Connecting Columbia Union Seventh-day Adventists

Columbia Union Implements New Standards for Church Auditing

Columbia Union Implements New Standards for Church Auditing

Story by Beth Michaels, Photos by Kelly Coe

During daily meetings last week at the Columbia Union Conference office in Columbia, Md., conference treasurers and auditors gathered to learn about the union’s new standards for auditing local churches.

Karen Robinson, associate treasurer for the Ohio Conference, learns how to implement the new auditing review standards. Karen Robinson, associate treasurer for the Ohio Conference, learns how to implement the new auditing review standards.

“The new standards we are using meet national standards for financial reviews,” says Seth Bardu, union treasurer. “They meet the professional standards for what is called a ‘review.’ We have enhanced the review with some audit procedures to make sure the work done at the local church level is strong and reliable. The wealth of the Adventist Church originates at the local church so we wanted to put more resources into making sure all funds are accounted for.”

Bardu reports that the union executive committee approved these standards in November 2014. He also believes the Columbia Union is the first union worldwide to create standards for auditing local churches.

Rodney Brown, church auditor for the Pennsylvania Conference who attended the meetings, believes the standards show increased professionalism in the auditing process. “It shows accountability and that we’re all together on one page,” he says. “It will also show that the treasurers are doing a good job, and they’ll be able to show donors that their money is going where it should go, according to church guidelines.”

The recent meetings were the first of two training sessions; the second session will take place this fall. Each conference will be required to be in compliance with the new standards by January 2016.

 Featured photo caption: Okemas Williams, associate treasurer for the Potomac Conference; Sonja Crayton, an invitee and assistant treasurer from the South Central Conference; and H. Candace Nurse, interim treasurer for the Allegheny West Conference practice their new skills.

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