The financial management of a congregation is simultaneously simple and complex. The day-to-day activity is usually straightforward — however there are always exceptions. Restricted funds, “pass-throughs”, pre-paid pledges, special missions offerings add complexity to the bookkeeping and reporting.
Over the past twenty years, we have worked to develop a bookkeeping and reporting system that is efficient and effective, while also remaining consistent with what accountants call “Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.”
We’ve referred to our system as “triple-entry bookkeeping”. It’s a variation on the traditional double-entry system that works really well. This means that your bookkeeper can easily track each transaction, monitor restricted fund balances, and produce reports that are clear, complete, and concise. Your Treasurer can interpret those reports and your congregation can understand them.
Learn about this “triple-entry bookkeeping” in our workshops, webinars, and videos. Bookkeeping 1:1-3 (either in 3 hours or 1 hour) explains the theory. QB 2:1-2 explains how to set up QuickBooks using this triple-entry system. Advanced topics are covered in the third-level QB Topics.