I decided I wanted to be a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) when I was in the 5th grade. After moving from the Chicago-land area and graduating from Arizona State University (in Accounting, of course), I followed a typical accountant’s journey of working for one of the biggest international accounting firms, Price Waterhouse (now known as PwC), moving to a smaller regional firm, becoming the VP of Finance for a large advertising agency, and eventually starting my own firm 30 years ago with an emphasis on helping the under-served “little guy” that needed a trustworthy advisor on their side; someone who could speak their language and would keep things simple, straightforward, and understandable.

I am considered an anomaly in my field – focused solely on QuickBooks® setup, training, and troubleshooting. I don’t do taxes, audits, or day-to-day bookkeeping. Instead, I bridge the gap between the in-house staff and outside advisors - helping my clients get their books right, empowering them to understand their financial reports, and assisting them in making wise decisions.

In 2017, the Board of a small church in Casa Grande, AZ demanded an audit. Their books were a mess. Their reports made no sense. They were unable to make any decisions based on the numbers. They reached out to a local auditing firm who, after a quick look at their books, said, “you don’t need an audit, you need your books fixed – call Barbara.”

When I arrived at the church, the bookkeeper was almost in tears. She was thrown into this position with little training and had no one to turn to. She was not an accountant. She had no schooling in bookkeeping, but her heart was big, and she wanted to do a good job. She was contemplating scrapping the entire file and starting over from scratch, but that was a daunting and insurmountable task. She was afraid she would be fired. She simply didn’t know how to give the Pastor and the Board the reports they wanted – and needed – to make wise decisions.

I assured her that I could help her – and we wouldn’t need to start over from scratch. For the next few hours we sat side-by-side and combed through the reports, reorganized her chart of accounts, set up simple day-to-day processes, and discussed the meaning behind the numbers. When I left that day, she felt confident, empowered, and knowledgeable. There was a sense of relief on her face and a skip in her step.

The next day, she called me – excited to tell me that the Pastor and Board were thrilled with the reports and thanked me for not only fixing the books, but also being patient in training her, showing her how to do the work going forward.

It was on the ride home that day, that I asked, “I wonder if all small churches are this messed up?” Immediately, a heavy feeling came over me. While it wasn’t an audible voice, I “heard” the answer, “yes they are, and you are going to do something about that.” In a matter of a few miles, I was given the name, Good Steward Church Academy, the tagline, “training bookkeepers, pastors, and treasurers to honor God with their church finances”, and a vision of impacting churches for God’s glory and the expansion of His kingdom. I didn’t know exactly what that would look like.

Over the next few years, God began opening doors and creating opportunities for me to serve churches. My three “Itty Bitty” books on QuickBooks® became Amazon best-sellers. I was invited to speak on stage at Intuit’s national convention (QuickBooks Connect) to a sold-out room of accountants desiring to serve houses of worship. A fellow CPA specializing in not-for-profits, was in the audience that day. He hopped on the stage after my presentation and said, “we need to work together.” That divinely appointed connection began the next phase of building the Good Steward Church Academy.

Fast-forward through COVID-19, and my vision, mission, and goals began to materialize in the form of my core curriculum, “On-Demand Training for Houses of Worship”, 1:1 tech support and consulting services, and virtual webinar training for Houses of Worship.

If you've ever attended one of my webinars or worked with me one-to-one, you already know that my goal is to keep things simple, straightforward, and understandable. I love teaching and seeing the lightbulbs go on for my clients.

I am passionate about serving churches and have a God-given desire to impact 10,000 churches. I believe that when churches handle their finances with integrity and solid stewardship principles, the Lord will bless and multiply their efforts - and more people will be reached for His glory. Lord willing, this group will be a catalyst of financial transformation and Kingdom-expansion.