Ministry Management System

Enabling growth through leveraging and scaling up the talent and expertise of our leaders ...

Kevin Stone

Wedding Agreement

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Date: ________________________

This agreement is between the bride and groom and YOUR CHURCH. By signing this agreement all parties agree that they have read the Weddings at YOUR CHURCH document and commit to the following guidelines:

  1. A fee of $500 will be paid to the YOUR CHURCH staff pastor performing the wedding ceremony on or before the wedding day.
  2. If a YOUR CHURCH building is used for the wedding, a fee of $250 will be paid to YOUR CHURCH. In addition, if the couple requires sound/technical support from YOUR CHURCH, a fee of $25/hour will be paid to the technician.
  3. The couple must: (A) Successfully complete six weeks of premarital counseling by a Christian counselor licensed in Your State. The counseling must be completed at least two months prior to the wedding date. (B) Schedule three follow-up counseling sessions. The counseling sessions must be set for three months, six months, and 12 months after the wedding day. At the conclusion of counseling, the counselor is required to send a letter to the YOUR CHURCH staff pastor stating that the sessions were successfully completed and include the dates for the three follow-up sessions. This letter must be received no later than 45 days prior to the wedding.
  4. In the case where the couple is living together and/or sexually active, they commit to remain apart sexually from the date they sign this agreement until the wedding night.

Counseling Agency: ____________________________________________

Wedding Rehearsal Date: _______________________________________

Wedding Date: ________________________________________________

Bride Signature: _______________________________________________

Groom Signature: ______________________________________________

YOUR CHURCH Staff Pastor Signature: ______________________________________

Wedding Process Operating Procedure

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Purpose

The purpose of this operating procedure is to establish and communicate the process for requesting, planning, performing, and evaluating wedding ceremonies at YOUR CHURCH.

Scope

The wedding operating procedure should be used to process any request to have a YOUR CHURCH pastor perform a wedding ceremony. The process begins with the completion of a request form and ends with an evaluation of the process by the wedding participants.

Responsibility

As with all procedures and other documentation contained in the Management System, it is the responsibility of all Ministry Area Leaders to ensure the details of this process are known and followed by all YOUR CHURCH paid staff and ministry area volunteers. The primary responsibility for this process rests with the Outreach Pastor.

Procedure

(1) Complete Wedding Request Form

(1.1) Any person requesting to have a YOUR CHURCH pastor perform their wedding ceremony is asked to complete a Wedding Request Form available on YOUR CHURCH’s website under Pastoral Care.

(1.2) The request form is reviewed by the Outreach Pastor.

(2) Review Wedding Request

(2.1) Upon receipt of a request, the Outreach Pastor conducts a review and if necessary contacts the requester for clarification.

(2.2) The following criteria should be used when determining if the request will be approved or denied:

    • At least one party has been attending YOUR CHURCH for six months or more.
    • The person who has been attending YOUR CHURCH has been immersed.

(2.3) If the recommendation of the Outreach Pastor is to deny the request, this decision must be communicated to the Executive Pastor prior to it being communicated to the requester. In some cases (depending on the specific circumstances) it may be necessary to involve the Senior Pastor before denying a request.

(2.4) If the request is denied, the requester is contacted to explain the denial and what, if any, next steps might be needed before another request will be considered.

(3) Schedule Pastor to Perform Wedding Ceremony

(3.1) Pastors are selected to perform wedding ceremonies based on a rotation schedule maintained by the Outreach Pastor. All Ministry Staff members, other than the Senior Pastor, will be part of the rotation.

(3.2) If the requester asks to have a specific pastor perform the ceremony, the following steps will be taken:

    • Outreach Pastor contacts the requested pastor.
    • If the pastor is available and has a desire to perform the ceremony, they are scheduled and the requester is notified.
    • If the pastor is unavailable or otherwise does not desire to perform the ceremony, the pastor next in the rotation will be scheduled to perform the ceremony and the requester is notified.
(4) Conduct Planning Meeting

(4.1) Once a pastor has been scheduled to perform the wedding ceremony, a meeting is setup with the wedding participants and the pastor.

