Audit All Clear?

Recently I blogged that the Church treasurer claimed to have audited accounts before him when he did not. "No," a finance officer told me this morning. He himself had corrected the treasurer: it was a review, not an audit. I checked the audio. Here is the correction (above), which I did not grasp, and I wonder who did. All is well, then. Or is it? In fact this is worse. I learned of it this morning, that the Church audit became optional last year (but more on that). In real terms, this means an enormous loosening of accountability and security, for the first time in the Church's history. Why? To put it simply, instead of having a person specially qualified, registered, and empowered to check the accuracy and honesty of the finances, there is now an 82-year old man who is not even a practicing accountant (but I don't wish to diminish his kindness). OBSERVATION: What could slip past the old man? The bank showed me. Most importantly, the Church was operating at two levels: the level of the bank, and the level of the Church. Church members -- even the minister and trustees -- were banned from seeing what happened at the level of the bank (one may add, investments and so on). The bank therefore advised: call a Special Church Meeting, and change this immediately.

POSTSCRIPT: I deleted a note about the development of the Church property. That can wait for another post."Old man" is not intended unkindly. One could say "retiree". There has been a great interest in this post, so I shall add this. I am still formally attached to the Church, as a minister. To discover by surprise that the constitution changed should not be possible. Ordinarily this would invalidate the change.