North Shore Church

Let me begin by saying Happy New Year to all of our members, all of our friends and all the visitors to North Shore Church!

The Finance Ministry Team (FMT) at North Shore Church (NSC) is comprised of five individuals that strive to manage and review all things financial that God has consigned to us for the operation of the church.  The team is Beth Horvath, Sue Mortinson, Delight Murphy, Jon Salzman and Bob Thompson.  All bring a variety of skills to make up a credible finance team.  These team members must be members of NSC.  They are appointed by the Elders and elected by the membership annually.

We monitor the financial health of North Shore Church and that is accomplished with different activities that take place throughout the year.  A good portion of the time is dedicated to establishing and managing the annual budget process.  Our fiscal year follows the calendar year, therefore we start the budget process for the new year in early fall. We want to ensure there is enough time to get everything put together for a proposed annual budget that the membership can vote on before the Thanksgiving holiday.  NSC ministry team leaders are asked to submit budget requests for expected expenses and income for the year ahead.  The budget request worksheets are submitted to the FMT. The FMT compiles the requests and reviews the proposed budget.  An initial budget is presented to the Elders for review.  The Elder reviewed budget is returned to the FMT and a final roll up is compiled with any changes and given back to the Elders for final approval.  The newly created, proposed budget is then posted in church for a two week period.  A special membership business meeting is called and the proposed budget is voted on.  Last November 13, 2022, the 2023 proposed budget was approved by the membership.

Each year the FMT looks to make improvements to the process of creating the budget.  We will look at what was good about the last process and what could be improved.  With assistance from the Elders, our team will generate an action list and start to work on it so next year’s process will be better than the previous.

When it comes to considering ministry budgets, the team leaders are asked to use a God honoring Zero-Based Budgeting procedure in their planning.  An explanation of this is below:

• A procedure for the Budget that flows from the Priority and Purpose of the budget
• Each Ministry Team must re-justify from scratch every year, the dollars proposed in each budget line item
• Each team must examine each proposed ministry as if the ministry had never existed here before, and justify its funding on the basis of its relationship to the Great Commission at North Shore Church
• Zero-basing is done to ensure the integrity of this ministry priority-driven philosophy
• Integrity in finances requires effort, but not giving solid effort to the finances of the church ignores the importance Jesus places on how we use our worldly treasure
• Zero-basing will also de-fund ministries that have become obsolete due to the changing winds of the Holy Spirit (although some ministries will always be appropriate, there are others the Spirit may raise up only for a season)

The budget is not only a barometer of the financial health of a church, but even more–its spiritual health as well.  Jesus NEVER separates our financial health from our spiritual health (“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”)  Luke 12:34

Other activities of the FMT include creating and reviewing a monthly financial dashboard.  We are looking at this every quarter and look at the trends for giving and expenses in the church.  This will then  allow us to review any expenses versus budgets with team leaders, as deemed necessary.

This past year we saw two of our investment accounts move from Cornerstone Investment Funds to Wesleyan Investment Foundation (WIF).  This was a seamless transition for all investors in the Cornerstone Fund since WIF took over all funds.  After that transaction took place, we moved the Lillian E. England Trust to a local credit union, Peninsula Federal Credit Union in Menominee.  At this time the fund is in a 12 month CD.  The other fund we have at WIF will be transferred soon, into the same credit union and deposited into a money market account.  Values of these accounts are shown on our quarterly financial reports reviewed at our Quarterly Members Meetings.  These meetings are a time for us to update the financial status of NSC and a time for members and guests to ask questions regarding the financials of the church.

The new year is bringing us real challenges of inflation, rising costs, new ministry start-ups, revamping other ministries dormant since COVID and a building capital campaign. With all that in mind, I must reminded myself again of who is really in control of our planning and our budget.  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

Will our budget match God’s budget, will our plans match God’s plans, for North Shore Church in 2023?  Let’s pray about that!

In Christ,

Bob Thompson

Treasurer