Monday, April 15, 2013
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Launch Team Training Day for New City Boston
Enjoy!
Audio: "Outsiders, Insiders, Friends, Family: Choose Wisely"
This "full message" version of our opening devotional is from a previous Launch Team training. In it we address four types of people typically drawn to a new church community. You become what you embrace, choose wisely!(play with in-line player above or download audio at Internet Archive)
Handout:
Friday, January 18, 2013
Instructions for Mission Giving Percentages with the NEW Church Planting Fund
For ECConf Church Planters:
As we unveiled and discussed at our recent Cohort gatherings, we're now implementing an exciting new approach to the 15% Mission Giving!To-Do:
- Immediately: Communicate to your Finance Person
- new percentages and procedure for the 8% and 7% checks
- do not send 10% & 5% checks anymore - they will be sent back, delaying the release of your appropriation checks
- Optional (but highly recommended): designate up to 50% of your "8% Covenant Check" for a Covenant Missionary or Project (details below)
Basic Instructions
- Due by the 10th of each month:
- Two Checks sent together directly to the East Coast Conference office
- Memos:
- Both Checks: always include the month the giving is for
- Covenant Check: note designated missionary/project giving (if applicable)
- Mail to: 52 Missionary Road, Cromwell, CT 06416
- Percentages based on local tithes and offerings
(not appropriations, fundraising, or special gifts): - 8% Covenant check - "Pay to the order of: Covenant Church" with Memo designating any Missionary/Project giving (see below)
- 7% ECConf Check - "Pay to the order of: East Coast Conference"
Details for 3% Church Planting Fund
- Automatically Created & Tracked:
- the East Coast Conference will automatically create a related budget line and hold these funds for your church to request for your own outside church planting efforts
- each church plant will have these funds tracked separately with their own designated budget line within the ECConf accounting
- Fund Usage & Requests:
- requests will be handled case-by-case, beginning with a conversation with Jason Condon (Director of Church Planting)
- with simple approval, funds may be used for church planting efforts such as parenting, partnering, residencies, or other closely related activities
- funds may be accumulated, used on a scheduled basis, or in any combination
Details for Designated Missionary/Mission Project Giving
- Up to 50% of the "8% Covenant Check" may be designated to an approved Covenant Missionary or Mission Project
- Contact Patty Shepherd, Mission Advancement and Communication Associate Director
- request list of Missionaries, ask for suggestions, confirm you preference is approved, etc
- www.CovChurch.org/mission, 773/907-3321, patty.shepherd@covchurch.org
- once approved...
- Mark Clearly in Memo of your “8% Covenant Check” for Missions Giving each month:
- Evangelical Covenant Church - $Amount
- [Missionary Name/Mission Project] - $Amount
Simple Example for a Typical Month
- $10,000 comes in for Local Tithes & Offerings
- Church sends two checks: 8% for Covenant, 7% for ECConf
- 8% = $800 to Evangelical Covenant Church, with option to designate up to half to a Covenant Missionary
- 50% General = $400
- 50% Designated = $400 to particular Covenant Missionary/Project
- 7% = $700 to East Coast Conference
- 4% (4/7ths) = $400 directed to Conference Ministry Budget
- 3% (3/7ths) = $300 held by Conference in “[Your Church] - Church Planting Fund” (uses subject to guidelines set by each Conference in conjunction with Dept. of CG&E)
Again, start this process immediately (especially communicating to your Finance Person). Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!
Much grace,
Jason R. Condon
Associate Superintendent
Director of Church Planting
East Coast Conference
(860) 479-2020
facebook.com/jasoncondon
eastcoastconf.org
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Instructions for New Monthly Reporting Process for ECConf Church Plants
For ECConf Church Planters:
As we unveiled and discussed at our recent Cohort gatherings, we're now shifting to a new online reporting process!
Monthly Reporting is now handled in two parts,
always Due by the 10th of each month:
Part 1 | Church Planter-Specific:
Monthly Church Planter Report
- this is a simple online google form you can start using immediately for any reports, past or current
- you'll also receive a monthly reminder at the beginning of each month
- going forward these are always due by the 10th (including your up-to-date data for ChurchMetrics.com)
Part 2 | Church-Specific:
eastcoastconf.ChurchMetrics.com
- you should start using this immediately for current data entry (we'll handle older data separately, so don't worry about that for now)
- the only “reminder” will be the Monthly Church Planter Report form asking for confirmation, so...
- you will need to enlist a few volunteers for a weekly rhythm, with a few monthly-only inputs
Login Info
- as I'm setting this up, you'll start receiving emails from ChurchMetrics.com with details of the login account created for you
- the current plan is for two or three logins for each church:
- 1) one specific to each church planter, with username = "firstlast" (e.g. "jasoncondon")
- 2) "[Church Name] Staff", and
- 3) Optional: "[Church Name] Volunteer"
- each with the associated "staff" and "volunteer" permission levels for data entry and access (I'm currently the only "admin")
- initially you'll have "Staff" level permissions to enter and edit data for current weeks (not for past data entry)
- we may also try out the "Volunteer" login for pure data entry, but not sure it will work as well as just using "Staff"
- Make sure you try it yourself and share your church's login info with just one or two trusted staff or key volunteers so they can test it out before you include other volunteers
Date Entry [Updated 02-15-2013]:
- Weekly Data Entry - ideally these are entered by volunteers during the worship service or immediately following
- Attendance [this is only adults, including all staff and volunteers, as well as those there just for Worship]
- Attendance - Kids
- Attendance - Visitors (First Time)
- Contributions [local tithes and offerings]
- Salvations
- Volunteers
- *Midweek Giving? [you may find this useful for entering online giving, otherwise add off-Sunday giving into the next Sunday]
- We're simplifying further by removing these (some may show up again on the Church Planter Report (google form):
PEOPLE-2: Membership [this shouldn’t change much from week to week :), but having it “weekly” is better for tracking and graphing]Monthly Data Entry - ideally these are entered within a week of the last Sunday of the month, and definitely before the 10th, primarily by volunteers such as your finance person$ IN-1: Appropriations Received (by end of month)$ IN-1: Appropriations Received (by end of month)$ IN-2: Outside Fundraising (by end of month)$ IN-3: Special Funds (by end of month)$ OUT-1: Month's Budgeted Expenses$ OUT-2: Non-Budgeted Expenses (by end of month)$ OUT-3: Mission Giving: Covenant 8%$ OUT-4: Mission Giving: ECConf 7%$ ONBOOKS-1: Fund Balance (at end of month)$ ONBOOKS-2: Total Past Due Bills (at end of month)
- Video Tutorials: vimeo.com/churchmetrics/videos
- not all will relate to you, but you may want to check out:
- How to Add New Users (while only an "admin" can do this, it will explain what each type can do)
- Overview of Tabs - overview of the dashboard, reports, charts, and input tabs.
- How to Create Widgets - so you can create your own customized dashboard of data for your church "campus"
- Input & Volunteer Suggestions:
- have “ushers” do worship attendance count and enter on their smartphone
- have head children’s worker do kid count and enter on their smartphone
- have one of the offering counters enter amount as part of their counting workflow
- have finance person enter monthly amounts
- etc.
Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!
Much grace,
Jason R. Condon
Associate Superintendent
Director of Church Planting
East Coast Conference
(860) 479-2020
facebook.com/jasoncondon
eastcoastconf.org
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