Sheri Laninga
Welcome to a place to where we can help each other with knowledge and understanding in the area of church administration. I served as church administrator at Brookside CRC in Grand Rapids for 8 ½ years and now serve in the Ministers’ Pension Office in Grand Rapids. I’m a business graduate from Calvin and have been a member of CRC congregations all my life including Redlands, CA; Scottsdale, AZ; Sun Valley, CA; and Grand Rapids, MI. A couple years ago Chris Cok, the controller at the denomination, and I posted on the CRC website “Financial Resources from Churches and for Churches.” Now the site http://www.crcna.org/pages/finance.cfm is linked to the Church Administration Network. We hope you find these resources helpful in your work. If you don’t see what you need, we look forward to your questions for possible new additions. If you have something that you think would be of interest to others in the area of church administration, please send it my way so we may continue to assist each other as we faithfully serve our Lord through the use of our gifts in administration. God bless you in your service, Sheri Laninga
Posted in: Employee vs. Independent Contractor (US)
The post has been edited to add US! Thanks for Canadian info. If individuals would like to post blogs pertinent to Canada, let me know!
Posted in: Getting Started in Church Administration
Hi all,
Churches typically cancel activities (meetings, worship services) if there is a tornado watch posted for the start time of the event or one hour before. Also, church buildings should be closed to all if the power is off. The office does not close due to a tornado watch. If there is a tornado warning during office hours, the office staff are in the basement.
Posted in: Kill the Deacons First!
Hi Karl,
I just read this article (the church admin guide) and loved it! Thanks for sharing your great passion for deaconal ministry. Sheri Laninga
Posted in: Articles of Incorporation?
Hi Michael:
Here are a couple resources that may be helpful for you:
The first is a blog (found here) that includes brief background on Bylaws as well as a sample church Bylaws document.
Second, there was a communication (found here) that came out August 2015 about some revisions to the articles due to issues with same-sex marriage.
Thanks!
Sheri
Posted in: Property & Finance Committee Mandate: What Should We Know?
If you look under Church Admin & Finance, Ministry Organization and look at the resources, you will find a sample mandate for an Administration Team. The Finance Team is a subset of this team that meets when needed for budget and stewardship related matters.
The Building and Grounds Team is also a subset of this team in this model and usually meets monthly, often working on projects for part or all of their scheduled time. A member of the Administration Team serves on the Finance Team (a sample mandate also on the site under Finance resources) and a member serves on the Building and Grounds Team in addition to a member serving on the Personnel Team in this model. The Administration Team is a subset of Council so you have a council connect for both of your teams.
Posted in: The Disclosure of Church Staff Salaries
My church doesn't list all the staff salaries including the pastor on the budget sheet but if someone wants a breakdown of the salaries, they are welcome to request more information from the leadership. This gives leadership an opportunity to address and educate the inquiring person on the process of review prior to setting compensation and benefits.
Posted in: Are There Examples/Samples for CRCNA Bylaws?
A sample bylaw is now posted under the Church Admin & Finance section.
Posted in: What software works for tracking church membership information?
Sales Force is being used by some staff at CRC's and is also being used at the denominational offices. The Church and Web network has some articles and blogs on the subject--enter "Sales Force" in the search. Other churches may find some very useful information on using Sales Force at your church.
Posted in: Does anyone have a copy of the position description for a church administrator?
A sample church administrator job description is available under Church Administration and Finance Tools along with several other resource materials for churches. Check out the section Employment Issues/Job Descriptions.
Posted in: Does anyone have advice on purchasing a church defibrillator?
Check out this past blog post for more information on defibrillators.
Posted in: What software works for tracking church membership information?
I think there may be a review of CRC's and their software. I'll check on Monday with the person who may know and get back to you. We use access at my church also.
Posted in: Where can I find a sample policy regarding ministry standards and expectations for volunteers?
I google searched on the subject and didn't come up with anything that really fit well with what you are looking for as a starting point. It would be great to add this sample resource under the web "Church Finance and Admin Resources" when you have an approved document.