Creating a Safe Outreach Ministry

Plan properly, so you can focus on meeting the needs of your neighboring communities.

by Jonathan Sprowl

My last year of college, I had the privilege of overseeing 20-plus weekly outreach ministries to the greater Chicago area. Our programs included a sports ministry, refugee outreach, hospital visitation, tutoring, street evangelism, and soup kitchen ministry. I witnessed the breadth and scope of the impact such ministries can have on the communities they serve.

However, anyone who has participated in outreach ministries also knows how complicated they can be logistically. Outreach ministries expose the local church to unique liabilities, such as transportation. Inner-city ministries like the ones I was involved with required transportation to and from the church, and drivers were nearly always volunteers. How can you provide meaningful service in another community, and yet maintain a level of protection for your volunteers? Use the following simple tips from ChurchSafety.com to help you plan properly, so you can focus on meeting the needs of your neighboring communities.

Know Your Destination
Learn everything you can about the targeted outreach area. The more you know about your surroundings, the better you'll be able to navigate the area and keep your volunteers safe.

Know your volunteers. Try to get to know your volunteers. Communication tends to be easier if there is some history behind the relationship. Even if it's just an icebreaker before the event, your volunteers will feel more at ease with each other.

Safety in Numbers
Have enough people. Your safety depends on the amount of people needed for a particular ministry. Before you head out, make sure your group will be safe with your designated number of volunteers. Depending on where you're going, you may want to split up into groups of three at the smallest.

Screen All Volunteers
Drivers need required license. Most states require a commercial driver license (CDL) for driving buses and large vans; check with your local Department of Motor Vehicles.

Obtain driving records. Obtain candidates' driving records. Choose people without reckless driving citations or multiple moving violations. Your ministry may be judged negligent for allowing someone with a poor driving record to operate a vehicle.

Take greater precautions with minors. If a minor is injured while volunteering, the church may be legally responsible on the basis of negligence if the injury resulted from the church's failure to exercise a reasonable degree of care in the selection or supervision of its workers. Also, when screening minors, contact local charities or organizations to see what their method is for screening and selecting students under 18.

To learn more about creating a safe outreach ministry, visit ChurchSafety.com.

Protecting Churches from Embezzlement

A special webinar this week covers important financial controls.

by Matt Branaugh

Back in December, we ranked the Top 7 Resources to Combat Church Embezzlement. Six months later, I’m reminded of why, and with another unfortunate headline emerging last week, it’s an opportunity for me to highlight a special online event we’re hosting this week that you can attend.

At the time of our December posting, a couple of recent headlines had caught our eye, including the “zero tolerance" stance judges are beginning to take in cases involving embezzlement at churches, and a $1 million embezzlement allegation against an individual who oversaw a Connecticut church’s investments.

In Your Church magazine’s Spring 2010 issue, many of our Editorial Advisors cautioned leaders about the ever-present threat of fraud to church finances, a problem compounded by a reluctance by some to institute stronger financial controls, or by an ongoing presumption that safeguards aren’t necessary because those in their church office are trustworthy.

Last week, we were reminded again of this threat—this time in our own backyard. The pastor of a storefront church in Aurora, Illinois, just minutes from our offices, was arrested, accused of swindling $470,000 from three men, including a member of his congregation, through a church real estate investment scheme.

While the circumstances in every case will differ, the common thread is the vulnerability of the local church when proper practices aren’t in place.

In Pastor, Church, & Law, Volume 1: Legal Issues for Pastors, Richard Hammar covers the boundaries that pastors and church leaders must heed in investment situations like the real estate case in Aurora (he also wrote, “Could You Be Sued For Mismanaging Your Church’s Money?” in the November/December 2008 issue of Church Law & Tax Report, which covered this topic).

Regarding proper controls and practices, we offer the Essential Guide to Church Finances. And that leads me to our special event: At 10:30 a.m. (Central Time) on Wednesday, co-author Vonna Laue will present a webinar on financial controls. For an hour, Vonna will highlight best practices for internal controls—what churches can do to safeguard against financial fraud. This webinar will help churches identify weaknesses in their current practices, and ways to implement better controls. She’ll also take questions from participants. It’s priced at $12.95 to make it accessible for churches of any size.

Our prayer remains simple: That as a not-for-profit publisher, we provide resources that help churches stay safe, legal, and financially sound. I know this webinar underscores our commitment; we hope these collective efforts reduce vulnerabilities and prevent future unfortunate headlines announcing financial improprieties at churches.

