How We Handle Money In The Church: Do It Right & Protect Everybody! We re all looking to grow our churches, right? 1
Former Church Secretary In Georgia Charged With Embezzling As Much As $400K Church treasurer's husband arraigned on embezzlement charges 2
Statistics 1 in 10 churches have been victims of embezzlement. Out of 2400 cases of fraud investigated in 2016 2.4% involved churches/charitable organizations Average loss was $82,000 47% of churches studied had audit in the last year 34% said most recent audit was more than 5 years 10% Never and 14% Unknown -- From a 2017 Study conducted by Lifeway Statistics 87% of those involved in financial crimes in churches are First Offenders, with no prior criminal record. -- Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, 2013 3
Hard, Sad Truth Embezzlement or fraud in the church is not committed by a stranger, but by someone you trust. Hard, Sad Truth Embezzlement or fraud in the church is not committed by a stranger, but by someone you trust. Can I Trust Anyone? You can trust everyone, 4
Can I Trust Anyone? You can trust everyone, IF Can I Trust Anyone? You can trust everyone, IF you implement some common sense policies that protect you and your congregation. Good Resource 258 (Committee on Finance), 2016 BOOK OF DISCIPLINE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Available at Cokesbury.com 5
Great Resource Written by Janet & Philip Jamieson. Janet is a CPA and CFO of Discipleship Ministries; Phil is a Pastor, theologian, & President of one of our United Methodist Foundations. Available at Cokesbury.com Great Resource Available from www.cokesbury.com (Coming in August 2018) Available at Cokesbury.com Policies Two-person-rule when offerings are present Financial gifts should be secured at church until deposited Offerings should not be taken to someone s home Deposits should be delivered to bank in sealed bag Counting should be done by at least two unrelated persons Counter s sheet should have deposit verification attached 6
How To Prevent Misconduct 1. Financial Transparency 2. Internal Controls 3. Comprehensive Audits Culture of openness Clear financial statements Conscientious about fund restrictions Connect dollars and ministry Up-to-date records Honest communication FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY Physically secure assets Segregation of duties Authorization procedures Documentation Training of volunteers & employees INTERNAL CONTROLS 7
Independent Regular All Accounts In & Out Documentation Controls Security Recommendations CHURCH AUDITS Should the Pastor Know Question asked most often Discipline was silent until 2016 340, access to & responsibility for Giving part of discipleship Giving a spiritual discipline Pastor s role in oversight is more clear than ever. CHURCH AUDITS ROLE OF PASTOR 8
Ask For Help District Superintendent Conference Treasurer Conference CF&A Cokesbury Guidelines ($3.99) www.gcfa.org www.umcdiscipleship.org/stewardship www.facebook.com/umcstewardship YOU RE NOT ALONE YOU RE NOT ALONE QUESTIONS? THANK YOU! YOU RE NOT ALONE 9
Thursday, July 12, 2018, 6:30PM CDT Making the Annual Campaign Your Own Will your church be planning an annual campaign this year? It is an important piece, but it is just a piece of what could (and should) be a larger stewardship strategy for your church. Join us as we explore the annual campaign resources, time-tested tools and a year-round strategy to keep generosity before your people all the time! Thursday, August 9, 2018, 10:00AM CDT Preaching to Glad and Generous Hearts Pastors know that they ought to preach about stewardship, but may feel challenged when talking about money. How do today s ministers reach the hearts, minds, and lives of people in their congregations for greater generosity? Rosanna Anderson, Associate Director of Stewardship Ministries, has analyzed over one hundred contemporary sermons on giving. In this sixty-minute session, learn about the highlights of her research findings and consider insights to apply in your church context as you encourage people to embrace the joy of holistic generosity. Register at www.umcdiscipleship.org/webinars UPCOMING WEBINARS 5/1/18 WELCOME! This is the waiting room for the webinar: How We Handle Money In The Church This Webinar is made possible by your church s generous support of the World Service Fund! Blake Davis, Host WebEx Specialist & Technical Support Ken Sloane, Presenter Director of Stewardship & Connectional Giving Didn t Get Handouts? ksloane@umcdiscipleship.org ksloane@umcdiscipleship.org www.facebook.com/umcstewardship 1 Join the community: THANK YOU! www.facebook.com/umcstewardship 10