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How Well Do You Function with Finances?

Church leaders can respond differently to the challenges of dealing with money in congregational life. One pastor calls the church treasurer every month the day before the board meeting. "If I didn't call," she says, "he'd never get the reports ready on time." Another clergy leader can't seem to get his expenses in until December, frustrating the church administrator and the treasurer. One is overfunctioning around money, the other underfunctioning.

Overfunctioners take too much responsibility; underfunctioners don't take enough responsibility. You can't have an overfunctioner without an underfunctioner (in the first case, the pastor and treasurer) and vice versa (in the second case the pastor and administrative leaders).

Many church leaders are overfunctioners. They tend to take too much responsibility in the area of church finance. They feel responsible for raising the money and for seeing it is spent appropriately. They are the ones staying awake at night about the budget shortfall. The ...

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