The question “Who should be able to see individual church giving records?” is difficult to answer. Indeed, it is such a difficult question that I will not attempt to give a concrete answer. I will let you know what I’ve done in the past and six perspectives:
1. The lead pastor and one layperson
This perspective argues that financial stewardship is a spiritual discipline, and the pastor should have access to individual giving to be able to see how the members are doing in this regard. The layperson, of course, is the person who actually keeps the records.
2. One layperson who guides the pastor
The layperson again is the member keeping financial records. He or she is the only one who has access to giving records. But that person is able to share information with the pastor or other leaders as needed. For example, the financial secretary can inform the pastor or elders about potential future elders according to their giving patterns. I took this approach as a pastor. I did not have access to individual giving patterns, but our financial secretary would let me and other leaders know if a person should be eligible for a leadership role according to that person’s stewardship in the church.
3. One layperson only
In this example, only the financial secretary (or equivalent) has access to individual giving records. He or she does not provide any input that would reflect this information.
4. A key group in the church
In some churches, this group is the elders. In some other churches, it is the nominating committee.
5. A staff person other than the pastor and a layperson
The pastor is specifically precluded from individual giving visibility. Instead, another staff person, such as an associate or executive pastor, has access to the records along with the financial secretary.
6. No church members
No church member can see the records. Instead, a non-member is recruited or hired to keep the records, but that person does not share the information with any church members.
There are certainly different options and different variations of these options. I can see some rationale in each of them.
This post was adapted from an article that first appeared at ThomRainer.com on April 13, 2016. Thom S. Rainer serves as president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources. Among his greatest joys are his family: his wife Nellie Jo; three sons, Sam, Art, and Jess; and ten grandchildren. Dr. Rainer can be found on Twitter @ThomRainer and at facebook.com/Thom.S.Rainer.
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