from all of us, including atheists, to honor their god? The country pay tax return for those church donations using my money!
Sure you are a church-goer, judged from your post. But can you write that, in a neutral attitude?
The churches do not get money from you if you don’t donate to them. Yes, they are tax exempt, but so are many other organizations that are certified non-profit. If you are talking about donations being tax deductible then that’s a another matter entirely. You as an atheist can also get a tax deduction by donating to your causes. Donations are all voluntary anyway.
If I talk about churches from a neutral standpoint. I would say that you should consider the role churches play in your community. I am sure you know of a church that gives food to the poor or give a place for homeless people to go. All of that is money the government doesn’t have to spend. Some churches give free dance and music classes and help for troubled teenagers. I mean, if you feel that churches are taking your money you are free to use a lot of their services, too. A lot of the times, I feel that churches are more open to helping people than the government. There is less bureaucracy in general.
First, yes, I am talking about donations being tax deductible. Although “donations are all voluntary”, part of that money should go to the country, to build the highway for all of us. So I against the tax-deductible donation. When people donate, they should donate money after tax. They should pay the money that should be Casar’s first.
Second, yes, churches, as well as many non-profit organizations, are better than government in some way.
Third, when the non-religious organizations are giving to the society, they are doing things for love, and they are hoping the society to feedback with love. When the churches are giving to the society, they are doing things for gods(different gods, you know), honoring the gods, and they hope the society to believe in gods as feedback. That’s why I prefer to donate to Red-Cross.
As I said, you have your freedom to donate to the Red Cross and wherever else you support. However, you have to understand that donations only become tax deductible when you are eligible to itemize. Most people can’t itemize even when they donate hundreds to thousands of dollars because their standard deduction is more than their donations plus whatever else they can itemize. So for most people, donations are after tax money.
Next, as to non-religious organizations doing stuff out of love. That is pretty debatable because I am sure you can find non-profits with bizarre agendas you don’t agree with. I would say that more churches do things out of love, but I admit I am biased.
So should donations even be allowed as tax deductible? Well, I may write about that. Do you believe that all donations should be non-tax deductible? Or just donations to churches should be excluded?
Like your blog.
“Third, when the non-religious organizations are giving to the society, they are doing things for love, and they are hoping the society to feedback with love.”
Ben, I am not a church. I represent a non-religious organization. Please send me $100. I will use it to get drunk with some hot chicks and hope that they feedback with love. Actually, normally they do. Thanks dude.
Bag Lady, I do believe ALL donations should be non-tax deductible.
btw, how do you want people to call you? I really don’t like to call you “Admin”, and I don’t know if you want to keep anonymity or not.
Ian, of course I need to know your credit, before donating money. Can you send me an accounting report or something?
Ben, not only can I send you an accounting report, I can also send you the glowing testimony many satisfied receivers of my free services. Services were provided one inch at a time.
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