There are ways to avoid making mistakes in church bookkeeping.
Many churches and non-profits struggle to survive on a limited budget. Outsourcing financial services saves nonprofits valuable time, stress, as well as valuable resources. Your time spent managing the finances is time you could spend growing your donor base, expanding your organisation, or helping those in greatest need.
These responsibilities, however, vary from church to church depending on their job description or as guided by their bylaws.
Church bookkeepers have for a long time been confused with accountants. They, however, carry very different responsibilities. Bookkeepers maintain the financial records of the church that includes income and expense records. They are supposed to keep records of the dates and amount of every transaction of the church. It is also their task to keep track of all accounts and are the ones who verify the accuracy of the procedures used in the accounting processes. Accountants, on the other hand, perform all the tasks of bookkeepers and also provide auditing, tax planning, financial planning, payroll processing, and consulting services.
Laying all that aside....another important reason for keeping books...is to make good financial decisions. You need to be able to pull up a report and see that you are spending more on expenses than you were in prior years.
While you can focus on the community and growing your business, we will help with accounting functions. We'll make it easy for you to keep your financial records accurate and current.
For small churches, the cost of hiring someone to do bookkeeping often requires that they combine their roles with other jobs in order to make the job more attractive. Part-time employees may need to be hired by other churches who might not have as much experience. Many churches will have to employ a part-time treasurer. It is possible to get higher quality work from someone who is skilled in bookkeeping and has worked for several churches.
The IRS may begin a church tax inquiry only if an appropriate high-level Treasury official reasonably believes, based on a written statement of the facts and circumstances, that the organization: (a) may not qualify for the exemption; or (b) may not be paying tax on unrelated business or other taxable activity.
Here is a quick breakdown of some of the most common tasks you will need to accomplish when doing your church bookkeeping.
Enter Income And Expenses. ...
Track Contributions And Prepare Bank Deposits. ...
Pay Bills. ...
Journal Entries. ...
Complete A Bank Reconciliation.
The biblical pattern shows without question that the pastor should be involved in the oversight of the church's finances, however, Scripture also prescribes the attitude and actions of the pastor to avoid disqualification of influence and trust.
In a non-profit organization, such as a church, the board is the bearer of this fiduciary responsibility and therefore should properly oversee all operations, including finances, to protect the members of the church.