Hosting Large Events at Your Church

Consider safety precautions for your building and staff.

by Lindsey Learn

Whenever churches open their doors to the public they expose themselves to both opportunity and risk. A well-run event maximizes the opportunity and takes precautions against the risk. Use these simple tips from ChurchSafety.com the next time your church is considering hosting a large event.

Communicate Responsibility
Keep accountability. Event and Building Use forms are essential when letting outside groups use your church for an event. It's important that groups are held accountable for things they agree to in your Building Use forms and Event forms.

Hold up your end. Communicate to outside groups what your church is responsible for during their event. For example you may want some policies on handling medical emergencies, traffic, and parking lot safety.

Keep Your Building Up to Code
Be fire safe. If you don't already have one, create a plan for a fire emergency. Clearly mark the Exits and have a clearly communicated evacuation plan. If you haven't already, invite some professionals (local fire fighter or paramedic) to walk through your building, giving suggestions on how to better protect your church.

Have and emergency plan. Weather it's an in-house medical emergency team, or keeping first aid kits stocked around the church. Your facility should be ready to react to any potential medical emergency.

To learn more about hosting large events at church, visit ChurchSafety.com.

Should Churches Buy Fair-Trade Coffee?

Responses to a Your Church article on fair trade

by Matt Branaugh

Last week, we published "Weighing Fair-Trade Coffee," on YourChurch.net, the home website for Your Church magazine. We became more interested in this topic several months ago, after Kevin Miller connected with Troy Jackson, pastor of University Christian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. University Christian partners with a Guatemalan village called Santa Maria de Jesus in a direct-trade relationship. That relationship produces La Armonia Hermosa (The Beautiful Harmony), a coffee awaiting fair-trade certification, which the church sells.

In my days as a business reporter and editor, I often witnessed the volatile debates that occur from conversations pertaining to certification and food. In the early 2000s, there were hotly contested discussions among natural foods circles about "organic" certification (many of those discussions still remain). I knew the same held true for the "fair trade" label, as this Wikipedia entry will attest. I anticipated we'd receive a variety of responses after we published the fair-trade coffee article, even though the purpose of the Your Church piece wasn't to take a position on the topic. Rather, it was written to generally define the topic and give some basic parameters for church leaders to understand as they shop coffee options.

Nevertheless, the responses began to arrive. I've posted three of them below. In the meantime, what better place to continue the conversation than here? Should churches buy fair-trade coffee?

From David Kryder, a reader from Green Valley, Arizona:

"Oh, Matt! Please!

Haven't you matured beyond believing "fair trade" products are more than fancy marketing?

For some interesting commentary on "Fair Trade" Coffee see http://www.newscientist.com/blog/environment/2007/03/freds-footprint-how-fair-is-fair-trade.html but especially a comment there by "Pete on March 30 2007 at 8:56 AM" , but many others as well.

Overall your newsletters seem very helpful, but this one....?? Wow! Please no more than church propaganda.

Have a wonderful day - - and drink more coffee - - without expecting "fair trade" to solve the problem.

Best regards, David"

From John Krause, another reader:

"Dear Editor, I just [read] the the article about Free Trade Coffee. Last week I ran into a friend who is a bean roaster for the last 7 years. He provides wholesale pricing to all churches no matter how much coffee they purchase and the coffee is outstanding. What he does may provide a way to take the bean to roast as the author of the article suggests. I wanted to pass the Christian roasters information along to the author but could not find a way to contact him on your site.

The link below (http://abeantogo.com/) may be of interest to the author or others who are looking for high quality coffee from a Christian source.

God Bless you, John Krause"

And one more from another reader:

"I appreciate the sentiment behind fair trade coffee, but when I see
Starbucks offering Fair Trade coffee, I wonder if the Fair Trade label
means anything other than a clever way to market to people who have a
conscience.

It sorta feels like Nike selling Fair Trade shoes. Not sure I trust
them not to just slap the label on the same old product line."

What Churches Should Know about IRS Form 990-N

Why outreach ministries may be affected by a looming deadline.

by Matt Branaugh

(Editor's Note: Since posting this on May 14, the IRS has issued a statement urging small nonprofits to still file, even though the May 17 deadline has passed).

We recently fielded a question from a reader regarding the Internal Revenue Service's Form 990-N.

