The State Board of Missions will host church weekday education (CWE) leadership training on May 3-4 at Shocco Springs Conference Center. The event, sponsored by the Office of LeaderCare & Church Health, will allow CWE teachers and directors the opportunity to take classes and learn how to become more effective in their jobs. Training will [...]
As Mike Jackson travels around the state meeting with churches in transition, he says one question comes up more and more frequently than any others. “What I’m seeing is a lot of churches who are wrestling with should we move from full-time ministry to bi-vocational when it comes to hiring a pastor,” said Jackson, director [...]
The number one financial question among bivocational pastors is "Can all my income be in housing allowance?” Answer: “Yes, if that is appropriate for your situation.” The average bivocational pastor in Alabama makes about $19,000 per year from their church, so for many, it would be reasonable. Ministers should consider their particular situation as they [...]
Many church members believe that the pastor is self-employed. Many churches treat the pastor as self-employed concerning compensation and taxes. But the truth is that the minister serving a church is self-employed concerning Social Security and Medicare but an employee in every other way. Minister tax experts call this a “dual tax status.” This fact [...]
It’s the Lord’s money and church leaders need to use it wisely, said Lee Wright, coordinator of church compensation services for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. Wright speaks on this topic often. In fact, he led 10 “Church Financial Issues” conferences in 2017. He discussed a variety of financial issues in speaking to [...]
There are 2 pieces of information important to church staff and church treasurers as we begin the new year. See IRS.gov, then click on the news tab. IRS mileage rate for 2018 Beginning on Jan. 1, 2018, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car (also vans, pickups or panel trucks) will be: 54.5 [...]
You have heard the news reports about the Equifax data breach. You should assume that your personal information is in the hands of criminals. You have also heard the instructions to “freeze your credit,” but many Americans are confused or intimidated by this process. Combining the best advice from consumer advocates Jean Chatzsky, Dave Ramsey [...]
In 1 Peter 3:15, the disciple urges his fellow Christians to “always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you to give the reason of the hope that you have.” “Peter knew that the gospel would be most effectively shared in [his] culture through hopeful living and strategic conversations,” said Kevin Blackwell, [...]
Did you know that one out of four girls and one out of six boys will be sexually abused before age 18? Further, two out of three victims will not tell until adulthood, if ever. The church should be the safest place on earth for a child, but sometimes it is not. Richard Hammar, nationally-known [...]
The greatest area of difficulty in a minister’s tax filing is his or her dual status, according to Lee Wright, state missionary in the office of LeaderCare and church health at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM). A minister is an employee for federal income tax purposes and self-employed for Social Security taxes, [...]