One of the most underrated roles in a church is the role of a treasurer. A treasurer is someone who handles the church finances. They work with the tithes/offerings, do deposits, write checks, and balance the books.
Three Reasons Your Church Needs to Be Fiscally Responsible
The role of church treasurer is important on many different levels. The first reason that it is important is because God views money as important:
- Jesus talked about money.
- Sixteen of the thirty-eight parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions.
- In the Gospels, an amazing one out of ten verses (288 in all) deals directly with the subject of money.
- Finally, the Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, and more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions.
So, money is very important to God.
Secondly, the money that people give to a local church is sacred. This is money designated for God’s purposes. If someone steals or uses this money for the wrong purposes, it directly violates God’s holiness.
Finally, this role is very important because it must be correctly stewarded. A local church must ensure they handle the finances with integrity and honor. Jesus said in Luke 16:11, “If I can’t trust you with little, then I can’t give you more” (my paraphrase). A church needs to ensure they have the right treasurer and system in place so they can be entrusted with more.
5 Needed Church Treasurer Qualities
Finding the right treasurer can be a hard task. Handling the finances of a church requires a level of maturity and integrity that most people don’t possess. When hiring a church treasurer, screen potential employees with these 5 questions:
1. Does This Person Have Integrity?
Integrity can be defined as being honest, honorable, and truthful when no one is watching. Money can be a great temptation. The Apostle Paul told Timothy in 1st Timothy 6:10, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” That is a very big statement to make to someone. Even Judas betrayed the Lord Jesus for money.
A treasurer needs to have a track record of integrity. They must be willing to do what is right even when no one is looking. This position requires someone able to resist the temptation to misuse money–or even worse, steal money–when no one is looking. The church treasurer will spend a lot of time alone with lots of money. This is why integrity matters. They should be able to pass a background check and submit a stellar credit report, and they will need to have a good reputation with those in the church and those outside of the church.
2. Does This Person Have the Ability to Be Our Church Treasurer?
It takes a unique skill set to be a good treasurer. A church treasurer will need to put expenses in the right budget categories, create reports, and work with software such as Quickbooks. Missing the slightest detail can greatly damage the balance of the books.
If someone has the desire and integrity to be a treasurer but is not gifted, then it could ultimately hurt the church in the long run.
3. Does This Person Have Discretion?
Another important quality is discretion. The church treasurer will be privy to information that most congregants will not know. They will see how much the pastor and staff get paid, how much is spent, and what it is spent on in the church.
A church treasurer cannot be a gossip. Leaking private information could hurt the trust of the congregants and staff and cause misunderstandings about the budget or payroll. Confidentiality will be key for the church treasurer. They will need to sign a confidentiality agreement and understand that swift action will be taken if it is violated.
4. Is This Person Supportive?
The treasurer needs to be someone who supports the pastor and staff. A resentful or overly critical treasurer could lead to a violation of our third quality, discretion. If they are not pro pastor/staff they may not understand the hard work of ministry and high demand, thus demeaning what the pastor or staff makes financially.
This is why the treasurer’s position needs to be one of compassion on the staff and pastor, understanding that ministry is often underpaid and is very difficult emotionally.
5. Is This Person Fiscally Responsible Enough to Be Our Church Treasurer?
Finally, a potential church treasurer needs to have personal financial integrity. As previously stated, the treasurer should submit a credit report during hiring. This credit report is important because a church doesn’t want someone working with finances who has personal financial trouble as it calls into question their character and abilities.
A fiscally responsible Christian should also be a consistent, cheerful giver. This is also part of integrity. It is very hard to ask congregants to trust the system of church finances if the very ones who process tithes and offerings don’t give themselves.
Above All Else, Pray for Wisdom
Finding the right church treasurer is a big task and should never be entered into lightly. There are a lot of questions to ask and the process should be time-consuming. After all, a great church treasurer can help a church greatly, but a bad church treasurer could destroy a church.
Those hiring a church treasurer need to bathe the decision in prayer. This is a key area for a local church that must be approached with wisdom, discretion, and professionalism. This will also require prayer and insight from the Lord as a pastor or team goes through this process.
