Presbytery Resources
- Resources
- Do-It-Yourself Worship
- Sunday Supplies
- Lay Pastors
- Financial Review
- Check Request
- Stretch Pastor's Salary
- PNNY Meeting Checklist
To review resources that may be of use to you and your church,
click on one of the tabs.
“Do-It -Yourself Worship”
by Rev. Virginia A. Murray
A resource for congregations whose pastors are away on Sunday morning!
There are times when your pastor cannot be in the pulpit on Sunday morning. COM is providing this resource particularly for those whose pastor may be participating in a Triennial Visit to a sister church in
the Presbytery.
This is an excellent occasion for the congregation to provide its own worship service and have a great time doing it! Try one of the following suggestions or come up with your own.
1. Invite a Commissioner from the most recent General Assembly or Synod meetings to come and speak about what they experienced at those gatherings. Both GA and Synod meet to share ideas and keep the
denomination moving forward. Take this opportunity to hear at the local level what the commissioners learned.
2. Invite a Representative from a Local Mission to speak. Many of the local missions that you are already supporting will be most happy to come and talk about what they are accomplishing. Your congregation will
learn about the good that their mission dollars are doing in their own communities. Most groups/agenices will send someone to speak at no cost if you are already supporting them with your contributions.
If you contribute to a food pantry ask someone to come and talk about hunger in your community.
If you send money to a hospice invite someone to come and talk about managing grief.
If you support a Youth Center find out more about the concerns of youth in today’s society.
If you give to Rehabilitation Programs ask someone to speak on the impact of alcoholism on our communities.
Add your own possibilities. The idea is to give the congregation a sense of how their money is being used. Choose some Scriptures and prayers for the rest of the service that will carry out the theme being
presented. Your own pastor can help you with this while you are planning your service.
3. Plan for Session to do a service once a year. They are the spiritual leaders of your church. It is meaningful to the congregation to hear the thoughts and ideas of their elders. Ask them to speak about
two or three things that show how the church is carrying out Christ's command to love one another and serve those in need. Celebrate a couple of things that are going well in the church. Choose hymns that are favorites of your church.
4. A well planned Hymn Sing can be quite inspirational. Choose a variety of hymns ahead of time that make a point. For example, select favorite hymns and research why and how some of those hymns were
written. Or choose a selection of hymns written by one particular song writer and add some biographical information about that person. Or compare and contrast traditional hymns with contemporary praise songs.
Or choose to honor a particular group within the church (such as 50 year members or the Sunday School teachers or the choir) and use their favorite hymns. Or choose hymns with phrases that need explanation such
as ( “lift mine Ebenezer”) and find out what they really mean. But plan ahead so there is some coherence to what you are offering.
5. Use a Narrative Story that carries a Christian theme in place of a sermon. Resources abound. Check the internet or your local library. Many times children's books such as “The Tale of Three Trees” can be
very inspiring to adults when combined in a service with relevant music and scripture.
6. Create a Lessons and Hymns service similar to the Lessons and Carols services used at Christmas time. Choose a theme such as “Christ the King” or “Baptism” or “ Giving of Thanks” or something else that is
particularly relevant to the life of your church and then alternate three or four hymns with three or four scriptures on the same topic. This makes a great substitute for the traditional sermon time in the
service. The rest of the service is done as usual.
7. Ask someone from another faith tradition to come and speak about some particular aspect of their worship. Ask them to be specific on a particular topic that will relate your faith and theirs. For example
ask a Baptist to come and speak about baptism by immersion; how do they do it, why is it important to them? Or invite a Jewish neighbor to come and talk about Passover. Or a Muslim can talk about their use of some of the same scriptures that undergird our faith. Look for the connections that exist among faiths.
8. Use a Skit in place of the sermon and then allow the congregation a few minutes to discuss the meaning of the skit at its conclusion. Add appropriate scripture that carries the main point of the skit. Again
the internet has examples. Some of the skits are for sale but some companies will provide a free sample or two. Every congregation has a few natural born actors. Let them read their lines (Reader's theater)
and keep the props simple. A hat, a phone, a desk – simple items are sufficient. Most of the skits written for churches will give you a short list of what to use.
9. Suggestions for Parts of the Service other than the Sermon:
Prayers
Use prayers already written out in the “Presbyterian Book of Worship”.
Or for the morning prayer of intercession the prayer leader can make suggestions for silent prayer i.e. suggest we pray for peace and then give the congregation a pause of silence to make their own prayer. Then suggest we pray for our missionaries and pause again. The prayer leader can make a list ahead of time of 6 or 7 topics that will lead people to the intercessions normally mentioned by the pastor.
