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Author: Josh Henry

Josh is a pastor, business leader and visionary. He excels in helping people make connections and find ways to do things better. As a husband, father and friend to many, Josh is always seeking to encourage and help people.
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Episode 8 – How to Avoid Failure & Burnout With Your Daily Devotional Time

Join Mike and Greg as they share what is probably a common issue among pastors.  This week we’ll discuss how to maintain a personal devotional time while simultaneously attending to the demands of ministry and leading the local church.  

Do you have anything you do as a pastor that helps maintain your personal walk with the Lord?  How do you bridge the gap between personal time with God and professional study time for sermon prep, etc.?ul

FREE MINI COURSE

Bookkeeping Basics for Busy Pastors: What Every Pastor Needs to Know About Church Money Management

 

FREE PASTORAL RESOURCES

7 Keys to Building a Solid Financial Foundation for Your Church

 

SIMPLIFY CHURCH INSIGHTS

Get church financial advice, leadership tips, and organizational best practices delivered to your inbox to help you simplify and grow your church. Subscribe Now.

 

A BETTER WAY TO BUDGET

Church Budget Blueprint: The #1 Church Budgeting Course for Small & Growing Churches

 

WE MAKE MANAGING CHURCH FINANCES SIMPLE

Grab a Free Consult: SimplifyChurch.com

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Episode 7: A Hot Take Christmas (A Hilarious Debate About the Best and Worst Christmas Pop Culture)

This week, Mike & Greg welcome Special Guest Josh Henry as they share their hot takes on the best Christmas movies and worst Christmas songs. They share some hilarious stories about Christmases long ago and some epic yuletide fails you won’t want to miss! 

Want to join the conversation?

Have something about Christmas you love or hate?

Join us on our Social Channels and give us your list of favorite Christmas Songs, Movies or your Favorite Christmas story.

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Links:

FREE MINI Church Bookkeeping Course

Bookkeeping Basics for Busy Pastors: What Every Pastor Needs to Know About Church Money Management

 

FREE PASTORAL RESOURCES

7 Keys to Building a Solid Financial Foundation for Your Church

 

SIMPLIFY CHURCH INSIGHTS

Get church financial advice, leadership tips, and organizational best practices delivered to your inbox to help you simplify and grow your church. Subscribe Now.

 

A BETTER WAY TO BUILD YOUR CHURCH BUDGET

Church Budget Blueprint: The #1 Church Budgeting Course for Small & Growing Churches

READY TO OUTSOURCE YOUR OVERWHELM?

Grab a Free Consult: SimplifyChurch.com

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Episode 4 – Meet your Hosts Part 2 : A Sit Down With Mike Whittymore

Simplify Church, the podcast
Join us as we sit down with the second host of the Simplify Church podcast: Mike Whittymore. With nearly 20 years of ministry experience, Mike understands the joy, pain, and failure that comes with serving the Church. He has a passion for helping other everyday Pastors and Leaders just like you. Don’t miss a second of this fun interview!

Resources mentioned in the show:

https://www.pluggedin.com : A great tool to help you decide what entertainment is appropriate for you and or your family.

Mike mentions this great resource by R.C. Sproul

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Episode 3 – Meet Your Hosts Part 1: A Sit Down With Greg Braswell

This week we take a deep dive into the mind and story of Greg Braswell. He walks us through nearly 20 years of ministry, tells some great stories, and shares with us some of the theologians and leaders that have made a huge impact on him. Greg’s a passionate leader and follower of Christ. His heart for everyday Pastors and Leaders is contagious and we are confident it will be an encouragement to you.

Show links:

Greg talk about his love for The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions. You can order it here:https://www.amazon.com/Valley-Vision-Collection-Puritan-Devotions/dp/0851512283

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Episode 1 – Why Pastors Need Rest (And Why It’s So Hard to Do)

“Why is rest so hard?”

Does the stress of ministry sometimes feel overwhelming? Do you ever feel like you’re hanging on by a thread…or facing down burnout.

According to one survey, over 75% of pastors report being “highly” or “extremely” stressed. And yet so often we don’t do anything about the problem.

We know the Bible calls us to rest. We know our souls need rest. And yet, how do you rest when the demands on your time and energy are seemingly never-ending?

In this first episode of Simplify Church, we are digging into the challenge of finding rest as a pastor. Our guest for this episode, Stephen Boster, has a lot to say about this topic.

Join us for this very honest and real conversation about the importance of rest in ministry!

Listen Now

Links from today’s show:
Connect With Stephen: www.servantsbydesign.com
Outsource Your Overwhelm:www.simplifychurch.com
2 Geeks & a Microphone: https://youtu.be/WAQ797eILR0
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Three Impactful Pastor Appreciation Month Ideas

The gift for pastors - outsource the overwhelm

Give Your Pastor a Gift They'll Actually Appreciate

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Having lived the pastor’s life for some time, I have received some wonderful thanks and appreciation for my ministry service over the years. Our pastors need to feel supported and appreciated by all of us. Here are three ways you and your church can show appreciation to your pastor this month. 

