""[Lisa] is very timely and she's very responsive. One of the biggest accomplishments of hers for me is that she gets me our financials on time. She is easygoing, and we work well together. She works with you and not against you.""
— Theresa Caden, Church Administrator
The Challenge
GracePointe Forsyth Church, founded in 2006 with a mission to serve the people of Forsyth County and surrounding areas, needed reliable financial oversight to support its growing ministry operations. When Theresa Caden stepped into the role of church administrator after retiring from a career as a human resources director in healthcare, she took on a broad set of responsibilities — accounting, hiring, payroll, check requests, billing, and financials.
Theresa had not planned on returning to work.
"I retired in 2018. Previous to that, I was a human resources director in health care. I quickly found out that retirement wasn't my niche, and the opportunity came up to help out the church."
Taking on the financial administration of a church meant navigating complex bookkeeping demands without getting lost in the details. Theresa recognized a personal tendency toward tunnel vision when working through accounting tasks, and understood the value of having an outside perspective to keep things on track. The church had worked with BELAY bookkeepers before, so the foundation was already in place — but finding the right fit and the right working rhythm was essential.
The Solution
GracePointe Forsyth Church had already established a relationship with BELAY prior to Theresa joining, and that continuity proved to be an asset. Theresa was paired with BELAY Bookkeeper Lisa Murphy, and the two quickly developed a collaborative, efficient working dynamic built on clear communication and mutual trust.
"We work well together. Our communication is good, and she's always willing to help me or find the answer."
What made the partnership especially effective was Lisa's ability to blend seamlessly into existing workflows while still bringing professional insight. Theresa knew she worked best with someone who trusted the processes already in place — someone who could take ownership of tasks without creating friction. Lisa struck exactly that balance, executing responsibilities reliably while also suggesting improvements when appropriate.
The result was a smooth, well-coordinated system. Theresa feeds financial information to Lisa in the format Lisa needs — coding invoices and loading them into bill.com — while Lisa handles the bookkeeping with precision and consistency.
"I know exactly what she's wanting and how she's wanting it. I know exactly how she wants it coded and I'm able to put that on the invoice and load it into bill.com. I am feeding her information the way that she wants to receive information."
""Lisa, having the personality that she does and being the type of person that she is, makes it easy to work with her. She's a good fit for the church.""
— Theresa Caden, Church AdministratorThe Impact
With Lisa Murphy managing the bookkeeping, Theresa Caden has been able to fulfill her role as church administrator without the weight of financial stress — something she was deliberate about protecting when she came out of retirement.
"I did not retire to take on a level of stress and worry about money."
One of the most tangible outcomes of the partnership has been consistent, on-time financial reporting. For a church administrator responsible for keeping leadership informed and operations running smoothly, receiving financials on schedule is not a small thing — it's foundational. Theresa credits Lisa's responsiveness and professionalism as key drivers of that reliability.
"[Lisa] is very timely and she's very responsive. One of the biggest accomplishments of hers for me is that she gets me our financials on time."
Beyond the practical outcomes, Theresa speaks warmly about the personal fit Lisa brings to the role. Her easygoing nature and collaborative spirit have made her a natural extension of the GracePointe team.
"Lisa, having the personality that she does and being the type of person that she is, makes it easy to work with her. She's a good fit for the church."