Financial Management for Episcopal Parishes: Revised Edition Paperback – July 17, 2017

Author shares his years of experience auditing Episcopal parishes. He has seen all the pitfalls and identified all the risk areas. He has provided solid internal controls processes and procedures to protect church assets. I will use this book again and again!

What an eye opener!! I am an accountant and recently appointed Treasurer and this book was invaluable. It is easy to read with minimal jargon but still hones in on what is technically important to the Vestry, Finance Committee and Treasurer. A great risk management tool. Just ordered three more copies because everyone wants to read it.

Although I wanted to use it for a Lutheran church, it's a good book

This book has been a life saver for my Parish. I took over a church that was struggling and suffering severely from bad management and terrible financial decisions. I immediately gave this book to my vestry members to help them get a grip on the reality facing them. I encourage every member of my congregation to read this book; as a congregation must be knowledgeable about the best practices their vestries and managers should be utilizing to strengthen trust in every person who places money in the offering plate. This is such an important work; and a must read if you are a rector, assistant, vestry person, or member of an Episcopal Parish.

This is such a rich conversation in book form. Jordan's detailed walk through of church financial management and leadership is critical to the success of the church and in leadership. This book will ensure that an organization does not jeopardize it's churches financial standing with the IRS. If you have questions or have ever wondered about "where does the money go?", this book will help you follow it! Even if you think you know everything there is to know. For every good trap, a good mouse has a better trick! Wanna keep rats out of your church finances? Read this book! It will not disappoint!

Full disclosure, I purchased the book as a required text for a course taught by the author. While the title say "Episcopal", the discussion of governance is applicable to a wide range of denominations, and local church governance and financial management has the same issues no matter what denomination. This is a book that anyone, from clergy to a volunteer on the church council or board of trustees should read. The fraud scenarios have roots in real situations as the author has seen many churches far and wide and shares his wisdom (a word that I do not use capriciously).

Those of us preparing for ordained ministry in seminary often asked for courses or seminars on parish financial matters. This book is exactly what seminarians need to read and understand before discerning calls to ordained ministries. As a priest in my second parish since ordination in 2009, I feel fortunate to have taken a course by the same name by James B. Jordan through my seminary's online learning program: CALL, via the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California. I recommend this book to seminarians, the newly ordained, old-timers who never learned best practices of financial management of parishes, vestries, treasurers, church bookkeepers and parish administrators. Respecting the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved with church money from the time it hits the collection plate, is counted, deposited, posted, reconciled and is spent or invested is critical. I learned how easy it can be for anyone with access to church money commit fraud and embezzlement if leaders don't take responsibility to insist on creating and following well-documented processes that include regular oversight. I'll use and recommend this book for as long as I serve in the Episcopal Church.

This is a terrific book! It is essential for all parish priests to know how parish finances work in order to promote a culture of transparency. If the parish priest doesn't care about finances, then it is going to be easy for fraud to occur and for financial mismanagement to deplete the budget. Every parish priest needs to read this book. It is a terrific resource that equips a parish priest with the skills necessary to manage church finances. It is easy to read, and honestly before reading this book financial language intimidated me. I was able to read and understand every page. It was not overly technical. It was accessible for people who have no background in church finance.