Test 6: Min. LAD Flashcards
Why rituals & ceremonies?
ceremony is a ritual with a connecting experience, connecting this world with the universal, the sacred with the profane.
Creates a numinous experience.
Elements of a good Ritual or Ceremony
- Opening: Acknowledge everyone & The Presence, get people centered together
- Purpose: agreement as to the shared purpose, hold the space
- Objects: Anything that affects the senses: altar, bells, oils, drums, candles, sacraments, dress…
- Process: Be creative! Sharing/interchange; metaphor/symbolism/readings
- Closure: Retire the ceremony, honor and celebrate what was done.
Marriages and Memorials have additional needs.
Ideas for including the congregation in the ceremony:
- Include them in visioning, creating, staging or sanctifying the space
- Congregational songs and chants
- Call & response
- Collectively reading a statement of intention, purpose or affirmation
- Release a symbol for completion: throw rice, make noise, dance and shout, etc.
- Speak, sing, move, welcome, invoke, read, pray, usher, greet, etc.
Why is ceremony/ritual important for a church?
BROAD * Ritual encompasses an extremely broad category of human action
COMMUNICATE * Communicate religion/family/community’s most profound & mundane truths
IMAGE* Transmit powerful images
COMFORT* Provide comfort, develop identity, preserve history, create memories, connect people
CELEBRATE * Allow families to mark and celebrate their most important moments
SHARE* Share social and family life transitions & rites of passage with community
RENEW* Both church & family define and renew themselves in the process
ONENESS* On a group level, enhance the awareness of connection and Oneness
CYCLES* Assisting “nontraditional families” in identifying meaning and passage of life cycles
SPACE* Creates a space for non-ordinary things to happen (healing, vision, communion w/the divine)
NEW* Allows us to try new behaviors through the activity of ceremony w/out fear of looking silly
HEALING* It’s healing, unifying and comforting
FAMILIAR* Within a weekly service creates familiarity or repetition, which makes one feel comfortable, included and able to surrender more fully to the experience.
What are some ways that you would use rituals and ceremonies concepts in your life?
FAMILY Design and create my own rituals and ceremonies to celebrate with my family
TRADITION Recognize the need for traditions (even if new) and ritual in my own life
SYMBOLS See the symbolism all around me as a source of spiritual depth
What are some ways that you would use rituals and ceremonies concepts in your ministry?
SUNDAY Design ritual and ceremony for meaningful Sunday services
TRANSITIONS Create life transition ceremonies that are deepening and numinous
CLASSES
WORKSHOPS
EVENTS
MEETINGS
Enrich classes, meetings and all activities with more depth and meaning
Three types of Resources to be Successful in Your Ministry
- HUMAN Resources
o Involvement
o Delegation of responsibility or authority (minister retains ultimate responsibility)
o Includes staff, practitioners, congregants, volunteers, contractors, etc. - SPIRITUAL Resources
o Self-development and Community Development (ministers, pracs, interfaith)
o Spiritual Self-Care
Spiritual Practices
Have annual paid retreat in letter of call (NOT convention which is work)
Keep list of resources (12 step, counseling, etc.) - PHYSICAL Resources
o Supporting operating activities (acquire, maintain, preserve)
Building, Money, Equipment, Furniture, Office supplies
o Know who to contact/where to get the stuff, emergencies, reliable vendors, etc.
What are the basic pieces of a Financial Control Strategy?
