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By Michael Castrilli

Accessible Church Accounting

Accounting has roots in the church! Did you know that one of the most important contributors to modern-day accounting was a Franciscan Friar, Luca Pacioli (1447-1517)?

Pacioli literally wrote the book on the double-entry accounting system and made tremendous contributions to accounting concepts that we use today. Interesting enough, he is also the same guy that taught math to Leonardo Da Vinci.

I think accounting gets a bad rap! I understand the frustration for some people, as I mentioned yesterday, finance is like learning a new language. But, if you make learning accounting an enjoyable experience, quite frankly, I think it can be really fun!

I am not a CPA, so maybe you are like me – I love finance, but I always want to make sure I am using concepts correctly, avoiding mistakes, and having the ability to look up terms and concepts quickly.

In our book, Parish Finance, Dr. Chuck Zech and I dedicated a chapter to accounting, tailored specifically for the church. But, you may be looking for even more than one chapter.

At times, I think accounting is like solving a puzzle by using numbers, formulas, and actions to make the best financial decisions. Over the years, I have found some great resources that break accounting down into component parts and make it accessible.

Below is a sampling of resources that I think you might enjoy:

Read More Church Finance 30/30 – 30 Tips in 30 Days

St. Paul Outside the Walls, Rome, Italy

By Michael Castrilli

Follow Church Law & Tax

Are you looking for a comprehensive review of education, insights, and resources related to church law, tax, compensation? I encourage to engage with a group that spends every single day working on these issues – Church Law & Tax 

I have no financial incentive to promote this awesome organization, so please know this is an unbiased endorsement!

Church Law & Tax logo

I really love this organization and I think you will as well. In short, Church Law & Tax offer fantastic information on all aspects of church legal, tax, and compensation matters for the church.

Not only do have a great Manage Your Church Blog, they also offer tools, articles, and ebooks.

A key resource that I have used for years is there annual church compensation guide — Compensation Handbook for Church Staff

Based on national survey results, the compensation guide offers profiles classified by part-time, full-time, church size, income budget, and geographical setting. Each position’s compensation levels are presented based on personnel characteristics including: years employed, denomination, region, gender, and educational training.

In addition, compensation profiles are broken down into categories so you can easily determine, base salary, retirement, health insurance, and more.

If you have questions about church law, tax, compensation, retirement, and more – I encourage you to utilize all aspects of their ministry!

Here are some actions you can take, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Read More Church Finance 30/30 Tips