Discover best practices in church finance. Here’s how.

A course starting in March welcomes volunteer church treasurers and financial secretaries. Together, we’ll learn about effective ways to manage church finances.

Known as the Certificate Program in Church Treasury, the four-part course has proven valuable for finance officers from across the Western North Carolina Conference.

Participants will gain insights from Foundation President David Snipes, Conference Treasurer Mark King and a host of guest experts on accounting, software, fraud detection and more.

“United Methodism is founded on accountability,” Mark said. “In today’s world, it is probably more important than ever. People want to know their church is keeping track — and doing the best it can — with the gifts they’re giving.”

Participants who complete all four sessions and related requirements receive framed certificates to hang in the church office.

Have a question? Click here to reach us.

Register today: Please click here for an online registration form.

How it can help your church

Consider an experience shared by Lane Peeler, chair of the finance committee at Wesley Chapel UMC in Misenheimer.

Lane’s church had just been asked to renew its insurance policy. Lane felt a sense of uncertainty around some aspects of the proposal. He wanted to make sure Wesley Chapel was getting a fair deal.

Turns out the Session Three guest speaker was Bonnie Burkett, a 45-year veteran of the insurance business. Bonnie is a member of Guilford College UMC in Greensboro.

“She spent a generous amount of time with me on the phone and then later sent me an email to add to what she had told me,” Lane recalled. “She cleared up all of my questions. This was all free!”

Lane added: “You will learn many things you did not know, and you will have a host of consultants that you can call on. I think this is a good example of Methodist connectionism.”

About the course

The course consists of four Saturday sessions from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Two are in-person and two are virtual. An exam is given at the end of each session. There is a $25 registration fee.

In-person: March 9 and April 20 at Givens Estates, a retirement community in Asheville

Via Zoom: March 16 and April 13

On behalf of the Foundation staff and board, thank you for considering this opportunity. Please feel free to reach out to our office with questions. We are grateful for your partnership in building the Church for generations to come.