Steps to Avoid Financial Fraud

Churches hire folks as bookkeepers and office managers who are responsible for managing finances and financial records. It is a best practice to conduct background checks on all new hires. Congregations and other councils should avoid hiring an employee to manage its finances who has a criminal record that includes finance-related crimes. However, a background check is only one step in what should be a number of steps in a process for churches to avoid fraud, embezzlement, and other financial crimes.

Areas covered in this resource:

• Session/Finance Committee
• Annual Audit
• Policies and Practices 
• Collection/Offering