Executive Leader Cohort | ChurchBiz
ChurchBiz Hub  ·  Executive Leader Cohort

Financial leadership built
for ministry leaders.

An 8-week cohort for ministry and nonprofit leaders who want to lead with more financial clarity, organizational health, and long-term confidence.

Starts September 29th Tuesdays at 2:00 PM 8 Weeks  ·  Live Virtual Limited Spots
Sign Up for the Cohort See the full schedule
Start DateSeptember 29, 2025
ScheduleTuesdays at 2:00 PM
Sessions8 Weeks
FormatLive Virtual  ·  Recorded
SpotsLimited Enrollment
About the Cohort

Bridging compliance and missional vision.

The Executive Leader Cohort is an 8-week virtual cohort for ministry and nonprofit leaders who want to lead their organizations with more financial clarity and organizational health. Each session is led by an experienced practitioner and includes practical resources you can take back to your ministry context.

Sessions meet weekly on Tuesdays beginning September 29th. All sessions are recorded and posted to the ChurchBiz Hub for members who miss a week. The cohort is hosted on the Hub and includes a dedicated group space for ongoing discussion beyond the scheduled sessions.

The goal is simple: to bridge the gap between administrative compliance and missional vision, so you can lead with confidence.

The cohort is $500 per person. Existing ChurchBiz clients can have this added to their monthly invoice.

Experienced Practitioners

Every session is led by someone who has worked directly in ministry and nonprofit finance. Not theory. Practical knowledge from people who have done the work.

Recorded and Available

Life happens. If you miss a session, every recording is posted to the ChurchBiz Hub so you can catch up on your own schedule.

Ongoing Community

The cohort is hosted on the ChurchBiz Hub with a dedicated discussion space to keep the conversation going beyond the weekly sessions.

Practical Resources

Each session includes takeaway resources built for your ministry context. Templates, frameworks, and guides you can put to use right away.

Who This Is For

Built for leaders who carry the weight of the mission.

01

Executive Pastors and Leaders

You carry the administrative weight of the ministry. This cohort gives you the financial fluency and organizational frameworks to do that well.

02

Pastors and Church Planters

You are building something from the ground up. A solid financial foundation is part of building a healthy ministry, and this cohort will help you get there.

03

Finance and Operations Leaders

You need more than bookkeeping knowledge. This cohort will help you lead up, communicate clearly, and build systems that serve the mission long-term.

Cohort Schedule

8 sessions. 8 topics that matter.

9/29
Sep
Introduction and Vision
We start by grounding the cohort in a shared understanding of stewardship. What does it mean to manage a ministry's resources well? We will set cohort goals together and establish the framework we will build on throughout the 8 weeks.
Cohort Leaders
Chris Mallonee & Josh Reeves
10/6
Oct
Staying Compliant with HR Issues
A practical session covering the compliance areas that trip up ministries most often. Expense and reimbursement policies, fringe benefit reporting, and payroll compliance requirements specific to ministry organizations.
Guest Teacher
Melissa Stephan
10/13
Oct
Budgeting 201, Part 1
This session goes beyond the basics. Annual planning strategies that align your budget with your mission, not just your history. The goal is a budget that actually guides decisions throughout the year.
Guest Teacher
Jordan Elder
10/20
Oct
Budgeting 201, Part 2
Building on Part 1, we dig into benchmarks, fund management, internal transfers, and how to define clear processes for financial oversight. We will also cover how to communicate budget health to your leadership team.
Guest Teacher
Chris Mallonee
10/27
Oct
Leading a Ministry Through Organizational Growth
Healthy ministries go through predictable growth stages. This session addresses how to lead your organization through those transitions well, building structures and teams that can carry the mission forward.
Guest Teacher
Kendal Haug
11/3
Nov
Culture and Conflict
Organizational health is financial health. How to build clarity around roles, values, and expectations, and how to handle conflict in a way that strengthens rather than fractures your team.
Guest Teacher
Brandon Barker
11/10
Nov
Interpreting Financials
Most leaders can read a financial report. Fewer can tell the story it is trying to tell. Advanced reporting, key metrics to track, and how to present financial information to boards and congregations with confidence.
Cohort Leaders
Chris Mallonee & Josh Reeves
11/17
Nov
Communication and Engagement Strategy
How do you build a strategy that keeps your congregation informed, engaged, and connected to the mission? We close the cohort with practical frameworks you can take back and use right away.
Guest Teacher
Mark Strong
Outcomes

What you will walk away with.