(4.2) In addition to planning logistics (wedding date, location, etc.), the couple is asked to sign the Wedding Agreement Form as part of the planning meeting. By signing the form the couple agrees to the following:

    • To pay a fee of $500 to the pastor performing the ceremony. At the discretion of the pastor, the fee may be waived.
    • To complete six weeks of pre-marital counseling.
    • To schedule three follow up counseling sessions. The counseling sessions must be set for three months, six months and 12 months after the wedding day.
    • To remain apart sexually if the couple is living together and/or sexually active.

(4.3) The Wedding Planning Form can be used as a guide for planning the wedding.

(5) Complete Pre-Marital Counseling

(5.1) Six weeks of pre-marital counseling must be completed at least two months prior to the wedding date.

(5.2) Counseling must be performed by a Christian counselor licensed in Your State.

(6) Receive Letter of Completion

(6.1) At the conclusion of the counseling sessions, the counselor is required to send a letter of completion to the pastor performing the ceremony. The letter must be received by or before 45 days prior to the wedding ceremony.

(6.2) The pastor reviews the completion letter to verify successful completion of counseling.

(6.3) If the counseling sessions were not successfully completed, the couple is contacted and next steps are identified.

(7) Conduct Meeting to Finalize Plans

(7.1) A few weeks prior to the wedding ceremony, a meeting is conducted to finalize plans.

(7.2) The next meeting is the wedding rehearsal.

(8) Perform Wedding Ceremony

(8.1) It is the responsibility of the couple to obtain the marriage license prior to the wedding day. The solemnization pastor will be responsible for sending the signed marriage license to the county in which the ceremony was performed.

(8.2) On the day of the ceremony the pastor will arrive approximately 45 minutes prior to the service.

(8.3) After the ceremony is completed and the marriage license is signed, it is at the discretion of the pastor whether or not to participate further in the wedding activities.

(8.4) An example of a wedding ceremony is outlined in the typical Wedding Ceremony Example.

(9) Complete Evaluation

(9.1) After the wedding, the couple is sent a wedding evaluation form to complete and return to the pastor.

(9.2) Upon receiving the completed wedding evaluation form, the pastor will review the responses and communicate feedback to the Outreach Pastor.

(9.3) The completed wedding evaluation form is then filed for future reference.

Related Documents

Wedding Agreement Form
Wedding Ceremony Example
Wedding Planning Form
Wedding Request Form

Petty Cash Operating Procedure

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Purpose

The purpose of this operating procedure is to document and communicate the process for requesting and receiving cash for business purposes at YOUR CHURCH.

Scope

The petty cash process should be used only when making non-repetitive business purchases in an amount less than the established petty cash limit of $100. The process begins with the completion and approval of a Petty Cash Request Form and concludes with the return of the cash balance and submittal of a receipt or other acceptable documentation. The petty cash process should not be used when (as determined by the Finance department) the expense is better handled via another YOUR CHURCH financial business process.

Responsibility

As with all procedures and other documentation contained in the Management System, it is the responsibility of all department leaders to ensure the details of this process are known and followed by all YOUR CHURCH paid staff and ministry area volunteers. The primary responsibility for this process rests with the Bookkeeper.

Procedure

(1) Complete a Petty Cash Request Form

(1.1) If use of the petty cash process is necessary, the requester should complete a Petty Cash Request Form.

(1.2) The Petty Cash Request Form should be filled out completely including a detailed reason for the request and the recommended account number. (Reference the YOUR CHURCH Chart of Accounts.)

(1.3) The completed Petty Cash Request Form should then be submitted to the department leader responsible for the account number listed on the request.

(2) Review and Approve/Deny the Petty Cash Request

(2.1) Every petty cash request requires the approval of a department leader.

(2.2) The department leader is responsible for ensuring the Petty Cash Request Form is properly completed, including the proper account number.

(2.3) The department leader is also responsible for ensuring the expense is warranted and is within the scope of the petty cash process.

(2.4) Once the department leader is comfortable with the request, they should indicate their approval by signing the Petty Cash Request Form on the “department leader approval” signature line.

(2.5) If for any reason the department leader denies the petty cash request, they should contact the requester and communicate the reason for the denial.

(3) Submit Petty Cash Request to Finance Department

(3.1) Once the petty cash request is approved by a department leader, the requester should submit the request to the Finance department during “petty cash hours.”

(3.2) The Finance department will post and maintain normal petty cash hours. Under normal circumstances petty cash requests will only be processed during established petty cash hours.

