Assessing Church Financial Health Made Easy

Assessing Church Financial Health Made Easy—Even if you are not financially inclined

So … you’re an XP (or equivalent) and you’re in charge of (among other things) the financial health and operations of your church. You have strong leadership credentials and experience…but you’re not primarily a financial person. You wouldn’t want to admit it, but some of the reports you receive from your finance and accounting team don’t really help you know what you need to know about your church’s financial health or activity. If the truth be fully known, you may not understand the information in some of those reports.

Well … guess what? The problem isn’t you … it’s your reporting system. Financial reporting is not an end … it is a means. And any church’s financial reporting system has one purpose—to provide relevant, timely, and accurate financial information to decision-makers in a format that they can use and understand.

About the Author: Mike Batts

Mike Batts is the managing partner of Batts Morrison Wales & Lee (BMWL) and has more than 30 years of experience serving nonprofit organizations in a variety of ways. He has served on and chaired the boards of nonprofit organizations – both nationally and locally. Mike is a member and former chairman of the board of ECFA, an organization that accredits Christian organizations in the areas of board governance and financial integrity. Mike regularly advises nonprofit organizations on matters related to board governance, financial oversight, tax compliance and strategy, risk management, corporate structure, international activities, and other related topics. He has also actively engaged in nonprofit legislative matters at the federal and state levels. Mike has authored several books, his most recent being "Nonprofit Finance: The Field Guide for Financial Operations of Ministries, Schools, and Other Public Charities" (Accountability Press, 2023). Mike is licensed or authorized to practice as a CPA in multiple states across the U.S.