join us: October 21-24, 2025
Many clergy step into leadership with a deep sense of calling—but little training in the financial skills their roles demand. Finance for Leaders is a four-day intensive designed to fill that gap, equipping pastors with the confidence and tools to lead fiscal conversations with clarity and purpose. Through plenary sessions on budgeting and fundraising, along with a customizable workshop day, participants will gain practical insight into managing church finances. While seminary may only briefly touch on these topics, financial leadership is essential to sustaining ministry and stewarding mission effectively.
Layered into the Iron Sharpening Iron fall curricular gathering, participants in the intensive will have the opportunity to share in networking and worship with women from the Executive Leadership Certificate Program. The ISI model draws on expertise from the church and beyond, curating a conversation that puts the role of pastor on par with executives from a wide array of professional sectors.
Participants are required to be women in ministry.
Fiscal Fundamentals with Lisa Kaplowitz
In this practical plenary session, pastors will learn the essentials of church budgeting, including how to read a profit and loss statement and confidently participate in finance committee meetings. Designed for those without a financial background, the session breaks down key concepts into plain language and real-life ministry applications. By demystifying the numbers, pastors will gain tools to steward resources wisely and make informed decisions that align with their mission. Understanding church finances isn’t just for treasurers—it empowers leaders to ask the right questions, build trust, and lead with transparency. Come ready to turn financial fear into confidence and clarity.
INSTRUCTOR: Lisa Kaplowitz is an Associate Professor of Professional Practice in the Finance and Economics department at Rutgers Business School. She leverages her almost 25 years of experience as an investment banker and CFO. She is the co-founder and executive director of the Center for Women in Business (CWIB), whose mission is to remove barriers, build community, and empower women. In 2020, she was honored as a “Woman on the Rise” by Paradigm for Parity. Her work has been featured on Bloomberg TV and in USA Today, LA Times, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, CFO Magazine, and Bloomberg.com.
She earned a B.A. in Economics and International Relations from Brown and an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
How to Build Relationships and Raise Money with Suzanne Hilser-Wiles
This engaging plenary session equips pastors with the fundamentals of fundraising, including how to build genuine relationships and secure meaningful gifts. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all strategy, it helps each leader discover an approach to fundraising that feels authentic and aligned with their values. By rooting the practice in integrity and mission, pastors will gain confidence to invite others into shared ministry through giving. Fundraising can feel uncomfortable, but it is a vital expression of leadership, vision, and trust-building. This session provides a compassionate starting point for turning discomfort into a purpose-driven connection.
INSTRUCTOR: Suzanne Hilser-Wiles is President of GG+A, partnering with clients around the globe to help them elevate their fundraising by offering more than 25 years of experience in advancement, program building, and campaign planning and implementation. Throughout her career, she has helped design, rebuild, and reimagine programs by applying her experience with a wide range of advancement programs and institutions. She has worked closely with her clients through their individual challenges and opportunities, including ambitious campaigns, changes in leadership, crises, and restructuring. She has focused her work in the higher education, healthcare, independent schools, and artistic and cultural sectors.
Customizable Workshop Schedule
No one knows your context better than you! We begin finance week with a full day of workshops. Participants will have the chance to select three sessions that speak directly to the questions most pressing in their congregation or community. The line-up is being finalized, but recurring topics include:
- Buildings and Deferred Maintenance
- The Possibilities and Pitfalls of Social Enterprise
- Capital Campaigns
- The Impact of Personal Money Narratives on Stewardship
- Churches & Affordable Housing
- Grant Writing & Grant Management
- Effective Narrative Budgets
- Biblical Wisdom Literature and Financial Modeling
Worship and Community
This seminar is a space where professional development is rooted in your deep sense of call. Each morning begins with worship, grounding our learning in the sacred and centering us in the Spirit. Throughout the week, we’ll not only build financial knowledge but also foster meaningful connection among women in ministry. This is more than networking—it’s an invitation to share stories, name and resist gaslighting when it appears, and spark fresh possibilities through honest conversation and collaborative imagination.
In addition to a welcome dinner on Tuesday night, participants are provided breakfast and lunch each day of the seminar. We work with local chefs and caterers to provide food that meets a wide array of dietary restrictions with delicious, nutritious offerings.
Final project
During the week you will get a 1-on-1 consultation with program facilitators to discuss your context and specific needs. This conversation will help shape the focus of your final project, due at the end of the week.
The final project is designed for real-world impact, equipping participants to immediately apply what they’ve learned. Each pastor will create a discussion outline for one of two practical scenarios: either a conversation they need to have with their finance committee or a strategy session to shape their next stewardship campaign. This assessment emphasizes clarity, confidence, and contextual relevance, allowing participants to tailor their approach to their unique ministry setting. Throughout the process, they’ll receive guidance and real-time feedback from program facilitators, helping them refine their outline for successful implementation. The goal is not just to plan—but to prepare for action with support and accountability.
your investment
The program is $2499. This includes:
- Three full days of curriculum with best-in-field presenters
- Breakfast and lunch Tuesday through Friday with special dinner Tuesday evening
- Access to the Iron Sharpening Iron network of leaders — 130+ women around the US and Canada, reflecting a wide array of denominational affiliation and ministry context
- Certificate of Completion, Finance for Leaders
Only EIGHT spots are available for the fall session.
