When Redemption City Church began holding services in Daytona in 2018, its financial needs looked very different than they do today.
Originally launched as part of a multi-site church, Redemption City became autonomous in 2022, with Andrew Hale stepping into the role of lead pastor. For four more years, the growing congregation continued meeting in an elementary school before opening its first permanent facility in March 2026.
Today, Redemption City welcomes approximately 1,100 people across three weekly services and has a staff of 13 — eight full-time and five part-time employees.
With that growth came increasingly complex financial needs.
For years, Redemption City relied on the bookkeeper at Parkview Church, the congregation that had helped plant it. The arrangement was simple and personal. Church leaders would physically drive offerings approximately 30 miles to Parkview’s offices, where the bookkeeper handled Redemption City’s finances in addition to her responsibilities for Parkview.
It worked well until both churches outgrew the arrangement.
“As we both continued to grow, it just became too much,” Hale said.
When Parkview began adding more sophisticated financial support of its own, its leaders introduced Redemption City to CFO Leverage.
Initially, CFO Leverage was brought in primarily to handle the church’s books. The relationship quickly expanded beyond basic bookkeeping to include reporting, payroll and broader financial support giving Redemption City a more structured financial operation capable of supporting a larger staff, permanent facility and growing congregation.
Moving from a trusted, local bookkeeper to an outsourced financial team wasn’t an automatic decision for everyone at Redemption City.
“I had a few people on my leadership team who were skeptical,” Hale said. “But, they were willing to give it a try.”
One of the biggest concerns was institutional knowledge. After relying on the same person for years, church leaders wondered whether there were tasks their longtime bookkeeper quietly handled that would get lost during the transition.
“There were concerns about, ‘What does our former bookkeeper do that we don’t know that she does?’” Hale said. “However, we haven’t run into anything.”
Instead, the transition changed how Redemption City manages its day-to-day financial operations. CFO Leverage helped the church migrate processes to Bill.com and establish digital workflows, replacing processes that once depended on physical proximity with a system that can be managed efficiently from anywhere..
“I have to imagine five or 10 years ago it would have been a challenge to not be local,” Hale said. “But everyone is so digital now. The tools are so much more advanced, the culture is accustomed to it and with the technology and tools, it has been very smooth.”
The result is a financial infrastructure better suited to the organization Redemption City has become — one that can support its current operations while providing room for continued growth.
Hale says one of the biggest differences has been the level of responsiveness and partnership he receives from CFO Leverage.
Kevin Windsor, virtual CFO and Hale’s primary CFO Leverage contact, has become a trusted resource for the church’s leadership.
“I don’t think I’ve gone a full day without a reply if I need one,” Hale said. “What he has proven to be is a partner and ally, and not just a transactional bookkeeper.”
That distinction is especially important for an organization navigating growth. Redemption City isn’t simply looking for someone to process transactions. Its leaders now have access to reliable financial information and ongoing support as financial questions and needs arise.
So far, Hale says the outsourced model has delivered.
“It’s actually worked incredibly well,” he said.
“It has been really smooth.”
And for other churches considering whether an outsourced financial partner can effectively replace and expand upon a traditional in-house or local bookkeeping relationship, Hale’s recommendation is straightforward.