Financial Framework
A clear framework for connecting your financial decisions to your mission and organizational values.
Compliance Knowledge
Practical compliance knowledge covering HR issues, payroll, fringe benefits, and minister tax.
Advanced Budgeting
Advanced budgeting skills, including fund management, benchmarking, and internal reporting.
Organizational Health
Tools for building organizational health, managing conflict, and leading through growth transitions.
Financial Storytelling
The ability to read, interpret, and communicate financial reports to your board and congregation.
Communication Strategy
A communication strategy that keeps your congregation informed, engaged, and aligned with the mission.
Session Resources
Practical resources from each session — templates, guides, and frameworks — you can put to work in your ministry context right away.
Lasting Community
A community of executive leaders from ministries and nonprofits you can keep learning from long after the cohort ends.
Who Leads the Cohort

People who know this world.

The cohort is led week to week by Chris Mallonee and Josh Reeves from ChurchBiz, with guest teachers joining for their specific sessions. Every person in the room has direct experience in ministry and nonprofit work.

Cohort Leaders

Chris Mallonee
Chris Mallonee
CPA  ·  ChurchBiz
Chris is a CPA and partner at ChurchBiz who bridges the corporate and ministry finance worlds. Across his career he has built and led accounting and finance teams for organizations of every size, from early-stage start-ups to large publicly traded companies, as well as church finance and back-office teams. He holds an MBA from Texas A&M University-Central Texas, and since 2020 has led business development and client services across ChurchBiz's 180+ client base.
churchbiz.com
Josh Reeves
Josh Reeves
Partner  ·  ChurchBiz
Josh is a partner at ChurchBiz and leads content, technology, and marketing. He holds a business degree from Texas Tech University and a Master of Religion from Western Theological Seminary, and has been involved in church finance and church planting for the past 17 years. He founded Redeemer Church of Round Rock in 2011 and brings a pastor's perspective to ministry finance and stewardship.
churchbiz.com

Guest Teachers

Melissa Stephan
Melissa Stephan
ChurchBiz HR
Melissa leads ChurchBiz HR and specializes in helping ministries navigate human resource needs, employee compliance, health insurance solutions, and retirement benefits. She has worked with churches of all sizes to build HR systems that protect the organization and its staff.
churchbiz.com/hr-services
Jordan Elder
Jordan Elder
Redeemer Church  ·  Round Rock, TX
Jordan serves as Pastor of Preaching and Vision at Redeemer Church of Round Rock and as President of the Redeemer Network of Churches. He holds a B.S. from Texas Tech and an M.A. in Ministry Leadership and Evangelism from Wheaton College, and has spent years helping ministries plan and budget for sustainable, mission-driven growth.
redeemerrr.org
Brandon Barker
Brandon Barker
Redeemer Network  ·  Georgetown, TX
Brandon serves as Executive Director of the Redeemer Network and is a Dallas Theological Seminary graduate. He has spoken extensively on leadership, organizational culture, and how ministries can handle failure and conflict in ways that build rather than break teams.
redeemernetwork.org
Kevin Aderholt
Kevin Aderholt
CPA  ·  ChurchBiz
Kevin is a CPA and partner at ChurchBiz specializing in minister tax, compensation planning, and retirement strategies for ministry staff. He has helped hundreds of churches build compliant, sustainable compensation structures.
churchbiz.com
Kendal Haug
Kendal Haug
Providence Church  ·  Austin, TX
After earning degrees from the University of Texas and Dallas Theological Seminary, and two and a half years on staff at Coram Deo Church in Omaha, Kendal moved back to his hometown of Austin to help plant Providence Church. His leadership is driven by a desire to see people holistically formed in their worship of God, as they come to treasure Jesus above all things.
providenceaustin.com
Mark Strong
Mark Strong
The Well  ·  San Marcos, TX
Mark serves as Executive Pastor and Elder at The Well Community Church in San Marcos, where he carries both the organizational and ministerial weight of the church week to week. He brings practical experience in churchwide communication and engagement, helping ministry teams keep their congregations informed, connected, and moving toward the mission.
thewellsmtx.org

Ready to lead with more confidence?

$500 per person. Existing ChurchBiz clients can add it to their monthly invoice. Spots are limited.

Sign Up for the Cohort Learn About the Hub