Audits & Fraud
Hopefully you have a trusted Finance team overseeing your contributions and finances. However, even the most honest workers need checks and balances. Do regular audits and reviews to help keep your team accountable and guard against fraud.
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Tools for Averting Predators—Preventing and Discovering Fraud
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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]