A few months after accepting a full-time position as a Stadia bookkeeper, this question kept coming to mind… How do bookkeepers help plant churches?

Having just moved to help plant Story Church with our dear friends the Johnsons, I wondered if bookkeeping full time would keep me from the important work of church planting. I had been a part-time small business bookkeeper which freed up time to help my husband plant churches. Would I be sidelined this time? Of course not. The opposite actually happened. Stadia bookkeepers are an integral part of church plants by doing the necessary work of financial administration so church leaders can keep the main thing – the main thing with confidence.

You see, church planters are entrepreneurs of community and spiritual development nonprofit corporations. Success isn’t measured in dollars but in lives experiencing the full love of God through the Gospel. The mission is reconciliation and restoration at a heart level that spreads from individuals to families to the communities where God has sent them. As a pastor’s wife I can tell you, pastors feel their mission deeply and with a sense of urgency most of us experience only during dire situations. 1 Corinthians 9:16 shines a light on the importance of this mission and the true burden pastors feel as they set out with urgency to accomplish it.

“Yet preaching the Good News is not something I can boast about. I am compelled by God to do it. How terrible for me if I didn’t preach the Good News!”

Like any entrepreneur, finances are a key part of funding their God given mission enabling them to aid their community, start ministries, and host gatherings. Yet too many church planters rely on a supporting church, a busy volunteer who may not have very much bookkeeping knowledge, or worse are forced to do bookkeeping themselves. Financial administration need not add to a church leader’s troubles. It should be an asset helping them have the highest possible impact on their community. Stadia Bookkeeping comes alongside pastors with a shared sense of urgency as well as the tools and expertise needed for solid financial administration.  

Our aptitude for details and best practices coupled with expert knowledge give much needed time back to the church leaders and peace of mind that they are stewarding well the resources God has provided. They are able to make better decisions and spend more time sharing the Good News and ministering to individuals in their community. Bookkeepers help plant churches through financial administration while encouraging and praying for church leaders and their communities.

I have been planting churches with my husband for over 16 years. During most of which I’ve happily volunteer lead children’s ministries and welcomed our community into our home while owning a small bookkeeping business. Deciding to transition from small business bookkeeping to Stadia Bookkeeping was easy. Where else could God so completely use my desire to share the life-giving love of Jesus and over 16 years of bookkeeping experience? It’s like He’s had this in mind all along.

I Peter 4:10 reminds us that we have each received gifts to be used to serve others as faithful stewards of God’s grace. Each Stadia bookkeeper has a unique combination of gifts – we are detail oriented, highly relational, and gospel minded. Many of us also serve in our local church. Each church leader is better equipped to fulfill their mission with an experienced, trustworthy, and caring bookkeeper. Their mission is to care for their community. Our mission is to care for them.