1. The Gift of Time

How many extra hours does your pastor put in to help shepherd, encourage, and disciple others?  Between all the ministry meetings, sermon preparation, ministry calls, and counseling, your pastor probably does way more than you realize.   

According to multiple surveys, the average number of hours a pastor works each week is around 50, with a large percentage working even more than that. One way to appreciate your pastor? Give them the gift of time.

Gift a Vacation

Why not provide your pastor with an extra week of vacation?  This doesn’t really cost the church financially. However, that extra rest will reap more benefits in the long run. I even know of some churches that have gone the extra step and paid for the entire vacation to bless their pastor.

Gift a Sabbatical

Most pastors love to study God’s Word, as well as other topics related to Christian leadership and growth. Another way to bless your pastor with the gift of time is providing specific time for exclusive deep study.  Not only will your pastor develop personal knowledge, but the church will be blessed with the result, either in leadership development or perhaps even a powerful new sermon series.

2. Support Their Talents

Does you pastor have numerous bookshelves in their office or home? As mentioned above, your pastor probably enjoys personal study and development. You can support your pastor’s passion for learning. 

Gift A Book Budget

Does your church or ministry provide a book budget for your pastor?  When the church I served at had a book budget, I really enjoyed knowing that my church supported me in helping me develop my skills and interests for ministry. It gave me reassurance and peace of mind that my church supported my leadership and continued learning. 

CHURCH ACCOUNTING NOTE: For church bookkeeping purposes, this is considered an accountable reimbursement expense or ministry expense, so long as the funds are being used for the personal development of the pastor. This is a way many churches are able to compensate their pastor in a non-taxable way. The items purchased belong to the pastor, but are paid for out of the general budget of the church.

Gift An Amazon Gift Card

This was one of the best gifts I received as a pastor. Amazon gift cards allowed me to purchase books, things I needed for home or office, or to just splurge on something for myself or my family.  Once I was even specifically told NOT to use the card for ministry-related purchases. Instead, it was ‘recommended strongly’ to use the card as fun money. That was a gift I have never forgotten.

CHURCH ACCOUNTING NOTE: There are some income tax concerns related to anything that can be considered comparable to cash. Any amount over $50 will need to be claimed as earned income, since the pastor is more than likely an employee of the church (yes, even though he gets a housing allowance and pays into SECA).

We are a church bookkeeping company, after all, and our goal is to keep pastors and their churches out of trouble with the IRS. 😊  

Be aware, as you look to provide any gifts of monetary/cash value, and consider seeking counsel to ensure the pastor, and the church, report all items appropriately.  If this sounds complicated or overwhelming, don’t worry. We help churches manage these exact situations through our Simplify Church Bookkeeping Service. 

3. Togetherness

Is your pastor married? Putting long hours and work into ministry often takes a toll on a pastor’s home life. Please do not assume your pastor is an expert in this area. I guarantee you they struggle, just like so many others, to balance work and home. What can you do to help support them in this area?

Gift A Weekend Away

Like the vacation discussed above, consider providing your pastor and their spouse a date weekend. A retreat for just the two of them allows your pastor to focus exclusively on their spouse. Imagine the deeper connection that you helped provide for them. If covering the costs of a weekend getaway are outside of your budget, consider offering to provide childcare, if they have children. Time to focus on their relationship as a couple is vital to their success in ministry and in their ability to pour out to the congregation. 

Gift A Marriage Retreat

Provide a paid weekend for a marriage intensive for your pastor and their spouse. This is a more purposed gift than the weekend away in focusing on developing their marriage, and dealing with the conflicts that inevitably arise in any relationship.  

How Will You Celebrate Pastor Appreciation Month?

Feel free to consolidate resources with your Sunday School class, community group, life group, or family to support your pastor this month, or even additionally at a different time of year.  We all need encouragement and appreciation to help fuel our tanks. As our pastors have poured into us, let’s work together to pour into them. 

The gift for pastors - outsource the overwhelm
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How Do You Present Church Finances?

how to present church finances

The Elephant In The Room

How To Have Difficult Conversations About Church Finances

We’ve heard from so many pastors that their budget planning process is discouraging, full of tension, and devoid of joy.

There is a sense that anything else would be easier than the stress of budget planning and having conversations about how the church’s money is being spent.

So we put together a free live training to help change the narrative around budget planning.

And now we’re sharing the replay with you:

Our goal is to help pastors and church leaders navigate these difficult conversations with grace, know how to present church finances, and equip you to be a good steward of the resources entrusted to your church. 

Don’t let bad financial decisions or uncomfortable conversations be the downfall of your church. Learn the skills you need to build a healthy financial foundation for your church today!

Church Bookkeeping & Accounting

Simplify Church Finances.
Focus On What Matters.

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