If you have questions about church finances like creating a budget, using accounting software, setting up payroll or other operational items, contact our Genesis Director of Finance, Honna Curtis. 

Honna Curtis
  • Director of Finance

If you have questions about property, insurance, legal matters or church health, please contact our Associate Superintendent and Director of Operations, Adam Stein.

2025 Expense Reimbursement Form
For Genesis Conference Activities
Submit Your Expenses Here
Church Tax & Finance Guide
From the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA)
Guide
FMCUSA Resources
for Finance and Treasurers
Access Resources Here
Property Resources
Forms, Worksheets and FMCUSA Applications
Access Resources Here
Housing Allowance Worksheet
For Pastors and Church Boards

The IRS makes provision for a tax exempt housing allowance to constitute a portion of a pastor's income from the local church. Each church must record an approved housing allowance in their board minutes, and it should be reflected accordingly in the church's annual budget.

IRS Publication 517 (2023) provides the following guidance: “Ministers are individuals who are duly ordained, commissioned, or licensed by a religious body constituting a church or church denomination. Ministers have the authority to conduct religious worship, perform sacerdotal functions, and administer ordinances or sacraments according to the prescribed tenets and practices of that church or denomination. If a church or denomination ordains some ministers and licenses or commissions others, anyone licensed or commissioned must be able to perform substantially all the religious functions of an ordained minister to be treated as a minister for social security purposes.”

CMCs in the employ of a church who function in either ministerial staff roles with freedom of action, ministerial leadership roles, or lead pastor roles would be eligible for housing allowance. 

If you're unsure whether you or someone on your staff qualifies, contact the Conference office.

Housing Allowance Worksheet Housing Allowance Resolution Example

Pastoral Compensation

with Supt. Pam Braman

Our compensation worksheet is something we have created as a tool within Genesis to help churches answer the question: “What should we be paying our pastor?” We base our starting numbers on a living wage for one person in this region. Specifics can be found at: https://livingwage.mit.edu.

In addition, research-based pastoral pay from another denomination can be found here: http://compstudy.lifeway.com/homepage.do  We encourage churches to check off a few surrounding states, and then look at the numbers in relationship to pastoral role and church size. (For example, you can discover what average pay for a lead pastor of a church of 400 in NY, PA, and Ohio is).