Good Samaritan Program Blog

Church Management Software

When it comes to the different ways that technology can benefit a church the benefits are endless. More church leaders are finding ways to efficiently and effectively use technology to help with their communication, managing new visitors, and church growth.

When it comes down to church management software there are many companies that provide good products but before you make a decision that had a direct effect on the efficiency of your operation you really should do your homework.

Here are a few things that you need to look at before you make a decision:

• Efficiency: If you have an administrative staff, whether it’s your wife working the front desk, or you a hundred or more staff members, they are going to thank you if you make a technological decision that will increase efficiency by lowering their workload and still increasing productivity.
• Long Term Cost: In this current economic climate price is a huge factor, but don’t make a decision on the sticker price, ROI is king. In many cases your ChMS (church management software) is going to save you money in payroll. Just because a ChMS is going to cost you $600 annualy you actually may be saving $1200 annually on payroll.
• Demo:If the potential church management software you’re looking into doesn’t provide a free demo, or a 30 day trial you should move on. You don’t want to purchase a vehicle without giving it a test spin first

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• Payroll: Some ChMS’s provide payroll services some don’t, here’s the thing, if you cut your own checks, or use a Payroll provider like ADP you don’t need payroll services and a lot times ChMS will charge extra for doing payroll, so if you don’t need it don’t pay for it.

Not all ChMS’s are created equal so don’t make a hasty decision, there are many ChMS providers that are competing for your business so take your time but your decision should also involve the level of service that the ChMS provides and the ease of use. You don’t want to be stuck with a technical problem and have nobody to call if something goes wrong.

Continuing with our March Madness theme, there are four types of debt that we have chosen to make it to our Final Four elimination bracket.

1. Credit cards.
2. Auto loans.
3. Home loan – mortgage.
4. Student loans.

For information about how to start eliminating these debts in your life in a shorter amount of time and in what order, watch the following full episode of Good Samaritan Program TV: Final Four Debts to Eliminate.

For the March Madness series of Good Samaritan Program TV, we put together the Elite 8 do’s and don’t's for getting out of debt.

Do’s

1. Stop spending.
2. Pay more than the minimum payment.
3. Use the Debt Snowball method.
4. Get help if you need it.

Don’t's

1. Use payday loans or cash advances.
2. Use checks offered by your credit card company.
3. Bankruptcy (unless it is your LAST choice).
4. DEBT SETTLEMENT (beware).

Watch the full episode below for an in-depth explanation of the Elite 8 Debt Tips with Mark Peterson and Christian Credit Counselors President Greg McTaggart.

Last week’s episode of Good Samaritan Program TV featured several great tips to help you spend less and start increasing your income. Also on the program, Mark Peterson, creator of the Good Samaritan Program, spoke with Greg McTaggart, president and CEO of Christian Credit Counselors, about the dangers of debt settlement and how to prevent yourself from falling into such a trap.

The full episode is included below:

In the latest episode of Good Samaritan Program TV (GSP TV), I outline some great Valentine’s Day gift ideas for your significant other. There is only one day left until V-Day, so check out the gift list I came up with and get out there!

In the first part of the episode, Mark Peterson, creator of the Good Samaritan Program, gives helpful tips for increasing a couple’s financial compatibility. Money problems is the number one cause of divorce, so if you are having some trouble communicating with your spouse in this category, check out what Mark has to say on the subject.

Enjoy!

I am happy to announce that the Good Samaritan Program has teamed up with The Faith Channel to put on a weekly web series called GSP TV!

GSP TV is a weekly 30-minute program about faith and finances that is filled with practical teaching and education, inspirational testimonials, money tips and interviews with Christian leaders and speakers from around the world.

Watch the first three episodes here:

Season 1 Episode 1: Breaking Free from Debt

Special Guest: Greg McTaggart, President & CEO of Christian Credit Counselors

Season 1 Episode 2: Setting SMART Goals

Special Guest: Jerry McTaggart, Founder of Christian Credit Counselors

Season 1 Episode 3: The Power of Discipline

Special Guest: John Cameron, Pastor of Arise Church in New Zealand

@johnalancameron

Make sure to tune in each week and send in your money saving tips, comments and questions!

After watching our video post about how to promote the program, make sure to take the time to watch this video about how to run the Good Samaritan Program at your church.

For more information about this Christian financial counseling course, call 866.907.5030 or email info@goodsamaritanprogram.org.

