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. […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
Hey Fletch … We don’t have a policy for selling church property. Some staff have given furniture away, sold equipment, or sold things to family members. Do you have a recommendation on the sale or […]
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. […]
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 […]
In this article, you will learn:
In this article, you will learn:
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Fraud is just about losing money, right? Fraud does have negative financial implications for churches, but the impact goes far beyond money.
Fraud and misuse of church resources can create sensational news—and not good news. Sadly, […]
These tools are provided by 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Hey Fletch … Have you heard about this scam? According to police in Troy, Michigan, a church received a $4,500 donation for hurricane victims. Later that day, police say the donor contacted […]
A weekly financial reporting spreadsheet should contain a church’s actual income and the budget forecast. The following numbers are from WheatFields Good News Church. This is a compiled case study church, as no church wants […]
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Hey Fletch … my boss stole my idea and said it was his. What gives?
DRF—That’s a hard one to hear. I’m so sorry that you had this experience. Can you go back […]
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Hey Fletch … A pastor here at the church allows his assistant to work overtime and then they don’t put it on the assistant’s timecard. I have warned both of them but […]
Monday, March 19, 2018
Hey Fletch … Someone who is a supposed tax expert emailed me the following letter in response to a question: “If you buy everything you need or want in the name of […]
Friday, March 16, 2018
Hey Fletch … There was a column on January 14, 2018 that all of a church’s W2s vanished. Some insurance policies have coverage for this and the church may have a legal […]
January 14, 2018
Hey David … A shipping firm claimed they left the W-2s for all of our employees at the church’s front door. No signature was required and they left the package at 9:00 pm. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
“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 […]
Over my years in ministry, I have come to enjoy the relationships that I have had with the various CPAs that have helped me. Let me define what my relationship with each CPA has not […]
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 […]
“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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
