MFW Webinar Schedule

Why Did Jesus Care So Much About Money? (And why should we?)

We’ve all heard the statistic, ‘Jesus spoke more about money than any other subject during his time on earth other than the Kingdom of God’. Perhaps it’s become so common we roll our eyes when we hear it. We do so at our own peril. We will take a fresh look at how Jesus viewed the power behind money and its profound implications for every church and ministry that seeks to be his faithful followers.

Local church finances and attender giving patterns: insights from the National Church Life Survey

This webinar offers research findings from the National Church Life Survey combined with analysis and reflections. Topics covered include:

• The finances of local churches: current situation, budgeting, debts, financial assistance sought and DGR status;
• Leader views on the financial future of their church, and the impact of the pandemic;
• Church attender views on support provided through their church on financial matters; and
• Church attender financial giving to their local church and to charities that help the poor.

Building financial literacy for Board members

Although financial oversight is a key responsibility of board members, recent QUT research indicates that over 90% of non-financial experts on boards are not sufficiently financially literate to carry out their role. This webinar will assist to build financial literacy, walking through the different types of financial statements, their purpose and limitations, and what questions to ask when reviewing them.

Filtering the status quo for enhanced ministry focus and financial outcomes.

Contemporary ministry enterprises live with the daily risk of capture by the status quo and an accompanying reluctance to change. If this status quo capture sets in, operational and financial performance suffer. Peak ministry operational and financial performance is driven from a relentlessly intentional focus on ministry.

In this webinar Bickerton Masters / Arkhart Advisory will present a working example of their advisory process for focussing assets and activities on ministry and improving overall performance in the process.

We might love you, but we might not fund you, unless …

As a financial services provider serving the Baptist Community and many other denominations and organisations, we are regularly involved in supporting ambitious and visionary church and ministry ventures. But as stewards of the resources God has entrusted to us and our partners & investors, we have a responsibility to be wise in the distribution and application of those funds.

In this session, CEO of BFS, David Slinn, will draw on years of being intimately involved in the financial aspects of ministry, and will share some key factors that signal either a warning flag, a green light or a showstopper.  

Hot spots – Financial policies, procedures, controls and fraud risk

An effective financial control frameworks protects the assets of the organisation, as well as those involved in the processes such as staff, management and governance.  With limited resources and a mission focus, it is also important that the systems are efficient, effective and risk based.

An effective financial control framework starts at the top – with governance who have an organisational risk focus. The framework needs to include risk management, policy, delegation of authority and agility to respond to changes in circumstance and reporting.

The processes are implemented and monitored by management who need to ensure it is efficient and effective in a every changing environment.  Using technology, training and templates, management need to ensure the systems are fit for purpose and appropriately sized for the organisation.

What does good practice look like in this area and what are some areas with emerging issues.  We will consider the role of the board and management, as well as recent frauds and issues where things have gone wrong.

This practical session will provide some suggestions for conducting a review process and allow plenty of time for questions.

Salary packaging & FBT opportunities (and risks) for ministry organisations

The new reporting requirements for exempt benefits and the recent publicity in this area could increase risk for many ministry organisations due to the likelihood of greater scrutiny.     

Related to the above is the position whereby charities are able to access FBT concessions that may increase the tax-effectiveness of salary packaging opportunities for employees.  However, the rules in relation to these concessions and salary packaging can be complicated and are often misunderstood.

In this webinar we will explain what charities need to know when considering whether to provide salary packaging for their employees, and also cover common risk issues for exempt benefits provided to religious practitioners.

Additionally, legislation has recently passed to enable certain electric cars (and plug in hybrid cars for a limited time) to be exempt from FBT.  This may represent a significant opportunity for charities as they seek to reward and retain staff without significant increased costs to the employer.  We will discuss the new exemption available for electric cars and the key criteria that must be satisfied.

More to School than Learning- School Building Funds re-visited

A recent court decision has caused a rethink of the idea of “School” when it comes to tax deductible School Building Funds.

In this webinar, charity law expert Murray Baird from Prolegis Lawyers unpacks the idea of the School Building Fund and new possibilities for fundraising for Christian ministries.

• School Building Fund in the Tax Act
• What the Tax Office says
• How to recognize a School Building
• Is this a Fund for you?
• How to set up your Fund
• How to get donations.