ChurchBiz started in 2008 to resource two church plants. This guide brings together everything we have on the financial and administrative side of planting, so you can stay focused on the ministry.
Eleven concise chapters covering every financial and administrative step a church plant needs to take. Written by CPAs who have served church plants since 2008. Use it as a step-by-step guide or jump directly to the chapters that address your current needs.
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The Church Planter's Guide to Finance
11 Steps to
God-Honoring Financial Stewardship
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Most church planters are called to preach, disciple, and shepherd. The administrative side is unavoidable, and getting it right early saves real pain later.
01
Entity setup, bylaws, and a bank account are not bureaucratic formalities. They are the legal and financial container that lets your church receive and steward what the congregation gives.
02
Ministers are treated differently by the IRS on Social Security and Medicare taxes. Most planters don't know this going in. Getting it wrong from the first paycheck creates problems that compound over time.
03
How your church handles money shapes its culture. A congregation that sees transparent, well-managed finances gives more generously and follows leadership more confidently.
Additional video resources on church plant finance, including a full course overview and an eBook walkthrough.
Overview
The Church Planter's Guide to Finance
Course Overview
The Church Planter's Guide to Finance Course
eBook Walkthrough
The Church Planter's Guide to Finance eBook
Practical reads from the ChurchBiz team on church plant finance. Free in the Hub.
Article
From entity setup and giving platforms through minister tax, expense tracking, budgeting, and building a biblical culture of giving. A practical checklist for every church planter.
Read MoreArticle
A deep dive from the ChurchBiz blog covering the core financial steps for new church plants: incorporation, EIN, giving platforms, payroll, minister tax, and first-year budgeting.
Read MoreWhen you are ready for full training on church plant finance, the Church Plant Finance Course is built exactly for this season. Finance Team 101 covers the broader systems you will grow into.
$97
Eleven CPA-taught video lessons walking you through every essential financial setup step for a new church plant. Eligible for a 50% scholarship through our Church Planters Program.
What You Will Learn
$197
The complete church finance training for treasurers, board members, and finance leaders. The natural next step once your plant has a finance team in place and is ready to mature its systems.
What You Will Learn
The church plant finance questions we hear most often from new planters.
Both should happen before you accept any donations. The EIN comes from the IRS at no cost (Form SS-4 online) and is typically issued the same day. The bank account requires the EIN, your articles of incorporation, and a board resolution authorizing signers. If you are gathering before incorporation, work through a fiscal sponsor or sending church to receive funds rather than mixing money with personal accounts.
Churches are unique. Under IRS rules, a church automatically qualifies as a 501(c)(3) the moment it meets the IRS definition of a church, without filing Form 1023. Donations are tax-deductible immediately. However, formal IRS recognition provides a determination letter that foundations, sending agencies, and state registrations often require. Most planters file within their first year.
The first time you pay your pastor, you should be running payroll. A pastor who is your employee under common-law rules should receive a W-2, even if their compensation is small. This means setting up state and federal payroll accounts, designating housing allowance in advance via board resolution, and using payroll software. Setting this up correctly the first month is dramatically easier than retrofitting it six months in.
For most plants, Planning Center Giving, Subsplash, or Pushpay are the leading options. The right pick depends on whether you are also using Planning Center for other church management tasks, how important reporting integration is, and your fee tolerance. Whichever you pick, make sure giving data flows cleanly into your accounting software from day one.
From the very first dollar received or spent. QuickBooks Online is the most common choice for church plants because it integrates well with payroll, giving platforms, and other tools you will likely use. Spreadsheets are not a sustainable substitute. They lack audit trails, make accountability difficult, and create real problems when you eventually need clean financial reports for grants, bank loans, or board oversight.
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Need Personal Help?
We have been helping church plants get their financial and administrative foundations right since 2008. If you are in the early stages and want a team that understands the specific needs of a new church, we are happy to talk.