FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Nearly 150 people received copies of the newly-published Church Management Guidebook at a Nov. 17 luncheon hosted by the Virginia Baptist Mission Board’s support services team.
The luncheon was held during the annual meeting of the Baptist General Association of Virginia.
The idea for the guidebook originated several years ago with BGAV treasurer Eddie Stratton. This current publication was over two years in the making and includes the work and contributions of several Virginia Baptist Mission Board staff members, as well as other sources and contributors.
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As treasurer for nearly eight years, Stratton recognized early on in his tenure a need for a “best practices” manual for Virginia Baptist churches of all sizes. In particular, he wanted to ensure that the smaller churches of the BGAV had practical and user friendly resources for sound church management.
Stratton felt that tools for proper management practices would be of help to all churches, including information for those who serve in the vital and trusted role of church treasurer.
As a start, a copy of The Treasurer’s Toolbox was obtained in 2003 from Stratton’s counterpart at the Louisiana Baptist Convention and adapted for use here in Virginia. From there, other publications were secured for use, including the Handbook for the Church Audit Committee, Employment Law Update and Building a Church Budget Bridge. These publications have been available for some time to Virginia Baptist churches and are now included in the current edition of the Church Management Guidebook.
Some in church leadership may be under the impression that certain practices, such as criminal background checks for potential volunteers and especially for those who work with children and youth, is not needed.
While a well -meaning sentiment of many in the local church, this simply isn’t good practice, says Stratton. Every precaution needs to be taken to ensure people’s safety and well-being.
In an increasingly litigious culture, churches could unwittingly find themselves in legal hot water related to a number of issues, including sexual harassment claims. This reality, along with the VBMB’s desire to provide churches with other sound management resources, prompted the publication of the Church Management Guidebook.
Inside the Church Management Guidebook, church staff and lay leaders will find practical information for:
- Sample church bylaws.
- Church treasurer’s role.
- Building a church budget.
- Employment law.
- The how and why of conducting a church legal audit.
- Church incorporation considerations.
- Church tax exemption questions.
- Printable criminal background check forms.
- Risk management resources.
- Emergency preparedness planning.
- A practical guide to parliamentary procedure.
- Robert’s Rules of Order made easy.
In addition, this publication contains an FAQ section that addresses many often asked questions on a variety of topics. Updates to the Church Management Guidebook will be available on the support services page of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board’s website at www.vbmb.org or through the VBMB’s Ministry Messenger.
For a mailed copy of the newly published Church Management Guidebook, contact the support services team of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board at 1.800.255.2428 or at linda.arthur@vbmb.org. If you would like to help defer the cost of publication and shipping, please send $5 per copy.
Because of reprinting guidelines, you may not reprint the Church Management Guidebook in its entirety, though specific sections may be copied as needed for distribution. Ideas for consideration in a future reprinting of the Church Management Guidebook may be directed to jody.faig@vbmb.org.
Jody Faig is human resources associate for the Virginia Baptist Mission Board.