The duties of the ministry to which a person is called when he or she becomes a church treasurer can best be described in the following ways:
- Tithes and Offerings. The treasurer receives the tithes and offerings which come in on Sabbath morning or to the church office during the week. It is a generally accepted safeguard to have two or more deacons count the loose offerings as soon as possible after they have been received before the money is turned over to the treasurer. Ideally, the church will make provision for the safekeeping of the church monies in a safe in the church office or arranging to use a bank deposit box.
- Receipting. All funds received should be receipted as soon as possible. The offering envelopes(Link “All About the Envelope”) are opened and checked to see that each amount received tallies with what is written on the envelope. All the receipts are then posted in the church ledger by hand or computer. The keeping of these records is vital not only for the auditor who will be checking them each year, but for the members as well, who may need a list of their contributions.
- Banking. It is the responsibility of the treasurer to deposit church monies in a local bank. Of course, this must be in a separate account from that of the church treasurer’s personal account. The account should be opened in the name of the local church according the requirements of national and local law. The treasurer is responsible for reconciling/balancing the checkbook on a monthly basis
- Records. The treasurer needs to forward a copy of the church ledger pages to the conference each month. This list of the month’s receipts should be accompanied by a check covering the amount of tithe given and the offerings received that were designated for the Conference, Union, or General Conference projects.
- Personal Receipts. The receipts for tithes and offerings given by the members should be distributed to them on a regular basis in the manner the local church has agreed upon. Some churches do this quarterly while others have worked out a system to mail them out on a yearly basis. There is no strict rule for this procedure.
- Accounts Payable. Authorization for the disbursing of church funds for church operation is generally given in the annual church budget. Special projects or items not in the budget must be authorized by the church board or by a church business meeting.
- Financial Statements. The treasurer should prepare a monthly financial statement and distribute copies to the church board at their meeting. This statement should include the balance status of all budgeted accounts, as well as the totals received in tithes and offerings and a detailed record of all disbursements made.