Control Strategies & Processes to meet church fiduciary responsibilities (CEBBAM)
o Cash
Count funds immediately; 2 people count & sign printed collection form; duplicate deposits forms – bank & bookkeeper; deposit quickly; don’t co-mingle funds from different departments, never pay bills from collection
o Expenses
Pay by check for records; use petty cash for minor expenses; make payments only with documentation (ie invoices); two signatures for checks; 4-5 signers in church; don’t sign your own paycheck; no pre-signed checks
o Banking
Checking account at nearby bank; minister meets bank manager; use preprinted & #ed checks & deposit slips; reconcile monthly statements; control check writing – 2 signatures (bookkeeper & other non-minister)
o Bookkeeping
Maintain & post books daily or weekly; maintain a double entry bookkeeping system to balance transactions; post entries in ink if by hand; prepare a trial balance every month; keep duplicate records in safe place away from church; bookkeeper does not count funds, for checks and balances)
o Auditing
Every year conduct an independent audit of financial statements (Full audit or review audit where CPA checks books), occasional internal audit (CPA, board member or church member who knows bookkeeping)
o Miscellaneous
Use bank deposit box to guard important documents; annually review insurance liability coverage & protection
What are the parts of an accurate reporting and management system for church finances?
Control
Planning
Reporting
What is the basic purpose and what are the basic parts of a planning system?
- Planning How we project & maintain financial health & resources to fulfill mission (BCAR)
o BUDGET: prepare an annual budget
Budget fulfills vision and mission; complete process, review & approval before start of budget year; sufficient detail for comparison between budgeted & actual results; monthly data supports tracking results & trends
o COMMITTEE : form a budget committee
Composed of board members & minister; review budget est., suggest revisions; approves final submission for presentation to board & congregation
o APPROVAL: get approval of formal annual budget
Get board approval; ideally get congregation approval, present summary at annual meeting
o REVIEW: actual results vs. budget – determine action areas
Review actual results vs. budget to determine areas that need action; do quarterly reviews; track differences to prepare for next budget
o Overview: Have committees help build budgets; keep designated funds separate; Use cash or accrual basis (accrual: identifiable revenues and expenses within a specified period of time are matched against each other); know your assets and liabilities
What is the basic purpose and what are the basic parts of a reporting system?
- Reporting Discloses happenings of church’s business operations (MFPAS)
o METHODS
Balance sheet (specific date’s snapshot of assets & liabilities; A-L=Equity)
Income Statement (time span revenue & expenses; R-E=Net)
o FREQUENCY
Monthly for board meetings, annual statements for congregation
o PREPARATION
Issuer of monthly statements is not bookkeeper; annual statements should be done by person who does audit; minister never does financial statements
o ACCURACY
Ensured with good financial controls, annual audits are normally reliable; monthly reports are not audited & may contain inaccuracies
o SPECIAL Financial Reporting
Pledges (individual giving records for taxes); Extraordinary Giving (weekly report + for ty notes); Special contributions (building fund, scholarships, etc.); Checks from new visitors (add to system w/info from check)
What are some of the financial issues any church has?
BUDGET reflects vision and mission
Funding various MINISTRIES
Build mental equivalent of THRIVING generous community
FUNDRAISING & event planning
PLEDGE program
CONTINGENCY fund
Fair COMPENSATION for ministers & staff
Careful about DEBT
Growing PROSPERITY consciousness
Creating TITHING mentality
Open DIALOGUE about finances
TIMELY payment of expenses
Ensuring INTEGRY of finance staff
DEALING with issues quickly
How would you know if your church were doing well financially?
Growth trends over 2-3 year period
PEOPLE
DONATIONS Size of donation per congregant
# of ppl in community
CONTROLS Financial controls in place
CREDIT Credit history
PAYABLES List of payables
DEBT Bad debt
EXPERIENCE Experience/skills/consciousness of ppl in finances
o Information Needed: Liabilities = Equity
o Income Statement (Revenue – Expenses = Net)
What are some Financial Management concepts that you would use in your own life?
STEWARDSHIP Understand good stewardship in my own finances
READ Understand how to read financial statements,
BUDGET create budgets and meet financial goals
PROSPERITY Deepen in my own prosperity consciousness
What are some Financial Management concepts that you would use in your ministry?
Create and maintain strong financial controls and processes in the center
Work with the board and budget team to create strong, accurate budgets and forecasts
Handle any financial issues quickly with integrity and strength, growing abundance consciousness
