Finance Manual for Alliance Church Treasurers and Pastors
I would like to remind church treasurers, pastors, and board members about a very helpful resource available to assist churches with financial management and stewardship. The Finance Manual for Church Treasurers and Pastors is a comprehensive guide written for an audience without formal accounting training. It is intended to be a how-to manual providing basics for preparing budgets and periodic financial reports to the church governance authority and congregation. The manual was updated in 2024 and can be easily accessed via our website through the members page.
To spark your interest and encourage you to check out the manual, I provide a brief summary of each chapter below:
- The Church’s Financial Team: Basics for getting started. How to obtain a TIN, tax-exempt status, open a bank account, and set responsibilities for the finance team.
- Checks and Balances: Procedures that safeguard the church from deliberate or accidental mishandling of money.
- Eight Steps to Receipting Money: Procedures to ensure funds are used for the right purpose, how to document contributions, and tax deductibility questions answered.
- Sending Money to the National Office: How to prepare your gifts to the National Office so the funds are allocated accurately.
- Budgeting, Recordkeeping, and Reporting: An extremely helpful chapter addressing the “nuts and bolts” of the treasurer’s ministry. How to prepare a budget, maintain records, report, and some good explanation of accounting terms and reports.
- Risk Management: Not a favorite topic, but important. The chapter covers insurance and other risk management areas, such as cybersecurity.
- Miscellaneous Matters: Tax and legal issues and resources available at the National Office.
- Appendix: Here you will find resources, checklists, record retention requirements, and more. I find the appendix to be one of the most helpful sections of the manual. If you do nothing else, look at this section.
Whether you are a new treasurer or an experienced one, I strongly encourage you to become familiar with the Alliance Finance manual. You might find something you are missing. The manual could also be helpful when a transition to a new treasurer takes place or when training a new board member or member of the church’s financial team.
Click here to access the manual. Thanks!
Scott Thorson
sthorson@rmdcma.com