ECFA Broadens Outreach with New 'Church Division'

Contact: Ginny McCabe, 513-604-6720

MEDIA ADVISORY, August 6 /Christian Newswire/ -- We all desire to give a portion of our financial resources to a charity or group that will use those resources to further the Kingdom of God here on earth. Yet, sometimes we find ourselves not following the advice of Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount.

How do meet our responsibilities to store up treasures in heaven while avoiding unwise financial decisions? How do we follow Jesus' advice to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves…" (Matthew 10:16 NKJV)?

Kenneth Behr, president of the highly respected Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), is well-positioned and well-appointed to answer this and other related questions on the issues of responsible giving for Christians.

Simply put, he is ready to teach your listeners and viewers "Donating 101: Guidelines to Giving."

Behr stresses the need to:

•         know your charity

•         understand what your gift will accomplish

•         give to accountable charities

•         focus on the mission of the organization instead of overhead percentages

•         remember the differences between investing in The Kingdom and investing financially

Behr is an ordained minister and came to ECFA after serving four years on the pastoral team at the 3,500-member North Way Christian Community in Pittsburgh, Pa. Prior to that, he spent 23 years on assignments on three continents with Ford Motor Co. He also served a number of years as visiting scholar and adjunct professor, teaching international business, entrepreneurship and finance at Geneva College and Florida Atlantic University.

ECFA, founded in 1979, provides accreditation to evangelical Christian nonprofit organizations that faithfully demonstrate compliance with established standards for financial accountability, fund-raising and board governance. ECFA's 2,000-plus members collectively receive more than $16 billion per year in income from their ministry efforts and represent nearly $26 billion in assets.

ECFA recently created its new "Church Division" to help churches demonstrate the highest standards of accountability that convey God-honoring, ethical practices. Members of the Church Division receive continuing education provided by ECFA staff. Subjects covered include leadership, governance, financial stewardship, fundraising and accountability.