Hiring an Auditor for Your Church
Last year, I was on a call with a church leader who told me, confidently, We get an audit every year. As we talked, I asked a practical question: Do you have a plan for […]
What Churches Need to Know About the New Tax Bill
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) signed into law in July 2025 introduces several important changes that affect churches and other tax-exempt entities. Some provisions are already in effect, while others are on the […]
Federal Judge Rolls Back the DOL Minimum Salary Level
XPastor brings a special, late in the season, webinar on a very hot topic!
On November 15, 2024 a Texas federal judge rolled back the Department of Labor’s salary threshold for managers to $35,568. […]
Alternative Investments—Accounting, Auditing, and Tax Considerations
Are alternative investments right for your church? More and more churches are investing in alternative investments. These alternatives are often structured as limited partnerships or limited liability companies and are often treated for […]
Options for Churches Seeking Audits or Other Accountability Measures
Churches desiring to employ an audit or other accountability measure with respect to their financial operations may opt for various approaches, depending on their size, scope, and complexity. Audits and other financial accountability activities are […]
Internal Controls From 30,000 Feet
Internal controls are vital in the life of a church’s finances. But, what are they? How can they help staff, give great data and protect against fraud?
Mike Lee is an experienced CPA and […]
Anatomy of a Church IRS Examination
The IRS has just informed you of its intent to initiate an inquiry or examination of your church. What happens next? How do you navigate from here? In this webinar, we will walk […]
Money and Ministry: 7 Financial Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make
Many leaders are making expensive financial mistakes that limit their impact. Avoid the seven most problematic areas within your financial operations and discover a blueprint to fully resource your ministry and maximize effectiveness. […]
Fraud and Cybersecurity In Your Church and Remote Workplaces
Churches are reflecting on the past year and how they adapted to the pandemic, including embracing the “new normal” of supporting operations with remote staff. While remote work can provide many benefits related […]
Analyzing Key Financial Indicators: Debt Ratios and Measurements
In this article, you will learn:
- Why monitoring debt ratios and measures is important.
- How to analyze different debt ratios and measures to provide significant insight for your church.
- Recommended benchmarks for debt ratios and […]
Analyzing Key Financial Indicators: Cash Flow Ratios
In this article, you will learn:
- Why monitoring cash flow ratios is important.
- How to analyze different cash flow ratios to provide significant insight for your church.
- Recommended benchmarks for cash flow reserves and measures.
When to Use Outside Experts
Churches used to be able to handle a crisis or major event on their own. The current scenario is complicated by publicity on social media, a tangle of laws and regulations and the prevalence of […]
When Embezzlement is Discovered
The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability has a downloadable PDF detailing what to do when fraud is discovered.1 When a church discovers embezzlement within the ministry, the following issues should be considered with the assistance of […]
WheatFields’ Report Card on Risk Management
In Fletch’s book, Predators—The Case of the Church Embezzler, uses a fictional case study of WheatFields Good News Church. Executive Pastor Dan Black created a report card to evaluate how the church is doing in […]
WheatFields’ Report Card on Embezzlement
In Fletch’s book, Predators—The Case of the Church Embezzler, he uses a fictional case study of WheatFields Good News Church. Executive Pastor Dan Black created a report card to evaluate how the church is doing […]
Red Flags of Embezzlement
This material is from The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. With its mission of Enhancing Trust, ECFA now certifies nearly 2,300 Christ-centered churches and ministries based on its high standards in financial management, governance and […]
Areas of Risk Management
We have brought together material from Mike Batts and from Brother Mutual to see the scope of risk management. Mike Batts is the managing partner of Batts Morrison Wales & Lee. He has more than […]
Tools for Averting Predators—Preventing and Discovering Fraud
Preventing Fraud
While this short summary is not meant to be all-inclusive, it will help you assess your current situation and determine if additional precautions or considerations may be necessary to protect your church.
Basic Fraud Prevention […]
How to Get the Most Out of Your Church Ratio Analysis
Effective financial ratios can give your church vital insight into your financial condition and trends. But once you’ve gathered all the data necessary to prepare a ratio analysis and complete your reports, what’s the next […]
First Person Report on an Internal Control Audit
This article is by a student in XPastor’s Course MS-203, XP Boot Camp. To preserve confidentiality, the author will be listed as anonymous. One of the assignments for those taking the class for certification was: Take […]
ASU 2016-14 and Churches: Four Key Questions Church Financial Leaders Should Ask to Understand the New Liquidity Disclosures
Recent nonprofit financial reporting standards updates will result in several changes to external financial statements that church financial leaders should understand.
Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-14 is intended to improve information […]
Qualitative Liquidity and Availability Disclosure Considerations for Churches in ASU 2016-14, Part 2 of 2
Among the many nonprofit financial reporting standards changes in Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-14, one of particular importance to churches is the new liquidity and availability disclosure. The ASU is […]
Liquidity and Availability Disclosure Considerations for Churches in ASU 2016-14, Part 1 of 2
All churches that issue external financial statements (complete with footnote disclosures) for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017 (calendar year 2018 and fiscal years ending in 2019) are subject to the new nonprofit financial […]
Audit and Review Infographic
When was your last church audit? What process do you use for both your internal and external audits? Regular audits help your church identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A proper audit schedule also creates […]
What I Learned from a Certified Fraud Examiner
We’ve all seen the tragic headlines about churches becoming the victims of fraud. To borrow some real-life examples: “Father and Son Pastors Plead Guilty to Stealing $3.1M from Church,” “Nebraska Archdiocese Sues Nun Accused of […]
How to Get Ready for a Financial Audit
The number of Americans calling themselves Christians has dropped sharply in recent years, according to a new Pew Research Center survey—while the population of religiously unaffiliated adults is on the rise. This trend is driven […]
Defining Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
The Center For Audit Quality, a non-profit group based out of Washington D.C., has published a great guide on Internal Controls. While the term “Internal Control” can seem imposing to a church, the concepts in […]
Don’t Become a Statistic: Four Tips for Preventing Fraud
Fraud takes many different forms in today’s culture, from health care fraud to identity theft to the focus of this article: occupational fraud. There are many ways fraud can be committed at a not-for-profit organization, […]
Church Embezzlement
The numbers just did not add up. A few years back I was working with a church that was struggling financially, yet their giving was strong. They shouldn’t have been struggling to make budget. I […]
How to Launch a Risk Management Program
“What event might occur that could take out our church?” Drop that question at the next staff meeting and you’ll feel the tone of the room take a nose-dive. No one likes to talk about […]
Handling Cash
Consider the following scenarios: (1) A newspaper headline reads: “Sticky Fingered Deacon Pads Wallet with Offering Plate Funds.” Nobody wants this humiliating portrayal of their church to appear in the paper. (2) A senior pastor dreads […]
Financial Statements Matter
“What is more, he (Titus) was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. […]
Is Your Data Secure?
Think for a moment. Where do you keep information about your congregants or donors? In an Excel file on someone’s desktop computer? An Access database housed on your laptop? If someone were to steal your […]
Dashboard Indicators for the Church: Why They are Important, and Where You Should Start
In high school, a friend gave me a ride home from work late at night. We stopped for gas and I noted that her oil light was on. When I asked her about it, she […]