Administrative and Financial Information for Churches
As we build this area of the website, we'd appreciate
your input. What kinds of topics would you like to see covered here?
Eventually we will compile an FAQ area; your questions will help
determine what kinds of information we put here.
Please address your questions to Assistant Treasurer/Controller
Bruce Reiner .
Forms
Consent to remarry
Lay License Renewal
Licenses for Worship Leaders, Eucharistic Minister, Preacher, and Eucharistic Visitor for the next Church Year will be issued once a year the first sunday in Advent.
Worship Leaders are valid for up to three years and may be renewed. Candidates must be checked out by the Bishop in person.
Eucharistic Minister Licenses are for two years and may be renewed for an additional two years. After two terms, one year must pass before applying for a new license.
Preacher Licenses are on a case by case basis. The Bishop personally examines those desiring to be Lay Preachers before issuing this license.
Eucharistic Visitors licenses may be requested at any time and are valid for up to three years from the date of issuance.
After you have completed the enclosed forms, please keep a copy for your parish file for future reference and email it to:
Ely Valentin
evalentin@diobeth.org
610-691-5655 Ext. 222
All forms are in Microsoft Word:
Preacher
Worship Leader
Eucharistic Visitor
Eucharistic Minister
Resources
Congregational Development Resources
Find resources and tools for the ongoing work of growing healthy and vital congregations on the Congregational Development pages of the Episcopal Church. Growth and development. Research. Small church. Stewardship. You will not regret spending time browsing through this wealth of good material.
Customary for Confirmation, Receptions and Reaffirmations
Customary for confirmations, receptions and reaffirmations revised January 2010 can be downloaded here.
Customary for Institution of Ministers
Customary for the institution of ministers revised January 2010 can be downloaded here.
Episcopal Church Foundation
The latest edition of the Episcopal Church Foundation's newsletter can be found here.
FACTs on Episcopal Church Growth
This is a new look at the dynamics of growth and decline in Episcopal parishes and missions based on the Faith Communities Today 2005 (FACT 2005) national survey of 4,100 congregations. The report may be viewed and downloaded free here.
Finding Hope in Hard Times
From the Episcopal Church Office of Stewardship, “Finding Hope in Hard Times” was adapted from Stewards in a Slump, created by the National Stewardship Office of the Church of England. It can be downloaded in English and Spanish here.
The Good Steward
Latest edition of The Good Steward from the Church Insurance Agency
can be found here.
Guide to Church Management Software
If you're thinking about buying a church management software package to handle finances, membership and other congregational records, you'll find a convenient comparison of over fifty programs in the October issue of Christian Computing Magazine.
Manual of Business Methods in Church Affairs. Please note, this is no longer available from Church Publishing as a hard copy and is only available in .pdf form online.
National Association of Church Business Administrators
Great resource for parish administrators and parish financial committees. Check out the web site here.
New Dollars/New Partners For Your Sacred Place
A
diocesan project sponsored by the Bishop and Diocesan Council for up to 15 parishes with buildings 50 years and older. Please see brochure and website for Partners for Scared Places, or call/email Ely Valentin for more information
Parish Papers
Ideas and Insights for Active Congregations
(Coeditors: Herb Miller, Lyle Schaller, Cynthia Woolever)
www.TheParishPaper.com
Our organization’s purchase of photocopy rights for The Parish Paper INCLUDES
1. Permission to provide copies to our staff and the congregations within our constituency in any of the following ways: E-mail, Postal, newspaper, newsletter, meetings, training events, and our Website.
2. Permission for each congregation within our constituency to (a) photocopy or electronically distribute for local use as many copies as it needs, (b) post them on its Website, and (c) quote sentences and paragraphs.
Your congregation does NOT have permission (a) to delete the copyright notice on page 2; (b) to re-write, paraphrase, or change the wording of sentences and paragraphs; or (c) to give ANY THIRD PARTY—other than your staff and constituents—permission to photocopy or reprint (in any quantity, no matter how small, whether for free distribution or for sale).
