If you are reading this, you probably manage money for a church or a Christian nonprofit, or you are the person your board turns to when something in the finances does not look right. Welcome. This newsletter is for you.
The name is intentional. Ministry is a calling. Sound finances are how a ministry stays accountable to that calling: to its donors, to its board, and to the people it serves. Called to Account sits right at that intersection.
What you will get
One email a week. Five minutes to read, start to finish. One ministry finance mistake, explained plainly, with exactly what to do about it. No jargon, no fear-mongering, and no pretending every church has a full-time controller on staff.
Expect issues on things like:
- Housing allowance elections, and the mistake most churches make with them
- When a pastor should (and should not) be treated as a 1099 contractor
- What "restricted funds" actually obligates you to do
- 990 readiness, long before the deadline is close
- The internal controls that fit a small ministry staff, not a Fortune 500 finance team
The goal is not to make you a CPA. The goal is to make sure the next mistake costs you nothing, because you saw it coming.
If you have a specific question you would like answered in a future issue, just reply to any email once you are subscribed. I read every reply.
— Matt LaFleur, CPA