(3.3) Upon receipt of a properly filled out and approved Petty Cash Request Form, the Finance department will issue the requested cash.

(3.4) If the Petty Cash Request Form is not properly filled out and approved as determined by the Finance department, it will not be processed and the requester will be responsible for obtaining missing information (proper account number, adequate reason for request, proper approval signature, etc.).

(3.5) Upon receipt of the requested cash, the requester will acknowledge receipt by printing their name on the “received by” line and signing their name on the “signature” line of the request.

(3.6) It is the responsibility of the individual receiving the funds to either return the funds unused or return proper documentation of the expense to the Finance department within the same business week.

(4) Return Unused Cash and/or Submit Receipt

(4.1) When the requestor has made the purchase, the balance of the cash and the appropriate receipt(s) should be returned to the Finance department.

(4.2) The Finance department will then verify that the balance of cash and the receipt total the amount on the request.

(4.3) Under no circumstances should the cash be spent on anything other than what was documented in the “reason for request” section of the petty cash request.

(4.4) The “closed” petty cash request will be filed, along with the receipt(s) or other pertinent documentation, as a record of the expense and cash transaction.

Related Documents:

Chart of Accounts
Petty Cash Request Form

Chart of Accounts

By

Department Numbers

Ministries

3030 – Outreach
3040 – Teaching
3050 – Student Ministries
3060 – Arts
3070 – Children’s Ministry
3080 – Groups
3200 – Connections

Operations

3011 – Administration
3012 – Facilities
3013 – Finance
3014 – Human Resources
3015 – Information Technology
3090 – Christian Preschool

International Missions

3333 – Kenya
3334 – Panama
3336 – Israel

Campaigns

4050 – Campaign One
4060 – Campaign Two

Account Numbers

001 · Advertising and Marketing
002 · Background Checks
005 · Business Expenses
007 · Church Planting
009 · Classes
010 · Cleaning Services
011 · Missions

011 – 05 · Missionary Support
011 – 06 · Mission Trips

012 · Computers and Software

012 – 07 · Services and Support

013 · Conferences
014 · Contractors
015 · Curriculum
018 · Equipment
019 · Human Relations
020 · Equipment Leases
021 · Events

021 – 09 · VBS
021 – 56 · Stretch

025 · Insurance
033 · Postage
035 · Production
036 · Rent
037 · Guest Services
039 · Salaries
040 · Subscriptions
041 · Supplies
042 · Training and Development
043 · Travel
044 · Utilities

044 – 24 · Gas and Electric
044 – 25 · Water and Sewer

046 · Website Management
049 · Construction
051 · Internet and Phone
052 · Repairs and Maintenance

052 – 49 · Facilities
052 – 50 · Site
052 – 52 · Vehicles

053 · Security System Monitoring
058 · Scholarships
061 · Vehicles

061 – 53 · Fuel
061 – 54 · Loan
061 – 55 · Insurance

062 · Recruiting
063 · Consulting
064 · Waste Removal
072 · Childcare

Check Request Operating Procedure

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Purpose

The purpose of this operating procedure is to establish and document the process for requesting and receiving a check for business purposes at YOUR CHURCH.

Scope

The Check Request process should be used by paid staff and/or ministry area volunteers when a check is needed for business purposes during the course of conducting ministry activities at YOUR CHURCH. Check request needs include but are not limited to payment of honorariums, contractors, certain equipment rentals, and any other situation requiring a check that is not a purchase or other expense that should be accomplished using the Purchasing, Business Expense Reporting, or Petty Cash processes. The Check Request process begins with the completion and approval of a Check Request Form and concludes with the receipt of the requested check.

Responsibility

As with all procedures and other documentation contained in the Management System, it is the responsibility of all department leaders to ensure the details of this process are known and followed by all YOUR CHURCH paid staff and ministry area volunteers.  The primary responsibility for this process rests with the Bookkeeper.

Procedure

(1) Complete and Submit Check Request Form

(1.1) If a check is needed, the requester should complete a Check Request Form.

(1.2) The Check Request Form should be filled out completely including a detailed reason for the request, the recommended account number, retrieved from the Chart of Accounts, and the complete address where the check is to be sent.

(1.3) Upon completion the check request is submitted resulting in an e-mail being sent to the Executive Pastor.