If you are the Good Samaritan Program course facilitator at your church, make sure to watch this video for tips on how to effectively promote the program.

The course is free and available for churches in the U.S.

For more information about this Christian financial counseling course, call 866.907.5030 or email info@goodsamaritanprogram.org.

We are happy to announce that Miles McPherson, Senior Pastor of the Rock Church in San Diego, is now a featured speaker in the Good Samaritan Program DVD series.

Miles McPherson is a former defensive back of the San Diego Chargers and is the author of Do Something! Make Your Life Count. As the Senior Pastor of one of the fastest growing churches in the United States, Miles is able to impact thousands of people to live the life God desires for them.

The Good Samaritan Program is a free six-week Bible-based financial education series designed by Christian Credit Counselors to help every Christian in every church get out of debt in less time. It is available for churches in the U.S. and the number of church members benefiting from the program is growing every day!

Over 200 churches have joined the program!

Check out this brand new preview of the six-week series:

Like many other organizations, pastors and church executives admit that churches are feeling the results of the economic pinch. In 2009, 57 percent of pastors said the economy had negatively impacted their church over the last year, according to a 2010 Barna Group study.

In the same study, 29 percent of Americans said they had decreased their charitable giving to churches and congregations in recent months. Often the reason for the decline in giving is a direct result of personal debt. When members of the congregation are in debt, the church suffers.

Many times, Christians only know how to handle 10 percent of their money God’s way, when 100 percent of it should be handled His way. God knew that money was going to be a weakness for many of His followers– more than half of Jesus’ parables were about money.

As written in Proverbs 22:7, “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.”

Being in debt is not a sin, but not paying back money owed is not the type of behavior God wants to see from His followers. “The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously.” (Psalm 37:21) A person cannot give generously until they have achieved the debt-free life that God desires for them.

Due to the demand for a financial program specifically for churches, Christian Credit Counselors (CCC), a non-profit organization located in Carlsbad, CA, created a free six-week DVD series to help every Christian in every church across America become debt free.

The series, called the Good Samaritan Program, officially debuted in March and more than 40 churches around the country have signed up in the first month alone.

The purpose of the program is to help church members improve their financial health, which will in turn produce a blessed, giving church. This is done by teaching members God’s plan for their finances and showing them how to put their financial plan into action. It is at this point that church members will be in a position to give back and give generously.

Each week’s lesson is about 45 minutes long and covers a different topic:

1. God’s Plan For Your Finances
2. The Power of Budgeting
3. The Culture of Debt
4. Saving and Why it’s Important
5. Funding Your Future
6. The Power of Giving

The DVD series is supplemented with online coursework as well as helpful budgeting tools and goal trackers that will remain available for participants to use even after they have completed the course.

Many church members are already changing how they handle their finances as a direct result of the course. Jenny Husereau, a member of C3 Church San Diego, said before taking the class she and her husband were living paycheck to paycheck, not knowing how they were going to break the cycle. After the last class she felt that everything had shifted.

“I’ve had wisdom poured into me,” Husereau said. “I’ve got a fire lit under me; I’m ready to attack my finances and actually do what God’s will is, which is prosper. So it’s going to be amazing.”

Bill Steinwedell, another C3 Church San Diego member, enjoyed how the classes enabled him to take pride in becoming financially responsible. “Every week you’re getting little tid-bits of information,” Steinwedell said. “On their own they’re great tips that you can apply to life, but when you put it all together it is just a wealth of knowledge that really makes a difference.”

Although information on its own can be beneficial, it is information plus application that brings true transformation. Aside from being a free course for churches, the Good Samaritan Program sets itself apart by going “beyond the books”.

As an extension of the program, members who may be struggling with credit card debt are given the opportunity to enroll in Christian Credit Counselors’ Debt Management Plan.

CCC can help lower interest rates, lower monthly payments, eliminate late and over-the-limit fees, stop creditor calls and consolidate bills into one monthly payment. For more information about CCC, call 877.218.5085 or visit them online at www.christiancreditcounselors.org.

Local San Diego churches, including C3 Church, Grace Chapel of the Coast and Shiloh Church of Christ, were among the many churches to run the program in previous months. For a complete list of churches running the program and to find out how to preview the series online, visit www.goodsamaritanprogram.org or call toll-free at 866.907.5030.

To see original article, visit Good News, Etc. online and go to the May edition.