The Finance Committee Part 3: Where are your files?
“And now, the end is near…” No, I’m not talking about the apocalypse. I’m channeling the melodic sound of Frank Sinatra as we end this three-part series on the Finance Committee.
Friends, there are times that we do not want individuals running the Finance Committee, “Their Way.”
It could be disastrous.
Surely, you’ve heard of that small church who had The. Most. Dedicated. Volunteer. Treasurer for 32 years. You know what comes next.
The treasurer died. And along with him died all the passwords and all the information for the past 32 years about the church’s finances.
You thought you were busy already? Think again if one day you are told that no one has access to any of your church’s financial or giving information. You might just go gray overnight.
Don’t let this happen to you or to your successor.
Here’s the good news: there’s already a handy list of “strong suggestions” of things to do to avoid that pit-in-your-stomach feeling when someone asks, “Hey, what’s the password to get into our Treasurer’s computer?”
The Oregon-Idaho UMC District Administrators (angels, all of them) wrote this document for you.
Their opening salvo is worth reading:
This form was born from necessity and seeks to save churches from challenges and potential harm in the event of the unexpected. This form also serves to inform about best practices and as a reminder of some of our obligations based on the Book of Discipline. While some of these questions might initially seem unnecessary, they are based on actual circumstances that have caused recent hardship to churches in our Conference. We thank you for your thorough participation in this important conversation.
Friends, these District Administrators speak from experience. Experience working with many congregations who have found themselves in baaaaad situations.
Here are their “strong suggestions.” If it was me writing this, I would say they aren't mere “suggestions” these are things that you should and must do:
All church financial records will be backed up regularly and stored in a secondary location (off site). This is not the same as the primary location where records are kept. Two people from your finance team will have easy access to this backup.
If records are kept on a church leader’s personal device, they will be stored on a church owned cloud location or backed up regularly to a source outside their device accessible by designated church leaders (i.e., external hard drive, thumb drive, second device, etc.).
All logins and passwords to computers, devices, bank accounts, investments, emails, online accounts, social media, security systems, (everything with a login and password) will be changed every time there is a change in pastor, staff, or volunteer who has that information. This change will happen immediately after every personnel change.
Have a conversation and an action plan for accessing records in the event of any unforeseen circumstance.
Start early and plan for your upcoming annual financial audit in April. Determine who will perform the audit. Reach out to your District Administrator if you need a recommendation for another church to perform reciprocal audits.
Archives and History have some great information. This page has a link to “Managing Records for the Local Church” and a link to “Managing and Preserving Electronic Records.”
What follows in their document is an exhaustive set of questions that can walk you through best practices and how to avoid being left empty-handed if the unthinkable happens.
When you said, “yes” to serving on the Finance Committee, you probably didn’t think that what you were doing was of much consequence.
“My friend[s] I'll make it clear. I'll state my case, of which I'm certain…” what you do as a Finance Committee is both spiritual and a critical part of ministry. If you pull a calendar together for what you need to do and keep in mind these best practices, the tasks ahead will be much easier.
Then, you can belt out, along with Frank…“We did it the besssssst way.”
And the crowd will go wild.
Photo credit: Cottonbro Studio @pexels.com
Cesie Delve Scheuermann (pronounced “CC Delv Sherman,” yes, really) is a Stewardship Consultant for the OR-ID Annual Conference. She is also a Senior Ministry Strategist with Horizons Stewardship. For 25 years, while working as a volunteer and part-time consultant, she has helped raise over three million dollars for numerous churches and non-profit organizations. More throwback today – the 1965 beginning of the original Rat Pack. Watch Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Johhny Carson, and Frank Sinatra with Quincy Jones leading the orchestra.
You can reach Cesie at inspiringgenerosity@gmail.com, at CesieScheuermann.com, or at cesieds@horizons.net. Want to schedule a meeting? She’s got you covered!
Schedule a meeting now.
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