Articles

The following articles deal with church organization including articles on how the church leadership can avoid the types of problems that we have been experiencing at Two Rivers Baptist.

Note - Items designated as have been added in the last 7 days.

• Good Neighbors - TBC Baptist & Reflector - 05/21/08
  This is a story about the Dotson's and how they have been such good neighbors to the writer and his family for 23 years and how they have been such fine examples of Christians who outwardly show their faith through their actions toward others. The writer further points out that, unfortunately, they no longer have a church home at TRBC - they were part of the "71".
• How to Cheat on Your Minister's Taxes
  Tips for ministers "Willing to take a chance"
• 6 Major Law Changes Impacting a Minister's Compensation
  This Lifeway article talks about the recent IRS changes in compensating ministers. Pay special attention to the section dealing with housing allowances.
• Pastoral Perks Can Be Unethical, Even Illegal
  Story about how some church members questioned the ethics of their pastor and then found themselves removed from teaching positions and even locked out of the church. Sound familiar?
• Porn in the Pulpit
  In this article, the writer points out that 1 in 7 pastors report that they are addicted to porn and over 50% admitted to viewing pornography during the year.
• Blog Site About First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, FL
  Apparently, they are having similar "abuse of power" issues with their pastor. He used $100,000 of church money to build a lavish office suite, changed the bylaws without a vote, took up an "offering" for his son's wedding reception, and put his wife on staff. Read the comments on this blog. They sound very familar to the abuse of power that we have seen at TRBC. Think that this pastor and Jerry Sutton are comparing notes?
• Martin Luther's"The True Christian Minister" (20 KB)
• Spending God's Money - A book by Mary Kinney Branson
  This is an article about Mary Kinney Branson's book concerning poor stewardship and high living by pastors and others who control money given to churches and other religious organizations. The story of one of the ex-Presidents of the North American Mission Board is elightening as Branson discusses how NAMB's "culture plummeted" when the President "became an author" and then "lines blurred between personal and NAMB business".
• Guidelines for Church Incorporation (150 KB) - Davis & Maxwell
• Staff Salary Disclosure (20 KB) - Davis & Maxwell
• Guidelines for Church Records - TBC Article
  The author talks about how TRBC could have avoided this mess by having a more open record policy - exactly what we have been proposing for years!
• Shepherd vs CEO (21 KB) - Anonymous
  This article talks about the differences between the two positions and why TRBC needs a caring Shepherd and not a CEO as the Senior Pastor likes call himself.
• Overcoming Four Coming Church Financial Firestorms - Lifeway

• Pastor vs. Church: Court to Determine the Future
• Pastor Sent to Prison for Credit Card and Love Offering Use
• Church Pastor Charged With Theft
• Charities lose billions of dollars to theft, fraud
• Investigation Shows Church Embezzlement Totaled $132,837
• 6 Dangers of Church Credit Cards - Lifeway Article
  This Lifeway article states the following:
  - "A personal credit card charge on the church credit card creates a serious tax problem with the IRS."
  - "Personal charges should never be made on the church credit card."
  - "In extreme cases, personal purchases on the church credit card could involve not only civil penalties, but criminal charges being filed against the person."
  - "The church credit card should be used for the convenience of the church, not the church members or employees."
  - "Churches not only have a legal obligation to make sure the credit cards are handled properly and ethically, but morally the church must do everything possible so the cause of Christ is not harmed by church credit card abuse."
• Church Embezzlement Case Histories
• Church Credit Card Used to Stay at the Ritz
• Pastor Fired After Charging $15,000 On Church Credit Card

Articles About Embezzlement In Churches

• Pastor Steals $30,000 from Church - Uses it to Gamble
• Former Pastor Accused of Stealing $40,000 from Church
• Pastor Sold Entire Church - Went Out and Purchased New BMW
• Pastor Steals Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars From TX Church
• Pastor Sells Church Property on Ebay
• Pastor Stole $1.3 Million From Manhattan Church
• What Happens When a Church Goes Bankrupt?
• Shortsightedness Makes For Poor Stewardship
• Episcopals Claim 2.4MM Members, Only 800K Attend, Faces Bankruptcy