Experts emphasize the unique rules and dynamics churches face.
By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Church Finance Today
Jennifer Neal wanted to be successful — as a woman, as a mother, and as a financial controller at a multibillion-dollar company. “I was desperately trying to make my mark and have it all,” she said.
What Neal didn’t intend was for Jesus, as she put it, “almost taking a two-by-four to my head.”
But in 2012, when her church began looking for a director of finance, nine people emailed and encouraged her to go for it. Her career ambitions certainly didn’t include a ministry position. However, she couldn’t help but feel “the Lord was leading me to at least apply.”
After much time spent in prayer, and much deliberation over the benefits of a more stable schedule as she raised her three children, she embraced her new calling with the College Park Church in Indianapolis.
Although Neal took a significant pay cut, she quickly found fulfillment using her gifts to further God’s kingdom. “It just gives me a great deal of satisfaction in my position,” she said.
Even so, Neal readily admits that the differences between a church and a business can be overwhelming at times and the learning curve high.
This article appears on the December 2016 cover of Church Finance Today, a publication of Christianity Today.
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