Tool Kit for Congregational Leaders

The 2008 Tool Kit was held March 1. Dates for the 2009 Tool Kit will be announced. Please call the synod office if you have questions. An outgrowth of the Tool Kit is the following opportunity, available to congregations in the Saint Paul Area Synod:

Church Administration 101
Parish records screaming for attention? Employee handbooks a distant dream? Lost track of who has master keys to the building? Computer network cobbled together...and crashing on a regular basis? Administration undergirds ministry in congregations, and putting systems in place to support administrative tasks can enhance and strengthen your ministries. When necessary and routine tasks happen efficiently, it’s a lot easier to proclaim the gospel!

In the synod office, we often receive phone calls from pastors, parish secretaries, and administrators seeking help or resources around personnel matters, finance, records management, and an array of other concerns. We know congregations need support in this area and resources to equip them. We’re pleased to be able to provide a unique opportunity to congregations this summer. Kathy Grant, church administrator at Gloria Dei Lutheran, St. Paul, is providing us three weeks of her summer sabbatical as a “loaned consultant” for congregations. She will be available to come to your congregation, for all or part of day as a resource, to help talk through a variety of topics from personnel policies to property management to communication with church councils. She is not able to offer legal or financial advice, but she can work with you to examine areas in your operation that need attention and to point you to appropriate resources.

Possible areas for consultation
Areas in which she can provide consultation include:

Human Resources: Hiring; background checks; termination; record keeping required for employees, W-4, I-9, state reporting; employee handbooks; fringe benefits and eligibility; issue of employee vs independent contractor vs volunteer; workers compensation.
Payroll Matters: Regulations; processing, taxes, deductions.
Bookkeeping/Accounting: Reconciling bank statements; chart of account structure; managing cash; internal controls; oversight of cash/funds; systems for processing invoices; writing checks; keeping records organized; maintenance of contribution records; deductible vs non-deductible; training a backup; using spreadsheets.
Asset Security: Resource list for key vendors (plumbers, computer technicians); looking after your computer network (passwords/access/authority); overseeing credit cards (who gets them/why/oversight); computer backups; expenditure authorization; custody of keys; using church vehicles; insurance coverage; procedures for borrowing “stuff” from the church.
Facilities: Knowing your building; overseeing custodians; what’s locked in the church, what’s not; room usage by groups, members; sound systems; equipment needs; special periodic cleaning schedules; first aid (defibrillator); nursery oversight and cleanliness; disaster supplies.
Communications: Keeping staff in the know – sharing information; vacation schedules; reporting to the council; keeping good records (minutes, resolutions); preparing resource manuals for council members; working with the treasurer regarding financial/accounting issues; communicating with members/volunteers,; remembering to say thank you; tracking church events.

Dates of Availability: June 9-27
Fee: None!
Time: 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. or partial day
Who should be involved: Parish administrators, business managers, church secretaries, pastors, selected members of the church council. The consultation will be more effective if a small team of 2-5 people are involved for some or all of the day. In addition, depending on the topics of consultation, you may be asked to pull together background information to have on hand for discussion. For more information: Contact Beth Helgen at beth.helgen@spas-elca.org or call 651.224.4313.

More information>