Tax-exempt organizations that average $25,000 or less in gross receipts during the previous three years are required--annually--to file a Form 990-N with the IRS through a free electronic form. When an organization misses a filing for one year, or even two, the IRS will send a reminder. But if the organization fails to make its filing for a third consecutive year, the IRS will revoke the organization's tax-exempt status.

It's a big deal this year because 2009 represents the third tax year since certain law changes went into effect. And the deadline for filing for the 2009 tax year looms near.

The reader wanted to know whether the Form 990-N affects churches. The short answer is no.

But there are situations that church leaders should note because they could trigger a need for ministries and organizations related to their churches to comply. And in those situations, a filing must be made, either by Monday, May 17 (the deadline for organizations that use a January 1 fiscal year is normally May 15, but because that date falls on a Saturday this year, it pushes back to May 17), or by November 15 (the deadline for those that use a July 1 fiscal year) at http://epostcard.form990.org.

There was a time when small nonprofits didn't have to file annual returns with the IRS. That changed with the Pension Protection Act of 2006.

As our friends at the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability note in a recent article, the Act "requires the IRS to revoke the federal tax exemption of any organization that has failed to file three consecutive annual returns (Form 990-N, 990-EZ, 990, or 990-PF [private foundations]). Nonprofits that wish to have their exemptions reinstated will be required to re-apply to the IRS for tax-exempt status. This process can take several months."

For this tax year, the IRS says a Form 990 must be completed by nonprofits that meet the following conditions:

• Gross receipts of $500,000 or more, or total assets of $1.25 million or more, for the end of the 2009 tax year.

Smaller and mid-sized organizations that meet the following conditions can complete a Form 990-EZ:

• Gross receipts were less than $500,000, or total assets were less than $1.25 million, for the 2009 tax year;

The IRS also created the electronic Form 990-N for small nonprofits (those with gross receipts that average $25,000 or less for three consecutive years), which is free and doesn't require any software. This was designed as a simple way for the smallest organizations to comply, the IRS says, and requires only an Internet connection and e-mail address.

And the IRS also provides a list of tax-exempt organizations that don't have to file annually. "Exceptions to this requirement include ... churches, their integrated auxiliaries, and conventions or associations of churches," according to the IRS.

The "integrated auxiliaries" stipulation is where churches need to be careful, says Frank Sommerville, an attorney and CPA specializing in nonprofits and churches (and an editorial advisor for Your Church magazine). Integrated auxiliaries typically include seminaries, women's auxiliaries, and schools.

So long as the church remains in majority control of the integrated auxiliary's governance, or it remains the majority financial supporter, then the exemption should remain, Sommerville says. But if either of those factors changes--for instance, the church's control of the organization goes below 50 percent, or its financial support shrinks below 50 percent, then the church needs to consult with a legal professional, he says. That's a likely sign that a Form 990-N is required for that organization, since it likely no longer fits under the definition of an "integrated auxiliary," he says.

In an e-mail to Your Church, the IRS says "the tests to qualify as an integrated auxiliary are very technical, so an organization should consult with legal counsel to determine qualification as an integrated auxiliary. IRS Publication 1828, Churches and Religious Organizations, includes information about an Integrated Auxiliary of a Church on page 27."

The IRS continues: "One of tests for determining integrated auxiliary status is the internal support test, which an organization meets if it neither offers admissions, goods, services or facilities for sale, other than on an incidental basis, to the general public (except goods, services, or facilities sold at a nominal charge or for an insubstantial portion of the cost) nor normally receives more than 50 percent of its support from a combination of governmental sources, public solicitation of contributions, and receipts from the sale of admissions, goods, performance of services, or furnishing of facilities in activities that are not unrelated trades or businesses. The organization must also meet the affiliation test, which requires an integrated auxiliary to be closely connected to a church or convention or association of churches. Affiliation may be established by a church's majority control over the auxiliary's governing body, but it also may be established by facts and circumstances."

Besides the integrated auxiliary distinction, church leaders also should spread the word to local nonprofits or ministries that aren't affiliated with a church, if only to help them avoid problems with losing their status and the subsequent problems they would encounter with donors as a result of the loss of that status.

In a May 10 article of The Nonprofit Times, the Urban Institute's National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) estimates that 21 percent of the country's 1,592,810 nonprofit organizations haven't filed the required returns. The NCCS has created a searchable database to help organizations determine whether they're affected, according to the article.

