"We had a meeting when he first started, and we got along great and he understood what I needed and I understood what he needed and it's been a really good matchup between us."
— Debra Boland, Office Administrator
The Challenge
Advent Lutheran Church is a community of faith committed to worship, fellowship, and outreach — but like many smaller religious organizations, it faced a persistent operational challenge: finding reliable bookkeeping support without the cost or commitment of a full-time staff member.
Debra Boland, the church's office administrator, was responsible for managing both the business and ministry sides of the organization. Without a dedicated financial professional on staff, the burden of the books fell on her, pulling focus away from her core responsibilities.
"It's almost impossible to find a bookkeeper who is willing to work as a volunteer or even a paid bookkeeper for a church," Debra explains. "We don't need a bookkeeper to be on staff being paid as a regular employee, so [something like this] has really helped us a lot."
The church needed a flexible, knowledgeable bookkeeping solution — one that understood the financial nuances of ministry organizations without requiring a full-time hire.
The Solution
BELAY matched Debra with Bookkeeper Samuel Card, and from their very first meeting, the partnership clicked. The two quickly established a clear working rhythm and a strong mutual understanding of each other's needs and expectations.
"We had a meeting when he first started, and we got along great and he understood what I needed and I understood what he needed and it's been a really good matchup between us."
Samuel took full ownership of the church's finances — managing vendor payments through bill.com, answering Debra's questions promptly, and ensuring all bills were properly coded and routed to the correct accounts. Her process became simple: send Samuel the bills with account codes, and consider it handled.
"It's awesome that I can just send him my bills and code them so he knows which account to take it out of, and it's done. It's taken care of."
Samuel's prior experience bookkeeping for other churches gave him an immediate grasp of the unique financial landscape of ministry organizations, making him a natural and confident fit for Advent Lutheran Church from day one.
"It's been a big relief to have someone like that who understands our business."
— Debra Boland, Office AdministratorThe Impact
With Samuel managing the books, Debra experienced something she hadn't fully anticipated: genuine peace of mind. Knowing that financial responsibilities were in capable, knowledgeable hands gave her the freedom to refocus on the work she does best.
"I have time to do my job. I don't have to worry about the finances, so I have time to do what I need to do."
Beyond time savings, Debra gained a trusted resource who responds quickly and reliably — a level of accessibility and expertise that has made a meaningful difference in her day-to-day operations at the church.
"[For] any kind of question I have, he usually has an answer or knows how to get that answer to me. It's been a big relief to have someone like that who understands our business."
For a small church office that couldn't justify a full-time bookkeeping hire, BELAY delivered exactly the right fit: a knowledgeable professional who understood their world, managed their finances seamlessly, and became a genuinely valued member of the extended team.