Lessons from the Toolbox: Risk Management
A Lesson from "A Pastor's Toolbox" Vol. 1 Ch. 6
Encountering risk is inevitable for any organization, including the Church, and while risk cannot be eliminated, it can be managed, planned for, and mitigated. In Chapter 6 of “A Pastor’s Toolbox,” licensed CPA John McGovern offers five guiding principles that together can help ensure good stewardship of the Church’s assets and protection against crisis.
Good fences make good neighbors.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Controlling risk will not make you friends.
Risk management is a form of stewardship.
Be aware of “third parties.”
As Church leaders, part of our responsibilities often includes ensuring the stewardship of the Church’s financial, online, and physical assets. These can include property and bank accounts, as well as constituent data and the equipment used by staff to operate a parish. Being put in charge of significant assets requires relentlessly caring for them, thus efforts to manage risk are a key part of good leadership. While no one likes rules and regulations, most understand their purpose, so establishing fair, concise, and clear rules helps ensure employees and volunteers practice good stewardship of the assets under their care. Even small actions taken now can help prevent risk from becoming a crisis.
This piece was originally published in our March 2025 First Fridays newsletter. Click here to receive our future newsletters.