Safe and Legal Fundraising

Use safety precautions when planning your next fundraiser.

by Jeff Hanna

Before you launch your next fundraising effort, be sure to consider some aspects that may be putting your church and your members at risk. Use the simple tips below as a checklist for your next fundraiser.

Physical Safety

Outside Vendors. Most vendors are reputable. However, some may be inexperienced or unprofessional. Be sure to select vendors who have references. Utilize a written contract outlining their duties and get proof that they have adequate insurance.

Equipment. All equipment, whether owned by the church, rented, or brought in by a vendor should be safe. The only way to insure this is to have it inspected by a certified inspector. Further, all equipment should be run by a trained, responsible person who has safety in mind.

Food Sales. Anytime you are selling food, extra care should be provided. Adults should make sure the food is kept at the proper temperatures and safe to sell.

Financial Safety

Cash. Every effort should be made to secure the funds as soon as possible, even as it accumulates during the event. A responsible security team (of two or more) should take cash to a secure room, and lock it up until it can be counted. Once the money is secured, it should be handled in the same way as the church collection. Use two or more people to count the money, document it, and ensure its safe deposit. Never allow cash to be taken home or counted by just one person.

Tax-Deductible Donations. Some churches raise funds by asking people to donate items to the church. The church then sells or uses these donations, and the donor can receive a tax deduction. Take care to follow proper IRS guidelines for accepting donations and reporting them. Churches should consult a competent tax person who knows the law regarding nonprofits.

Get the full picture of safety and legal precautions for fundraising at ChurchSafety.com.

8 Resources for Peacefully Resolving Church Conflicts

The definitive collection to guide leaders before, during, and after turbulent times.

by Matt Branaugh

In our ongoing conversations with church leaders, as well as our collaboration with colleagues at Leadership Journal, OutofUr.com, and BuildingChurchLeaders.com, we know conflict remains one of the biggest detractors from a healthy church office environment. So we're keenly aware of this issue, and why it matters a great deal to church leaders like you and me.

I was reminded—again—of the significance of this issue last summer, when I attended the National Association of Church Business Administration's annual conference. Ken Sande, president of Peacemaker Ministries, offered a keynote address on the urgency with which church leaders should address conflict and resolve it peacefully. Otherwise, congregations face unnecessary heartache, and the testimony given to the communities surrounding them becomes stained.

One point that Ken offered during his speech remains firmly planted in my mind: "Reflect much on Jesus and his gospel, and you will reflect much of Jesus and his gospel."

Since then, we've offered two pieces on the subject of healthy conflict resolution, and in a recent phone interview I did with Ken, he offered additional resources to help church leaders. Here's a helpful look at all of them:

• In December, we published "Resolving Conflict in the Church Office," from David Fletcher, an executive pastor and the founder of XPastor.org. David also is a contributing editor to Your Church.

• Last month, we posted an updated article from Ken titled "Lawsuits in the Church." It includes six basic steps that can help protect a church.

• In my recent call with Ken, he highlighted the following two resources:

—The Leadership Opportunity (for Your Church readers, Ken graciously has offered—at no financial benefit to Your Church—a 26-percent discount. Please use this code: CTONLINE20). This is Peacemaker Ministries' newest resource. It's a 14-session, DVD-based study designed to train church leaders. "We've discovered the key players in conflicts in churches are their leaders," Ken says. Through 28 years of ministry experience, "we've seen the mistakes," he adds, so Peacemaker Ministries created this resource specifically to help leaders identify and address their weaknesses. Of primary focus: Helping leaders understand where they land on a continuum that stretches from "people pleasers" to "controllers." Once they know this, leaders are better prepared to handle themselves, as well as a conflict. "Ideally, prevention is the preferable thing. If leaders can learn this when they're not in the midst of a conflict, it's better," Ken says.

For a glimpse of The Leadership Opportunity's principles in action, read this article from The Oklahoman about a church that resolved a terrible conflict and experienced "tremendous reconciliation" at a public ceremony, Ken says.