Download the July issue here and the August issue here.
Parish Transition Guidelines
This document from Bishop Paul summarizes the policies and practices of the Diocese of Bethlehem from the time a priest first meets with him to discuss retirement or a new call through the settling and first year of the new priest. Read more and download the document here.
Parochial Reports
Parochial Reports are due to the Diocese on March 1st. We were recently alerted to the fact that some parishes might not have received their mailings. The parochial report workbook can be downloaded here. Parishes are still required to file online here. If you don't know your UEID or password, please call Bruce Reiner, 610-691-5655 x230 for more information.
Pastoral Provisions for Same-Sex Couples
In accordance with General Convention 2009 observation that that the discernment of The Episcopal Church is that there are no theological barriers to blessing
same-sex relationships that are based on love, fidelity and lifelong commitment
Bishop Paul Marshall offers the following interim measures here.
Postulant's Guide version 10c most current (date 04/19/2010)
Increasingly our clergy are being formed outside the environment of this Church’s seminaries.
The bishop is thus confronted with the problem of the tradition of the lore, the passing on of
the unwritten traditions and practices that every profession possesses. The specimen given
below is an abbreviated version of what I normally distribute, the full text of which includes
an element of play not readily understood outside the personal relationship between bishop
and postulants. It intentionally focuses on the topics that fascinate seminarians, at least as
observed in my time of seminary teaching, so rather a lot of ink is given to apparel and terms
of address, but the real theme is collegiality. Read it all here.
Report to the House of Bishops From the Task Force on Property Disputes
The following files are from the House of Bishops in .pdf format
Report to
the House of Bishops: Task Force on Property Disputes
Appendix A: From the Pittsburgh Times, Episcopal Meeting Tackles Controversy
Appendix B: Note to Global South Primates
Appendix C: Note from Bishop Robert Duncan
Appendix D: Note from Geoffrey Chapman
Appendix E: Draft Proposal for Overseas AEO
Appendix F: From the Living Church Foundation
Appendix G: Full Text of the Request to the Global South Primates
Appendix H: The Bishop's Address of the Diocese of San Joaquin, CA
Appendix I: Response to the Global South Steering Committee
Appendix J: Pastoral Letter from Bishop Robert Duncan
Vestry Papers
You can subscribe to Vestry Papers either in electronic format or in paper format. Vestry Papers is published by the Episcopal Church Foundation.
Past issues can be found in the Resource Library on their web site here.
Safeguarding God's Children
In the Diocese of Bethlehem we are working to reduce the possibility
of
child abuse occurring in our congregations. We will continue to offer training in Safeguarding God's Children through programs developed by the Church Pension Group. The Diocesan Policy is available for download below. Supplemental Materials are also available, as well as an FAQ about the training.
Training can now be done online. Churches will submit people to be trained to the Diocesan office. Once the church has been notified that their people have been entered for training on the system, those individuals can begin the training. The website for the training is: http://www.safeguardingonline.org/
Diocesan Policies in .pdf format updated January 2009
Supplemental Materials in .pdf format dated 2005
Frequently Asked Questions in .pdf format dated 2007
Safeguarding Online Training Form in Excel
Tax Considerations
Church Law Today
You might want to visit Church Law Today.com which publishes updates on church law and taxes. The website also has a legal and tax library and is managed by Christianity Today
IRS Mileage Rates, 2010
Business travel: 50 cents per mile. Volunteer service to charitable organizations: 14 cents per mile (no change from 2007). Medical travel or Moving: 16.5 cents per mile. More info at www.irs.gov.
New IRS publication on churches & tax exemption
The Internal Revenue Service has issued a revised version of its publication, Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations. The 28-page multi-colored publication provides guidance on obtaining and keeping tax exempt status, employment taxes, unrelated business income taxes, employee business expenses, record keeping and filing requirements.
The IRS says that this is meant to be a quick reference to the current state of tax law and procedures as they relate to churches and religious organizations. They say it will be revised from time to time. Download it from here.
