Just a year or two ago most Americans were feeling financially secure if not downright prosperous. Their homes were appreciating in value, the job market was strong and they were earning solid returns on their savings and investments.

As church congregations and budgets grow, the potential exposure to fraud and other illicit behavior grows as well. Larger churches would be well served to consider steps that other nonprofit entities have taken to tighten their internal control environments.

If you could finance your next large construction project at three points less than a commercial lender would ordinarily charge without additional risk or gimmickry, wouldn’t you do so?

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times … ,” wrote Charles Dickens in his classic, “A Tale of Two Cities.” You don’t need an advanced degree to see that these are difficult economic times. In spite of that, many churches around the country are still growing and looking for creative ways to manage that growth.

Imagine that if on a typical Sunday your offering plate was loaded down with gifts of cars, boats, RVs, timeshares, jewelry, gold coins and stamp donations.

In their continuing efforts to be better stewards of the environment and the resources of their church, the leadership at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX instituted a specific recycling program in 2007.

The Internal Revenue Services (IRS) issued revised final regulations under Internal Revenue Code section 403(b) in July of 2007.

Most churches piece their financial partner relationships together based on a chain of disconnected events or referrals. Interest rates decline and a decision is made to shop for a new mortgage lender.