—The Peacemaking Church Resource Set (for Your Church readers, Ken graciously has offered—again, at no financial benefit to Your Church—a 20-percent discount. Please use this code: CTONLINE20). "This set is geared toward the entire congregation," Ken says. It provides materials to begin building a culture of peace in a local church, providing a vision for the church's leaders, tools to teach the theology of peacemaking, and ways to embed the peacemaking approach through a dedicated—and trained team. The set helps leaders identify, recruit, and train gifted people for the peacemaking team. "You need some folks with passion and gifts in that area," Ken says. Of the hundreds of churches interviewed, the ones with the most dynamic and fruitful peacemaking efforts have an established and trained team, he says. One prime example: Tony Evans' Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas.

Ken says pastors of small churches may think the formation of a team is unrealistic because recruiting and retaining volunteers already presents a formidable challenge. In many instances, training existing lay leaders who serve in other roles can still, in effect, create a peacemaking team that reaches across the entire ministry, he says. Without one, these pastors wind up mediating most conflicts themselves, which becomes a drain on time and energy. "Taking the time to teach somebody an important task, especially peacemaking, is an investment of time," Ken says. He estimates the 10 to 20 hours of time a pastor spends upfront with training results in 5 hours of time gained by that pastor each month to tend to other ministry matters for several years to come.

• Ken also recommends "The Peacemaking Pastor," a 2006 book by Alfred Poirier. "It provides a more theological view," Ken says.

• Ken didn't mention it in his call with me, but David referenced it in his post, and many others have as well: Ken wrote a book in 2003 titled, The Peacemaker.

• I'll also highlight our electronic training resource, "Church Office Communications," as well as BuildingChurchLeaders.com's recently updated and expanded Training Theme "Handling Conflict," which includes contributions from Larry Osborne, Kevin Miller, Fred Smith Sr., Bill Hybels, and Mark Buchanan.

• A final thought (added on May 13, 2010): Our sister publication Leadership journal posted an article this week titled, "A Repenting Church," which looks at how one church identified its corporate sins and started down a path of reconciliation through public confession and repentance.

Your Church Celebrates Four Awards

Our quarterly church management magazine receives four honors.

by Matt Branaugh

Many of you may not know this, but Your Church magazine, like many other publications at Christianity Today International, is a member of the Evangelical Press Association, "the world's largest professional organization for the evangelical periodical publishing industry," as its website reports.

Each year, the EPA honors the best work from the prior calendar year. On Thursday, we learned Your Church received four awards for work performed in 2009. In all, the EPA judged 734 entries representing 87 publications:

• Your Church magazine, along with two other publications, received Awards of Merit in the Christian Ministries publication category (Your Church's sister publication, Leadership journal, received an Award of Excellence, the top honor for the category);

In the EPA's "Higher Goals" categories:

• Marian Liautaud, fifth place, for her roundtable interview with church leaders, "Budget Bullseye";

• Lee Dean, fourth place, for his church communications article, "Bringing Joy to the World";

• David Harbaugh, fifth place, for his cartoon, "Church Collateral," which you can see here:

We're humbled by the recognition, and thankful, too. We pray this work honors the Lord and serves church leaders like you well.

Accidents Caused by Teenage Drivers

Accidents during youth events can create unexpected liabilities for churches.

by Richard Hammar

Follow Richard on YouTube.com: http://www.youtube.com/richardrhammar

For more information on keeping the youth in your church safe, visit the "Youth" section of ChurchSafety.com. You'll find topics on High Risk Student Activities, Safe Mentoring Relationships, and more.

Responding to Floods and Other Disasters

Tips and resources as flooding hits the Southeast.

As the death toll rises to 18 in the aftermath of the flooding in Tennessee, the water is slowly starting to recede. Many residents are returning to their homes to find damaged possessions and property. Churches are also dealing with the repercussions of the flash flood; many have been forced to reconvene in alternative meeting areas.

The Your Church Blog has compiled a number of resources from our family of sites at Christianity Today International that are available to help affected churches. These resources also are useful for any churches in other parts of the country who are reminded of their needs to plan and prepare for a possible future disaster situation like this one.

Below is a free article from a ChurchSafety.com download, "Serving as a Disaster Relief Team." This article provides simple, effective tips before a church begins to respond to an affected community. Following the article is a list of other resources that can help.

Simple Tips for Serving as a Disaster Relief Team
Improve your effectiveness by being prepared.

It’s hard to comprehend the chaos left behind by a major catastrophe. Disaster relief teams often have to work in an environment where safe water, food, and electricity do not exist. Following are a few simple tips that will go a long way to ensuring that your disaster relief team is ready to tackle the hazards ahead.