(1.4) If the request requires department leader approval, the e-mail will be forwarded to the appropriate department leader for review and approval.

(1.5) If the expense is to be charged to another department’s account, the request will also be forwarded to the department leader responsible for the account number listed on the request.

(2) Review Check Request

(2.1) Every check request requires the approval of a department leader.

(2.2) The department leader is responsible for ensuring the check request is properly completed, including the correct account number.

(2.3) The department leader is also responsible for ensuring the expense is necessary and, preferably budgeted. Proposed expenses that are un-budgeted require special approval and should be brought to the attention of the Executive Pastor for consideration.

(2.4) Upon approval, the department leader should e-mail the check request back to the Executive Pastor for final review and approval.

(2.5) If for any reason the department leader denies the check request, they should contact the requester and communicate the reason for the denial.

(2.6) The Executive Pastor will review the check request and indicate approval by e-mail notification to the requester, requester’s department leader (if applicable), and the Bookkeeper.

(2.7) If the check request is denied by the Executive Pastor, the department leader will be contacted and the reason for the denial will be communicated.

(3) Submit Check Request to the Finance Department

(3.1) Once the check request is signed by both the department leader and the Executive Pastor, the check request will be submitted to the Finance Department.

(3.2) Once the Finance Department has received the signed check request, the check will be issued based on when it is needed and availability of funds.

(3.3) If the Check Request Form is not properly filled out and approved as determined by the Finance Department, it will not be processed and the requester will be responsible for supplying the missing information (proper account number, adequate reason for request, proper approval signature, etc.).

(4) Receive Check

(4.1) When the check has been processed by the Finance Department, it will either be sent directly to the payee or given to the requestor depending on what’s indicated on the check request.

(4.2) The requester is responsible for contacting the Finance Department if there is a problem with the check or if any further action needs to be taken.

Related Documents:

Chart of Accounts
Check Request Form

Business Expense Reporting Operating Procedure

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Purpose

The purpose of this operating procedure is to establish, document, and communicate the process for reporting reasonable business expenses at YOUR CHURCH.

Scope

The business expense reporting process should be used by paid staff when reporting reasonable business expenses incurred in the course of conducting normal ministry activities. Reasonable business expenses and YOUR CHURCH’s policy on reporting these expenses for approval and recording is described in the Business Expenses section of the Staff Policy Manual. The process begins with the completion of an Expensify Expense Report and concludes with the recording of approved expenses in QuickBooks. The Business Expense Reporting process should not normally be used to purchase regular, ongoing ministry needs (equipment, supplies, online subscriptions, etc.) that should be purchased via purchasing, check request, or petty cash processes.

Responsibility

As with all procedures and other documentation contained in the Management System, it is the responsibility of all ministry area leaders to ensure the details of this process are known and followed by all YOUR CHURCH paid staff.  The primary responsibility for this process rests with the Executive Pastor.

Procedure

  1. YOUR CHURCH uses a third-party application called Expensify for all business expense reporting and approval.
  2. As part of the onboarding process, all new YOUR CHURCH staff members should create an Expensify account, using their YOUR CHURCH e-mail address HERE.
  3. Once the staff member’s account is created, the Executive Pastor is notified and the new staff member is invited to YOUR CHURCH’s “Expense Policy.” When all of this has been done, the staff member is now properly set up to begin submitting expense reports.
  4. After a staff member’s Expensify account has been set up, a “personal church debit card” will be issued. This card is issued to the staff member by the Executive Pastor upon request.
  5. The Expensify application offers plenty of procedural instructions for the new user. When logged in to Expensify, review “Day 1 with Expensify” instructions HERE.
  6. Each staff member incurring “reasonable business expenses” should submit an Expensify expense report on the first day of each month (or more frequently, if needed), for the previous month’s expenses.
  7. Non-Reimbursable Expenses – When using a personal church debit card to pay for business expenses, ensure the “Reimbursable” box on the expense in Expensify is not checked.
  8. Reimbursable Expenses – If the use of a personal debit/credit card (not church cards), the “Reimbursable” box should be checked on the expense in Expensify.

Any questions about Expensify or YOUR CHURCH’s policy on business expense reporting should be directed to the Executive Pastor.

Related Documents:

Staff Policy Manual – Business Expenses
Instructions on Use of Expensify