Bob Santy

Executive Pastor of Operations at Sunridge Community Church in Temecula, CA, an independent, non-denominational church that is passionate about it's mission of helping people find and follow Jesus.

RSS Reed

A Fresh Look at Why Church Budgets Matter

August 13, 2023

I recently took a Sunday off from the church where I work in Temecula, California, and attended a much larger church in Fontana. I believe it's a wonderfully healthy experience to see how other churches "do" Sunday mornings. If I'm being totally honest, I had a serious case of facility envy. Their …

Using Per Capita Giving Metrics Correctly

August 13, 2023

In 2006 when I entered into full-time ministry, one of my goals as the Pastor overseeing finances was to find trends and ways to routinize the budget process. The first step in the process was to create a more accurate budget projection. One of my first epiphanies to creating an accurate budget …

Church Leadership: Reproduce not Replace

July 29, 2023

As the Executive Pastor of Operations for a church in Southern California, I am so thankful that certain areas in my volunteer-led organization chart are solid. These teams are engaged; they take their ministry seriously, come prepared to serve, and are ready to go at a moment's notice. One of the …

Church Leadership: Doing vs. Leading

July 29, 2023

The unthinkable happened in the middle of the current summer heat wave - our air conditioner stopped working. Since I live in a section of Southern California where summer temperatures are routinely over 100 degrees, this was a significant issue. Whether spawned from my frugality or hands-on …

Church Operations: Effective Staff Meetings

July 25, 2023

At the start of my career, I held many positions, most ending with the word "clerk" - Accounts Receivable Clerk, Accounts Payable Clerk, Payroll Clerk, and Accounting Clerk. Personnel like me with -clerk titles attended very few meetings, and I was fine with that. However, as my career shifted and I …

Church Benefits: Selecting the Best Time Off Plan

July 25, 2023

One of the most stressful times at work is the week before I go on vacation. It's not because I think I'm so important that the organization cannot go on without me; I just don't want to burden others to handle my stuff. Like so many other organizations, our church trimmed its staff to create …