Is it just me, or is this kind of strange?

Seems a little sketchy, I’d verify it with her boss.

At the next meeting of the trustees you might want to bring up the question of how many credit cards your church wants/needs and why. Don’t call her out by name but if you are going from 3 to 7 or more without really anyone knowing, you might want to verify that is approved and necessary.

Your church should have an accountant that reviews the books and the bookkeeper’s work. One duty of an accountant is risk management, like insuring two signatures on every check, and that the receipts match with cash disbursements.

@seawulf575 has the right question for the board.

If so many credit cards are needed then suggest that a new management comptroller position be installed. All purchases must be authorized by the comptroller.

It sounds like an issue that should be brought up either with your pastor at first or at a board of trustees meeting.

This doesn’t sound right to me. Too many credit cards floating around. Bring it up with the board. At least that way, you’ve got a record of your concerns.

Not really. I’m not sure it’s your business either. If you are concerned about fraud, just go to your boss only, so you aren’t perceived as a snitch.

@KNOWITALL not my business? That sounds like the typical response of somebody who sees somebody else doing something wrong and doesn’t say anything. So I do see it as my responsibility just on the basis of my conscience. Secondly, I am about to join that church, so as a member who will be tithing, it is very much my business because it affects or could affect the finances of the church. And I would definitely be discreet in who I approach first.

I think you should speak with the pastor & the trustees about this. A church just north of me in SC had this problem recently. Their bookkeeper of about 20 years, got permission to get a credit card in her name for her convenience. When caught, she had set up several corporations where she had sole control over the banking accounts. She was submitting invoices from the different companies for what appeared to their accountant to be legit charges. She would then pay the bill & when the check arrived at the business, she deposited the checks into the semi-legit accounts. Those businesses would then make payments of her personal expenses covered by invoices. By the time the church realized what was happening, she had taken hundreds of thousands of dollars. She started out small & became braver as time went on & she hadn’t been caught. Then she grew braver & braver!!! Any decent bookkeeper will NOT take a credit card in their name so there will be NO chance of ever looking improper. Even if she NEVER does anything intentionally improper, it opens her up to accidentally appearing to do something improper by accident.

If you choose to speak with the pastor or trustees, I wouldn’t accuse her of anything, but would point out the impropriety of the situation & your feeling of discomfort with it & you feeling that it should be pointed out & questioned. Then it will be up to the church to decide what will happen next.

@LifeQuestioner Christians here read the bible and it’s very clear on bearing false witness. But hey, accusing your new church family of being criminals should go over great.

My husband has run several Christian businesses. This sort of thing must be dealt with immediately. Honesty is always the best policy. And you can’t afford to play games with damage control. If you do, it’ll bite you sooner or later. It’s better that @LifeQuestioner be upfront about things. Document , document, document! Be honest, don’t get emotional (you can bet there will be high emotions at some point). There will also be gossip. If folks don’t like it, you’re better off not working there anyway.

Please keep us posted!

@KNOWITALL I’m not accusing anybody! I’m saying that it has the appearance of being shady and that it’s not good business practice. Maybe you should read some of the other examples people gave above of why this is not a good idea.

Yeah, my sister was a bookeeper in her old job and she didn’t have the company credit card in her name. Her bosses had to sign off on the payments. She took care of the accounts so if money ever went missing she would be the first person looked at. That seems really fishy. It could be who ever gave her permission may not understand how accounts could be misused without daily oversight.

@LifeQuestioner Let us know how you handle this situation and any outcome.

Hey all, it occurred to me last night that the treasurer, who is over this woman, actually sees all the emails that are sent to her account because it is a church account for the financial people. So now I feel like it has been approved and that he is aware, so now I’m not sure I am going to bring it up.

@LifeQuestioner Well, maybe you can leave it be then. IDK

@janbb yeah, at this point, to bring it up would really make me look bad because it would be argued that the treasurer was aware. I still think it looks strange though, but maybe if the treasurer is checking over her purchases and receipts, then it is okay.

I would still do it to cover my but and verify it over email so I have proof. You never know if one of them doesn’t have dirt on the other. Either way, it then doesn’t fall on you if something goes south.