Ahead of Time

• Buddy up. Always work through an organization that has experience with disaster relief, such as the American Red Cross or a denominational program. This prevents overlapping assistance, gets to people who might be missed, and increases efficiency.

• Be ready to ‘rough it.’ Don't expect anyone to host you. This means taking your own water, food, and shelter. You may even need a generator for electrical power.

• Be safe, not sorry. Thoroughly train volunteers about safety measures they should follow in a disaster relief situation. This could include everything from using a chainsaw properly to purifying drinking water. The American Red Cross and many other relief organizations offer training courses for volunteers.

On the Scene

• Dress for success. You’ll need sturdy work shoes—not sneakers—to avoid puncture wounds and twisted ankles when walking over debris. Take a couple of pairs of work gloves, plus disposable facemasks. Bandanas can serve as facemasks or as cooling headbands when dipped in water.

• Take the right tools. For floods, you'll need flat shovels, buckets, mops, and rags. After tornadoes or hurricanes, you'll need chain saws, rakes, and brooms. Following earthquakes you'll need shovels, crowbars, and picks. For all disasters, take a basic tool set with hammer, pliers, socket set, and screwdrivers. Also take an electrical tester and a fire extinguisher. If you have room, take a wheelbarrow or containers to carry debris.

• Identify yourself. Before leaving home, contact the organization with which you plan to work. Ask for a vehicle decal and personal identification that identifies you as a part of the relief effort. Often, only authorized personnel are allowed to enter disaster areas.

--Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company and ChurchSafety.com.

Additional Resources

ChurchSafety.com:

- Free assessment: Is Our Church Ready for Any Emergency?
- Electronic training download: Preparing Your Church for Emergencies

BuildingChurchLeaders.com
- Electronic training download: Responding to a Crisis
- Electronic training download: Preaching in Crisis
- Electronic training download: Disaster and Emergency Readiness

Don't Forget the Check

Remote-deposit capture is an efficient way to handle Sunday offerings.

by Matt Branaugh

The buzz surrounding electronic giving options continues to grow as online donation capabilities improve and text-messaging campaigns take hold. The American Red Cross, for instance, says it raised $35 million within 48 hours of the January earthquake in Haiti, with half arriving via its website and $5 million through texts.

But a lesser-known technology called remote-deposit capture may provide significant benefits to churches as they sift through the large number of checks still given weekly. A February survey of 750 Christian households by Maximum Generosity, Church Finance Today, and Leadership shows 90 percent still primarily use checks for their weekly offering.

Remote-deposit capture first gained acceptance among retailers wanting to speed the clearing of checks. In recent years, banks like Christian Community Credit Union, Bank of the West, and Evangelical Christian Credit Union began offering it to churches.

The service involves a device at the church, provided by the bank, to scan checks. The bank can then import the digital information immediately into the church's accounting or management software. Churches pay for the scanner, plus a monthly service fee that is based on the volume of checks processed. But some banks offer the scanners for free and reduce (or even waive) the processing fees, based on their relationship with the church.

For church leaders, the benefits are numerous. At Church in the City in Rowlett, Texas, the deposits appear in the church's account the next day. It's one of the most appealing aspects of the system, said administrator David Tebeau. "Velocity of cash is very important."

Besides speed, the service can also improve productivity for staff members and volunteers, eliminating manual deposit preparation and paper trails, and reducing the number of trips made to the bank, since deposits can occur virtually any time of day throughout the week, said Linda Chan, an associate vice president at CCCU.

A reduction in trips to the bank also may help avoid situations like one that occurred on a Sunday night last December in Greenville County, South Carolina, when an armed man robbed a husband and wife as they made a night deposit at the church's bank.

CCCU introduced remote-deposit capture nearly four years ago. More than 50 clients, including churches, now use it, Chan said. "Our remote-deposit capture volume accounts for about 30 percent of ministry accounts deposit volume," she said.

This article first appeared in our sister publication Leadership.

Creating a Safe Outreach Ministry

Protecting Churches from Embezzlement

Hosting Large Events at Your Church

Should Churches Buy Fair-Trade Coffee?

What Churches Should Know about IRS Form 990-N

Safe and Legal Fundraising

8 Resources for Peacefully Resolving Church Conflicts

Your Church Celebrates Four Awards

Accidents Caused by Teenage Drivers

Responding to Floods and Other Disasters