Should churches have credit cards?

as long as that credit card doesn't have the numbers 666 in it I am fine haha

 

Maybe his goal is being banned after post number 665! :laugh:

 

rbell: You made a good point, but how many people actually start out doing that and then go off the deep end. Speaking for myself, it would be too big a temptation. LOL

We do have a debit card and when we go on trips, we use it as a credit card for gas and would use it in an emergency should something happen to the car on the Interstate, but it is always paid immediately. We don't even wait until the end of the month.

When our church needs something, the congregation pays for it. When we built our new church and ministry center (at different times), we pledged money for it and only built each week that which we had the money for.

Many people can use credit cards responsibly. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. Since I know this, I have no business having one.

 

IAB, I draw a line in between a personal credit card (which I don't have, for many of the reasons you enumerated) and a church credit card. Our church is prohibited by policy from carrying a balance. Doing so could jeapordize our employment...so for us, a church CC makes sense.

 

maybe this is another conversation to have elsewhere...i dunno...but I guess I'm just clueless as to why people are so against debt

Seriously, one of the keys to my personal financial growth has been properly leveraged debt that has made it possible to expand our personal financial portfolio. We have purchased a house, made significant gains through investments, and created a financial situation where we've been able to give back so much more tremendously than we could otherwise. Now I don't begin to suuggest this makes us better people or better Christians. Yet I am curious why all the angst towards debt.

I'm not suggesting improperly managed debt mind you, but a leveraged portfolio that helps create personal security. Right now, if needed, we could pay off all our debts and still have a sizable financial position. Yet with properly managed leverage our family can hedge our position and continue to see growth.

I guess it goes for the church where I get to serve too. Just a thought. Again, I'm not pushing against anyone or doubting anyone's sanctification. Just a conversation. Thanks!

 

Pro 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

 

Yes, and to emphasize Pro22, if the borrower is slave to the lender, and one uses debt for a local church, then, in essence, you have made a house of worship slave to an institution, to be nice about it, is there for nothing but a profit.

As long as credit cards are paid off each month, I see no problem with using them as a convenience.

If we as families and a government used Biblical principles of finance, maybe we would not be in the mess we are today.

They are really simple.
Work to earn a living.
Support your family.
Be content with what the Lord has given you
No or very limited debt
Give to the Lord
Help the needy
Save for an emergency

 

I agree. I don't think it is safe for a church to assume that the church body will be able to pay for anything in the future. A church depends on the faithful giving of members. A church should not assume accounts receivable based on its assumptions of how much money it will receive from giving members. Why not have a debit card instead if convenience is the main issue or is convenience based on getting something before paying for it?

 

Yeppers!..............

 

Debt, particularly mismanaged debt, is bondage.

 

Debit cards are impractical from a bookkeeping standpoint. It would mean that our financial secretary would not be aware of our balance...that won't fly in a church setting.

Also...we're not talking about spending over and above what is budgeted. We're talking about spending what has been set aside within a line item. Not to mention, credit cards can have limits that prohibit extravagance or out-of-line amounts. Our church carries two months of operating expenses as a reserve. Our limits on our church cards are less than one twelfth of that amount. Quite safe.

Besides, here are some reasons for us to have one:

• Security for online purchases.
• Actually offering more protection for ministers on trips with kids/youth.
  • Rids us of carrying large amounts of cash--protects us more from accusations, offers more paperwork, and reduces theft issues.
  • Allows us to handle major problems (such as a van breakdown) without subjecting our kids & leaders to unsafe conditions.
• Asking ministers to pay for items and then be re-imbursed is not practical. (Last month, I had three occasions of purchases in the hundreds of dollars. I can't afford to "float" that amount). Asking ministers to go to a store, get all the items, have them rung up on a provisional ticket, go back to the office, get a check, cash it, and return to buy the items is a waste of church and minister time and resources.

Now...many churches may not choose to go this route, and that's fine. But for those of us that do, it's not about impulsiveness or irresponsibility. Most of the time (at least in our church and a couple more I know of on here), the policy is well-thought out and documented, safeguards are in place to prevent debt, abuse, and misuse; and it has proven to be a helpful tool in our carrying out of our ministry details.

 

I answered other because this is something that depends on the congregation.

I do think our church uses some sort of cards but I really am not sure.
I will say that a church should not use a CC as a means of debt at all.
However, as others have mentioned, giving a church master card so that a member can buy supplies from a store for a particular purpose is not such a bad idea.

 

I personally don't like credit cards. I wouldn't recommend having one (or a church having one).

There would need to be strict guidelines to a church having a credit card. I would suggest have three to five members (depending on the size of the church) of the church to decide whether or not the card can be used for what has been propsed.

The second thing is that a church would need to ensure that they pay off any charges accquired on that credit card immediately. There's nothing worse than being in debt.

 

You are most wise Jim, I agree. I also believe that churches should not accept offerings by credit card.

 

The second point you brought up was addressed. We are prohibited, policy-wise, from carrying a balance.

As to your first point...in a large church, that would grind things to a halt. Purchases that are made are for expenditures within a budget line item. For instance, in the last few weeks, I used our church credit card for:

• Purchasing fuel for a mission trip we were on. (Carrying $1,500 cash is simply a bad idea)
• Made an online purchase for expanded memory for a church computer (again--a budget line item).
• Made an online purchase to replace a drum part that broke (again--a budget line item).

Now...if we need to make purchases that don't fall under a line item...then yes, we have to go through a process there. But why should there be a complex approval process for purchasing fuel for a mission trip--a line item that has been approved, an amount that has been previously approved, and for a purpose that has been clearly stated?

(Note: We're not talking about lack of accountability. We turn in receipts here. We fill out purchase orders here. We're very transparent and accountable. Having said that...there should be care taken to make sure that we don't make the day-to-day operations so cumbersome that ministry can't get done).

 

Amen, Amen, Amen!!

If the church needs the convenience of being able to make online purchases or other purchase that would require a plastic card, they can have the bank issue them a check card. The purchase can only be made if there is money in the account.

 

I wonder what Dave Ramsey would vote in this poll? He's against any kind of credit...yet accepts them to purchase his items on his website.