Or use prayers written by poets and theologians. Books of prayer are easily obtained through Christian bookstores or libraries. Just be sure to mention who wrote the prayer.
Or ask the congregants to each write down a one-sentence prayer before the service begins and pass them to the worship leader who can then read them as a group prayer during the service.
Invocation and Benediction
Ask the choir to lead the congregation in singing these prayers. The Presbyterian Hymnal has several good choices or use traditional selections known to your group.
Ask the Sunday School children to prepare and sing these prayers.
10. Add Extra Music – choir selections and congregational singing. Most worship services planned and conducted by lay worship leaders tend to be a bit shorter than what our “windy” pastors manage. Folks always enjoy the musical parts of the service so add some extra.
Do-It-Yourself Worship can be a very enjoyable experience. So let your
imagination take you to the Lord in new and creative ways.
Click here to open a brochure describing the Certified Lay Pastors.
Procedures for Congregational Financial Review Committees
Presented by the Financial Management Committee
WHAT IS A FINANCIAL REVIEW? WHY SHOULD WE HAVE ONE?
The Book of Order says that conducting a financial review of all church financial records once each year is a
minimum standard a church should observe. [G-10.0401d] People who know how to balance a check book,
read a balance sheet or an operating statement, and can use a calculator will have the skills necessary to tell
whether reports fairly represent the financial condition of a congregation.
It is important for a session to receive a brief statement from someone independent from those handling the
church’s financial records. The statement would indicate for the testing completed that all receipts have been
properly deposited and recorded, that disbursements have been approved and expensed, and that the actions of
those who are the stewards of the church’s resources appear to be in order.
The check list and guideline that follows is written with an internal church financial review committee in
mind.
HOW BIG AN AUDITING COMMITTEE?
A team of two would suit the bill quite well for most churches. As an alternate procedure, a qualified person
could review the books and give a brief statement if independent of those who receive, deposit and expend
funds. This method would be better than to leave the books unaudited.
HOW DETAILED A REVIEW?
The following two pages list basic financial review procedures, and more advanced procedures. It is a good
idea to periodically be more thorough.
We keep on file at the presbytery office very detailed recommendations that will assist auditors elected by the
congregation to perform an even more in depth financial review of the church books. We will make this more
thorough check list available upon request.
Financial Review Checklist
(for use by review committee)
Church____________________________ Year Ending ___________
Date __________
Reviewers ____________________, ______________________, ___________________
Basics Check List:
Spot check the percentage indicated by the session and/or trustees: _________% of receipts and disbursements
during year being audited.
Cash Receipts. Spot check cash received and money counters reports. Compared with deposits made.
Expenditures. Spot check to see that disbursements are recorded by check number, payee, date and assigned
to proper budget line. Check to see that these disbursements are supported by invoices/statements.
Year End Reconciliation. Compare check book and bank balances to treasurer's records. Note the disposition
of the balance of any fund or bank account that was closed during the year.
Treasurer's Books. Review treasurer's books and reports for proper reporting to Session. Verify that disbursements
authorized by the session are paid per approval.
Petty Cash Funds. If a petty cash fund is used, check disbursement vouchers for proper approval; compared
with reimbursement checks written.
More Advanced Check List (for use by the Financial Review Committee)
Check to see that funds for particular purposes were used in ways specified.
Account for all checks used.
Regarding petty cash funds, check assignment of expenses to appropriate budget lines.
Spot check session minutes for authorization of bill payment.
Check/compare financial secretaryís posting of contributions from members to actual member giving.
Check insurance policy in force and compare to minimum requirements of the presbytery.
Verify balances of debt owed to all lenders.
Identify all securities by number on certificates or accounts. Note which securities are kept on file. Report on
totals of all cash reserves funds and investments.
Click here to open the check request form.
A Way of Caring for the Minister. Session and Personnel Committee members’ awareness of the ways income allocation can benefit a pastor, without any disadvantage to the church, opens a door to caring for the pastor’s well-being in a special, tangible way. Many persons enjoy exclusions from taxable income through contributions to a group pension and major medical program, travel reimbursements if the job requires mobility, reimbursements for continuing education, etc. There are additional exclusions that may be legally claimed by ministers (and others who are provided housing by an employer). Each $1000 of income legally excluded from federal income tax may reduce the minister’s tax obligation by $150 or more. That legitimate savings becomes part of the pastor’s disposable income.
To read more, click here.
