Finance and Administrative Resources
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:34)
Jesus talked more about money than any other subject except the Kingdom of God. And yet religious institutions will lose more money to fraud than they will give away in mission according to Forbes magazine.
We take our stewardship of the many gifts God has given us very seriously.
Please find here helpful resources to keep your church (and possibly you!) doing God’s work in the world and safe from “Ecclesiastical Crime”.
The Episcopal Church’s Manual for Business Methods in Church Affairs
This Manual is outstanding! It outlines the internal controls, accounting guidelines, and business practices for the financial oversight of a diocese or congregation.
The general responsibility and accountability for the stewardship of the Church’s money and property is delineated in the Canons of the Episcopal Church. Title I, Canon 7, specifically addresses the business methods prescribed for every diocese, parish, mission, and institution subject to the authority of the Episcopal Church.
Christian stewardship requires ethical management of financial resources. The Church entrusts its leadership with the funds placed in its hands for mission and ministry. Treasurers and financial officers at all levels in the Church are custodians of this trust. This Manual is a guide that will assist in preserving this trust.
The guidelines in this Manual have been designed for the use of dioceses and congregations of the Episcopal Church and may not be appropriate for use by other church controlled or related institutions, such as hospitals, colleges, universities, and health and welfare organizations.
When The Church Pension Fund (CPF) began operations in 1917, Bishop William Lawrence set out to create a pension fund that would enable clergy to retire with dignity. Since then CPG expanded to include other products and services, and to cover lay employees who are critical to the Church’s ability to fulfill its mission.
A century later, Bishop Lawrence’s intention lives on offering the highest possible level of financial security in retirement consistent with exemplary financial stewardship on our part and with the evolving needs of the Church.
