CPA accounting for small churches

Should pastors do books and know who pays tithes within a small church?

Answer

That depends on the pastor and the availability of staff.

Some pastors do not want to know who pays tithes and who doesn't, but may want to be kept informed regarding the income and expenses of the church.

Some pastors of small churches have to keep the books and contribution records.

Vickey

Comments for CPA accounting for small churches

Click here to add your own comments

Consider Acts
by: David White

Remember in the book of Acts where the Apostles said that they needed to focus on the Spreading of the Gospel (I think Preaching) and called the congregation to appoint men to serve the widows and orphans of the church? I think that concept has evolved over time to take care of business of the church to allow the Ministers to Preach the Gospel.
Pastor Keeping the Books
by: Marcus in Texas

While the church pastor may be required to handle the contributions, he / she would not actually be able to determine whether a member is tithing unless he / she also knows how much the member is actually earning---assuming that the definition of a tithe is 10% of what the person earns. While separation of duties is best where money is concerned, in very small churches, the pastor may feel compelled to handle the finances versus having another member of the church do that since the pastor might feel that he / she is the only person whom he / she could fully trust to not share the information on who is giving how much with other members. Sharing of such sensitive information could destroy the church.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Church Accounting FAQs.