By Peris Kamotho
Director of Finance and Administration, CBOQ
“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.Come and share your master’s happiness!’”
Matthew 25:19-21
What does it mean to be faithful? Perhaps you think of being faithful to a spouse, and certainly this is true. Choosing to be loyal in the context of a covenant relationship is a requisite of righteousness. But this is not the only opportunity we have as followers of Jesus to produce the fruit of faithfulness.
In my work, I am charged with the stewardship of CBOQ’s finances. It is my job to ensure that the contributions your church entrusts to us are accounted for and that we are keeping track of those resources. Along with the rest of the leadership team and the CBOQ board, we ensure that your faith in us produces fruitful ministry and assistance to our churches and leaders. It’s a job I take very seriously, and one I know my colleagues and I consider it a privilege to have.
But enough about us.
There is a quiet superhero in each of your churches—someone you may never have considered because he or she probably doesn’t spend a lot of time on self-promotion. That person is your church treasurer. From the perspective of most congregants, your church’s offering disappears into baskets, buckets or bags and appears as if by magic on a balance sheet at some point in the future. But it is your church treasurer—and possibly a few volunteers—who make that happen. Treasurers spend many hours ensuring that your church is able to maintain its charitable status, that it can pay its pastoral staff, adhere to the ministry budget and keep the lights on. It is often a thankless job, primarily because no one would think to say thank you if they are doing their job well.
Treasurers need to deliver good news of an unexpected gift, and the bad news of an annual deficit. They assist in developing your church’s operating budget and they fill out tax forms. It may not seem like ministry, but it is. Their faithfulness is part of what keeps a church healthy… and they do it all out of the love of Christ.
One of the things I love to do in my role is lead the treasurer’s workshops. It is my pleasure to be able to equip these faithful members as they seek to do their role well. I thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to meet them, spend time with them and hear their hopes and concerns for their churches. Those of us in finance may not be known for our gregarious natures, but let me assure you of this: good treasurers are part of the foundation of a healthy church.
If you are a church treasurer, thank you for your faithfulness. If you are not a treasurer, I encourage you to thank your church treasurer for their work. We are blessed to have so many people who use their God-given gifts in the service of our churches as they share the Good News of Jesus in their communities.
