According to the Local Church Audit Guide published by GCFA, an audit of a local church is, “an independent evaluation of the financial reports and records and the internal controls of the local church by a qualified person or persons for the purpose of reasonably verifying the reliability of financial reporting, determining whether assets are being safeguarded, and whether the law, the Discipline and policies and procedures are being complied with.”
Every church should do an audit for many reasons:
- The Discipline requires it
- To protect staff from unwarranted charges
- To build trust and confidence
- To set habits of fiscal responsibility
- Assure donors that gifts are used as intended
- Provide checks and balances
For more information about what the audit is, who can do it, and how it should be done, please refer to the Local Church Audit Guide.