The Editor, Sir:I have been following with some interest the views expressed by some of church leaders on the issue of accountability and transparency in dealing with the finances of churches.
Without being fully cognisant of all the facts, the opinion I have on the matter is as follows:
The 'older' denominations tend to have more accoun-tability and transparency, as there seems to be a clear separation of the finances of the church from the finances of the local pastor, who is paid a salary by the headquarters and a finance committee. This committee attends to the finances and is responsible for reporting to the congregation and headquarters. This is in contrast to the 'newer' churches where there tends to be a concentration of power in the hands of the pastor, and sometimes family, as there may not be as many qualified persons to deal with the finances.Checks and balances
The lack of transparency and accountability is probably the greatest weakness, which needs to be corrected, in some of these 'newer' churches. Many do not have annual audited financial statements and members meeting to discuss the finances of the church. I was led to believe, sometime ago, that charitable non-profit organisations are required by law to have annual audited financials, which was to be presented to its membership. If this is in fact so, then many churches would be in breach of the law.
To ensure that there is proper governance of finances in these newer churches, a system of checks and balances should be implemented.One such system is the 'many elders model', which is more scriptural, rather than the 'one- person pastor model', which is so prevalent today, especially in the newer churches. Any unbiased study of the scriptures clearly reveal a plurality of leadership rather than the one-pastor leadership in most churches today.
Minimise abuse
With the adoption of this model in the newer churches, the questions about transparency and accountability would not arise, as one would assume that the many elders would minimise the possibility of abuse in the financial dealings of the church. Additionally, in terms of probity and shunning the appearance of evil in the newer churches, it would be preferable if the pastor and family have nothing to do with the finances, including the signing of cheques, as occurs in some cases. Or the pastor could participate but by way of being on a committee, not taking a single-handed approach to dealing with the funds of the church.
It is noticeable that it is primarily the newer churches, which seem to be the major players in foreign exchange trading schemes, and there seems to be a reluctance to disclose audited financials by the schemes. Is there a correlation between these two areas? From what I have heard, the critical scriptural underpinnings for the present major involvement of the churches in the foreign exchange schemes are based on the following perspectives;1. It is a way for the transference of the wealth of the sinner to the just.
2. It is the desire of God to bless his people with wealth so as to establish His covenant.
3. God wants us to occupy/trade until He returns.
The jury is still out in terms of the effect that these schemes have had on the church on collective and individual bases.
Investment clubs
Foreign exchange trading is a legitimate activity, however, given the present legal differences with the authorities and the non-disclosure of the activities of the clubs that carry out this activity, how does the church respond to the lotto, etc, which is gambling, legal, and there is financial disclosure?
The vehicle, which is used in effect to by-pass regulation, is conducting transactions through investment clubs.
The questions one should be asking are; do the present clubs in Jamaica meet the requirements for disclosure to members, and are the members involved in investment decisions?
It would seem that it would be in the interest of the churches to be the most circumspect and transparent in financial matters, given who they are representing, and what they are asking of the government and the rest of the society.
I am, etc.,
LOCHSLEY SMITH
(Christian observer)
ismith@paymaster-online.com
