Church Finances

“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

2 Corinthians 9:7

What the Bible Says About Church and Money

 
It is interesting to note that Jesus talked more about money than any other subject, even including heaven and hell, prayer, or faith. The fact that the topic of money appears throughout the Bible tells us how important it is, and that it should be an issue that is addressed by the church.

 
The biblical view of how money is managed is based on the New Testament teaching that all we have belongs to the Lord. We are simply the stewards. The Bible teaches that each one should give as they have determined in their hearts (see scripture above). No one should give under compulsion or because they are feeling pressured to do so. In fact, the scriptures go on to teach that we should not give grudgingly but cheerfully.

 
So the bottom line is that we must decide want we want to give gladly and from our hearts. We should make that decision before we arrive at church.
 

The Church’s Responsibility

 
When believers give, they are giving to the Lord and not to an organization. That is why church leaders are required to treat all funds as belonging to God and to steward the money wisely. They are to allocate funds in the manner that scripture teaches and follow the Biblical guidelines for where to allocate funds:

• Taking care of the poor
• Taking care of widows
• Taking care of orphans
• Local church outreach efforts
• Giving to other churches
• Supporting apostles and full-time ministers

Of course, people who serve in full-time ministry need to be paid so that they can do their job. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 5:18 when talking about people who serve in the church full time, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”

How Money is Managed at Northlands

 
At Northlands there are 3 key aspects to how money is managed:

• Eldership responsibility
• Finance Team Expertise and Advice
• Congregation Accountability

The elders of Northlands are responsible for every aspect of the church including financial management. They are to allocate funds in a wise manner that is accountable and transparent. To do this they have established a finance team that consists of financial experts and highly credible individuals in the industry. These individuals manage the income from the congregation and manage the accounting aspects of the church. Under the direction of the leaders they provide financial advice and wisdom. They prepare all the financial reports and the tax returns.

Once a year, the congregation is invited to an Annual General Meeting in which all the financials are presented to the congregation. The reports are also summarized for non-accounting people so that everyone can understand how funds were managed the past year.

In short, Northlands’ finances are very well run in a manner that is wise, accountable, transparent and competent. We do not do anything with the church finances that we would not advise our members to do with their own money.