A Financial Literacy, Management & Well-Being Resource
The COMPASS Academy resources inform and empower ministers in biblical financial leadership, stewardship, and well-being. Resources are organized into six categories. Each category has several sub-topics.
Click on category titles for the full list of resources.
Personal Budgeting and Debt Management
- Free online coaching on basic day to day financial matters (3 hours). Disponible en Español.
Retirement Readiness
- The issues of retirement that you need to consider. (1 - 2 hours)
Training for Biblical Stewardship
- A variety of resources including curriculum, videos, articles, preaching/teaching materials, and Excel worksheets (1 - 2 hours)
- Resources available from Generous Church: Training videos, sermon illustrations, epapers, articles
- This six-session program provides a Wesleyan approach to the topics of earning, spending, debt, savings, and giving, along with strategies to achieve a sustainable financial life. (Small group study should include study preparation time and small group meeting.)
- Sermons, bulletin inserts, PowerPoint slides, letters, and Bible lessons for a monthlong church-wide stewardship emphasis. (Need to create a free account. Time estimate should include preparation and delivery time.)
- Dave Ramsey's churchwide stewardship movement
Communicating Finances as a Leader
- Video driven training on eight principles for preaching on money, stewardship and generosity
- Brian Kluth's ebook for pastors and church leaders. (15 minutes)
Local Church Finances
- A P&B video with everything you need to consider in structuring your pastor's compensation package (click below). (23:04)
- An ECFA webinar-on-demand with Rollie Dimos, a certified fraud examiner and certified internal auditor, helping churches reduce the risk of fraud and increase financial accountability.
- The form that EVERY church board needs to fill out in order to contribute to the pastor's 403(b) retirement account
- P&B Memo #11 - Auto and Other Business Expense Reimbursements (10 minutes)
Financial Glossary
- A plan of spending over a certain length of time, based on how much income a person(s) or organization anticipates having.
- Theft or misappropriation of funds placed in one's trust or belonging to one's employer.
- A designated portion of a pastor’s salary (officially designated in advance of payment) for the amount actually used to provide or rent a home not to exceed the fair market rental value of the home (including furnishings, utilities, garage, etc.).
- An independent examination of an organization’s records and accounts to make sure that they show a fair, accurate and legal reflection of the financial position of the company at the accounting date. Audits can be either internal or external.