The church audit can feel like testing the ice to see if it’s thick enough to hold your weight. “You want me to test the church finances to see if they’re sound? Not me. Find someone else.” It’s just a scary thing to take on…especially when there seems like a lot of down side if things go wrong. Guess what, avoiding the audit is what should really make you scared.
You don’t have to be a CPA to do a church audit. You don’t have to have a balanced check book to do a church audit. The main thing is that you love your church, you’re willing to ask good questions, and you have the curiosity to be able to verify the answers. In the video I explain the process. Below in the links there is an Audit Checklist. I’ve used this a number of times with churches to make this a super easy process that really does benefit the church by building trust and pushing for improvement.
Useful Links
- Audit Checklist (PDF): https://www.dakotasumc.org/media/files/CONFERENCE/5_Conf_Finance_Benefits/Finance/Audit_checklist.pdf
- Audit Checklist (Excel): https://www.dakotasumc.org/media/files/CONFERENCE/5_Conf_Finance_Benefits/Finance/Audit_Checklist.xlsx
- Audit Guide – Dakotas: https://www.dakotasumc.org/media/files/CONFERENCE/5_Conf_Finance_Benefits/Finance/Sample_Audit_Procedures_Short.pdf
- Audit Guide – General Church: https://www.dakotasumc.org/media/files/CONFERENCE/5_Conf_Finance_Benefits/Finance/local_church_audit_guide_LONG.pdf
4 comments for “Finance: The Audit”