Part 2 of our series on Cash Disbursements. In our recent Fraud Survey, we asked churches to respond to this statement: “Our church uses pre-printed, pre-numbered purchase orders or check request forms to initiate purchases.” Survey results – The positive response to this question was extremely low, causing me to believe that the question was poorly worded. It […]
Step three involves the allocation of the available funds to various church activities as determined by the mission of the church. It must be stressed; there is no one way to do this because each church has its own specific calling and there is a wide array of ministry focus points among churches. But, in […]
Our Fraud Awareness in the Church series continues with a 5-part series on Cash Disbursements. When churches finally get around to considering their exposure to fraud, they almost universally focus on the cash receipts or the inflow part of their cash processes. Without doubt, many churches have been hit by fraudsters skimming from the offering plates. But in […]
The purpose of Step Two is to allow church ministers and lay leaders to know “how much they will have to work with.” This is extremely important on two levels: If ministers are given too low a figure, they may become discouraged even before the fiscal year begins. They may begin to think and mull […]
Part 7 of our series on Segregation of Duties. In our recent Fraud Survey, we asked churches to respond to this statement: “Our church requires volunteers to collect, administer and account for special event receipts using a written report developed to properly account for such events.” Survey Results – Once again, a little over one-half of our respondents […]
The purpose of Step One is to make sure you are staying on “mission”. This is accomplished by reviewing the church’s mission, vision and strategy. Each church needs to know three things: – Who it is. (Values) – Where it is going. (Mission) – How it is going to get there. (Strategy) Without knowing these […]
Part 6 of our series on Segregation of Duties. In our recent Fraud Survey, we asked churches to respond to this statement: “We present a list of authorized check signers to the leadership team/elders, etc. for review at least annually.” Survey results – Approximately 55% of respondents reported reviewing their bank accounts and related signature information at least […]
There is no one way to do a church budget. There are a variety of approaches and for the most part, no one way is better than the other. Remember mission and vision? These two factors will also impact how a church goes about its financial planning. I do have to point out however, that […]