Lutheran Church Extension Fund partnered with the Missouri District to invite several St. Louis area church and school business managers to a lunch and learn session in late June with Holly Perryman of HR Managed, LLC. She led a discussion about human resources, legal compliance, and best practices. Those that attended shared their experiences and received advice and direction. The time spent together learning and in fellowship provided opportunities for our brothers and sisters in Christ to have a better understanding of the nuances of managing personnel at their congregation or school.

Churches often task their business managers with understanding all facets of organizational operations including human resources, legal, and accounting. This can be challenging as laws and practices change. While some congregations are blessed with the resources to hire individuals very experienced in some of these operational areas, many Lutheran churches rely on volunteers to handle these complicated tasks. It is important that we recognize the varying degree of expertise across our church organizations, both paid and volunteer, and help these individuals to grow their skillset.

As we continue to experience limited resources in many areas of our ministry, we must be diligent in collaborating to ensure that those serving our congregations and schools have every opportunity to succeed in their vocation. LCEF will continue to work with the Missouri District, congregations, schools, and RSO’s to encourage and assist those serving the ministry, no matter their role. This effort helps to steward the resources God has granted to our community in a way that is efficient and effective.

We anticipate quarterly sessions similar in nature to the one held in June. The topics will change from session to session. If you would like to receive communication from LCEF and invitations to events designed to assist business managers in their role in the Missouri District, email Mike Wadley at mike.wadley@lcef.org.