On this page we will try and give you as much help and support as you would like. If there is any advice you want and you cannot find it here please contact us at [email protected]

'Basic Church budgeting' - resources from the November seminars

You may have heard the phrase ‘Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance’, or the more challenging one, ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail’.  Perhaps the opposite side of the same coin would be, ‘Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted’, which is a somewhat more positive outlook.

Whether your church has a lot of money, or very little, it is worth planning how you intend to use and steward it wisely, to help fulfil what God is calling your church to be and to do in your special part of Greater Lincolnshire.

This can be done through the simple process of setting a church budget.  Your church may or may not have a budget already.  If it has, that’s great. If not, now would be a good time to start.

To make this easy, simple Church Budget templates have been developed, in both Excel spreadsheet and printable forms, for those who like to use a computer spreadsheet and for those who prefer to work manually with paper and pen.

There is an Annual Budget template, which is the simplest way of doing it, and a Monthly Budget template for those who need more detailed figures.

To access the templates, please click here.  The first tab has some brief instructions, followed by the monthly and annual budget tabs for completion on a computer, and then the two printable ‘Manual’ versions on the final two tabs.

The Introductory Guide for New Treasurers written by The Association of Church Accountants & Treasurers (ACAT), has a short chapter on financial planning, including budgeting, which can be accessed here.

The Christian charity, Stewardship has produced a detailed guide on Financial Planning and Budgeting for Churches.

In addition, the well-known Church consultant, John Truscott has written a guidance note; What do budgets actually tell us?

If you have any queries about budgeting, please contact your Stewardship Officer on [email protected]

'Resourcing Together' - slides and video from September seminars for Treasurers and Incumbents

Eden tree presentation

CCLA

Ann Treacy HR slides

Andrew Gosling Restricted funds slides

PGS Slides

Data Developments Slides

Videos 

The role of a treasurer

The role of a treasurer is a very important one. Not only will thousands of pounds flow through the Church’s funds, but the PCC is also an independent charity, and will need to conform to Charity Commission guidance. Appointing a treasurer is a significant step for both the PCC and the individual, and it should be properly thought through. The treasurer does not need to be an accountant – it’s important that a potential treasurer has both the honesty and enthusiasm to want to do the job. The size and scope of the Treasurer’s job will depend on the size and complexity of the Parish. But key tasks for Treasurers are to:-

• Carry out the financial decisions made by the PCC. The responsibility for both raising and spending money to meet the PCC’s responsibilities lies with the PCC. The Treasurer implements their decisions.
• Draft an annual budget to assist the PCC to plan how it will fulfill its objectives for the coming year.
• Record all financial transactions carried out on behalf of the PCC and ensure they are properly authorised.
• Monitor the PCC’s finances throughout the year, and alert the PCC if any difficulties are likely.
• Work with the PCC to meet all its financial obligations, especially Parish Share, clergy expenses and insuring the church buildings against fire, theft and public liability.
• Maintain, and set-up if needed, a book-keeping system.
• Prepare the annual financial statements for approval by the PCC and submission to the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, ensuring that they comply with current Charity Commission requirements. Send a copy to the Diocese, and complete the national financial information return.

The Association of Church Accountants and Treasurers (ACAT) have produced an extremely useful New Treasurers Guide and have given permission for us to host it here. This provides a wide ranging overview to a range of topics of interest to new treasurers.

Once you have the basics underway, you might want to look ahead at the Annual Report and Accounts that you will need to produce at the end of the year. Understanding what is required early on in the year will help you make sure that you are following helpful practices as you go through the year.  Fuller Church of England guidance is contained in ‘PCC Accountability’ – click here for a pdf of the latest edition (this is a pdf of the pre-print version) or buy a hard copy from any good Christian bookshop.