3 Common Bank Account Mistakes Pastors Make (And How to Fix Them)

Most pastors I talk to aren’t lazy with money. They’re busy. Between sermon prep, hospital visits, and leadership meetings, it’s no wonder personal finances often get pushed to the side.

But one of the easiest places to start getting your financial house in order is your bank account setup.

Here are 3 common account-related mistakes pastors make—and how to fix them.

1. Using the Same Account for Everything

This one is especially for pastors who receive outside ministry income—honorariums, speaking engagements, coaching, consulting, or even book royalties. If those funds are going into your personal checking account, right alongside your salary, bills, groceries, and family expenses, things can get complicated fast.

Why it matters:

• It’s tough to track where your money is going.

• You’re more likely to overspend or miss patterns that need attention.

• If you have any outside ministry income and expenses (like honorariums, travel reimbursements, or supply preaching), keeping it all mixed into your personal account can be confusing and may raise issues at tax time.

Fix it: Have a dedicated account for your outside ministry income and expenses. Let all honorariums, event stipends, coaching fees, and other ministry income land in one place—and use that account to cover related travel, materials, or equipment costs. This makes it far easier to track income and expenses, stay organized at tax time, and separate your primary salary from side income.

It doesn’t have to be complex. But this simple separation brings a lot of clarity and protects your stewardship.

2. Not Separating Your Emergency Fund

If your emergency fund is just part of your checking account, it’s not really an emergency fund—it’s just more money to spend.

Why it matters:

• That money can easily get used without realizing it.

• You won’t know what you actually have set aside for emergencies.

Fix it: Open a separate high-yield savings account (online options often pay better interest). Start by transferring a small amount from each paycheck.

When our kids were young, Rachel and I would open a Christmas Club account with our credit union and automatically have monthly deposits go into it. That way, when it came time to buy Christmas gifts, we weren’t putting it all on a credit card—we already had the money. It wasn’t about the interest the account paid because it was minimal. It was about avoiding financial stress at the end of the year.

Funny thing about Christmas—it comes around the same time every year. It's not an emergency. And that's the point: you shouldn't be using your emergency fund for something you knew was coming. Planning ahead for known expenses helps keep your emergency fund intact for the things you couldn’t see coming—like car repairs, medical bills, or unexpected travel. Emergency expenses might not be as predictable, but they are just as certain.

3. Keeping Everything in Your Head (or Just Checking the Balance)

If your approach to money management is to glance at your checking account balance and hope for the best—you’re not actually managing your money.

You’re guessing.

Why it matters:

• You have no idea what’s coming out or what you’ve already committed to.

• You’ll miss recurring subscriptions or auto-renewals you forgot about.

• You’re less likely to notice fraud or double charges.

• You’re reacting, not planning.

Fix it: Don’t rely on memory or account balances. Use a budgeting tool, spreadsheet, or even a simple notepad to track what’s going in and what’s going out. Take 10–15 minutes once a week to look at your spending. Awareness is the first step toward better stewardship.

And if you want to add even more margin and momentum, automate what you can. Set up transfers to savings. Schedule bill payments. Build systems that help you succeed, even during your busiest weeks.

Why it matters:

• You’re relying on memory instead of systems.

• It’s easier to forget to save or give consistently.

Fix it: Set up automatic transfers to savings and retirement accounts. Automate bill payments where possible. This doesn’t mean you stop paying attention—it just means you’re putting the basics on autopilot.

Even a $25/week automatic transfer to savings adds up over time. Build systems that work even when you’re busy.

If this topic hits close to home, you might also enjoy this post on broader financial mistakes pastors often make. It pairs well with the account-specific changes we've covered here.

Final Thought

These aren’t complex strategies. But small changes to how your accounts are set up can make a big difference over time.

It’s not about having more accounts. It’s about having the right ones with the right purpose.

Photo by Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash