Pup Rogers had a serious problem. He had only been the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Okemah, Oklahoma, for a few months when he learned that the staff member who helped manage the church’s finances was retiring. The absence left a big hole that First Baptist found difficult to fill.
“Church finances are a different animal,” Rogers says. “They’re different than businesses, and they’re different than personal finances because of tax laws, budget rules and things like that.”
The search to find a replacement widened, but geography proved to be a limiting factor as the options in Okemah weren’t as plentiful as the church hoped. Plus, First Baptist averages about 120 people each week in worship, which means the church could only support a small paid staff.
Pup Rogers has been pastor at First Baptist Church in Okemah, Oklahoma, for two years.
“We realized that we were limited in our resources and couldn’t pay what somebody probably deserved in that position,” Rogers remembers.
Just in time, a friend in ministry connected Rogers to Sarah Barham, vice president of Ministry Accounting Services at WatersEdge. After Barham visited with the church’s stewardship team, it didn’t take long for leadership to decide to enroll, beginning service in November, 2021.
“It freed us up to have WatersEdge do all our accounting,” Rogers explains. “We changed our ministry assistant hours to a part time position, which makes that a much easier job for us to fill. It’s such a relief. We also have security — the checks and balances that the accounting team at WatersEdge has put together for our congregation, specifically, have been excellent.”
It was a win-win — for the church, and for Rogers personally. The stress of dealing directly with complicated financial issues has disappeared. First Baptist also simplified the church’s giving by opting to use WatersEdge’s online giving service. “We’ve actually seen giving increase this year,” Rogers says. “Everything about it has been positive. Even when WatersEdge had to raise its fee, our stewardship team was like, ‘Yes. Absolutely.’ It’s still a no brainer for us.”
We’ll do the accounting, so you can focus on what counts.
With our Ministry Accounting Services, you can put your church on the path to financial success. Start a conversation with our accounting professionals today.
info@WatersEdge.com | 800-949-9988 | WatersEdge.com/ministry-accounting
By Kedrick Nettleton
