It wasn’t long ago that most people trusted their church leaders implicitly and without question. But that has changed.
Several scintillating scandals involving high profile church leaders dampened public trust over recent decades. Having watched certain respected leaders fall from pillars of society to villains, many folks feel a bit jaded.
It is therefore crucial for church leaders—not just pastors, but boards and administrative types—to earn and maintain the trust of their congregations and, we daresay, their broader communities. Yet although most churches will never see their name associated with negative news, this has grown more difficult to do.
How to meet the challenge? Certainly, the breadth of hiring, leadership and management practices involved in personnel issues is beyond our scope here. But when it comes to financial management, which includes operating one’s church facility, it’s hard to overstate the importance of a proven track record of responsible, transparent practices.
A church’s history of good management stretches beyond any individual leader over time, builds a reputation and demonstrates the trustworthiness of that church. To help establish this, we advise churches to consider becoming accredited. Achieving such acknowledgement from an outside organization can boost your credibility.
The leading accreditation organization for evangelical Christian churches in the U.S. is the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. The ECFA’s mission is to enhance trust in Christ-centered ministries, and it offers accreditation to churches, ministries, schools and other nonprofit organizations.
To earn accreditation, churches must comply with the ECFA’s standards for financial accountability, transparency, fundraising and board governance. They must also have operated for at least a year, have received revenues of more than $50,000 during their last fiscal year and have financial statements prepared by an independent CPA.
The organization’s rules center around seven standards of responsible stewardship, which guide things such as financial oversight, use of resources, compensation-setting, transparency, charitable gift communication, “acting in the best interest of givers” and more.
Nearly 1,800 accredited members collectively represent nearly $20 billion in annual revenue, according to the ECFA, which has been around since 1979.
For more information or advice about getting your church accredited, or simply about developing trustworthy facility and budgetary management, contact Scott McLean at scott@developco.com