The ChurchBiz Podcast is a conversation on all things ChurchBiz, church finance, and other important financial things that will benefit you and your team.
In this excerpt from our September ChurchBiz Live, Chris Mallonee and Kevin Aderholt talk about budget season. They start with why budgeting matters for ministry. A budget is a mirror that shows whether your spending lines up with your mission. It also helps you watch your financial health and builds trust with the people who give.
Then they walk through when to start the budget process and who should be involved, with a sample timeline from October to December and practical tips for keeping it on track.
This episode is an excerpt from our September ChurchBiz Live. ChurchBiz Hub subscribers can watch the full episode in the Hub, including the rest of the conversation on projecting giving, benchmarks, compensation, and sharing the budget with your congregation: https://www.churchbiz.com/church-finance-resource-hub (https://www.churchbiz.com/church-finance-resource-hub)
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:28 Welcome
02:06 Budget Season and Today's Questions
03:13 Why Budgeting Matters for Ministry
05:19 A Budget Is a Mirror
08:38 When to Start the Budget Process
10:53 Who Should Be Involved
14:43 A Sample Budget Timeline
16:20 How It Works in Practice
21:06 Practical Tips
Mentioned in this episode: Budgeting for a Healthy Church by Jamie Dunlop
ChurchBiz: https://churchbiz.com (https://churchbiz.com)
ChurchBiz Hub: https://www.churchbiz.com/church-finance-resource-hub (https://www.churchbiz.com/church-finance-resource-hub)
13 Oct 2026
Episode 28 - Church Balance Sheets and Record Retention
In our August ChurchBiz Live, Chris Mallonee and Kevin Aderholt take on two common questions. First, what belongs on a church balance sheet? They talk through why church financials look different from a business's, when to capitalize and depreciate, how capital budgets and reserves help, when prepaid expenses are worth tracking, and how to choose between cash, modified cash, and accrual reporting.
Then they cover record retention: what a church or ministry should keep permanently, what to keep for seven years, what can be stored digitally, and what you can let go of once the year is closed. The Executive Leader Cohort mentioned in this episode is now underway, and the next cohort will be in 2027.
This episode is the full audio from our August ChurchBiz Live. ChurchBiz Hub subscribers can watch the video in the Hub: https://www.churchbiz.com/church-finance-resource-hub (https://www.churchbiz.com/church-finance-resource-hub)
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:28 Welcome and Updates
03:56 Why Church Balance Sheets Look Different
12:17 When to Capitalize and Depreciate
19:01 Capital Budgets and Reserves
22:08 Prepaid Expenses
26:34 Don't Let GAAP Wag the Dog
30:54 Cash, Modified Cash, or Accrual
39:05 What Your Document Retention Policy Should Say
41:46 Paper or Digital Records
47:06 Wrap-Up
ChurchBiz: https://churchbiz.com (https://churchbiz.com)
ChurchBiz Hub: https://www.churchbiz.com/church-finance-resource-hub (https://www.churchbiz.com/church-finance-resource-hub)
6 Oct 2026
Episode 27 - Financial Oversight and Fraud Prevention
In this excerpt from ChurchBiz Live, Chris Mallonee and Kevin Aderholt talk about how churches and ministries can guard against fraud through strong financial oversight. They cover why at least three leaders should review the financials each month, why bank reconciliations should be done by someone other than the person recording transactions, the written policies every church needs, and why simple, clear financial reports make oversight easier.
They close with where ministry leaders can get basic training in church finance, including the courses in the ChurchBiz Hub. The Executive Leader Cohort mentioned in this episode is now underway, and the next cohort will be in 2027.
This episode is an excerpt from our May ChurchBiz Live. ChurchBiz Hub subscribers can watch the full episode in the Hub: https://www.churchbiz.com/church-finance-resource-hub (https://www.churchbiz.com/church-finance-resource-hub)
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:28 What Strong Financial Oversight Looks Like
01:54 Monthly Reviews and Independent Bank Reconciliations
03:15 Outside Eyes and Written Policies
04:06 Two Approvals on Expenses
05:18 Keep Your Financials Simple
06:38 Where to Get Church Finance Training
08:28 The Executive Leader Cohort
13:28 Closing Thoughts
ChurchBiz: https://churchbiz.com (https://churchbiz.com)
ChurchBiz Hub: https://www.churchbiz.com/church-finance-resource-hub (https://www.churchbiz.com/church-finance-resource-hub)
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