On Sunday I revealed audio in which the treasurer misled the Church (see Misleading the Church). Someone said to me about this, The Congregational system has collapsed! Maybe not -- or not yet. The Congregational system does, however, stand before a crucial test. A man in a key position -- which is the treasurer -- has lied to the Church about something of vital importance -- namely the auditor and the audited accounts. An auditor is a specially qualified person, who is registered with the government, and reports on the accuracy and honesty of the finance officers' work -- but the man the treasurer presented to the Church as the "auditor" is, in his own words, not even a practicing accountant. The treasurer claimed, too, to have audited accounts in front of him, while these did not exist. Here the Church constitution is clear (§10): the treasurer patently contravened the Church's standards on two levels at the same time. He therefore "automatically ceased to be a member". The congregation needs to appoint a new treasurer -- free from this and all that surrounds it -- and, I would think, listen to the regulator, and investigate the finances. One needs to ask, too: what happened to the trustees here? OBSERVATION: In the final analysis, in a Congregational system, the members are responsible for Church officers' actions. At every meeting, they sign a register to prove not merely that they were in attendance, but that they were in authority.
No comments:
Post a Comment