The Desire for Oversight Without Structure
By Cynthia Gordon-Floyd, C.P.A., C.F.E., Contributing Writer
I was blessed to attend the recent CONVO XI at the seat of the 52nd Session of the General Conference as a member of the Connectional Lay Organization’s Legislation Group. While I have been a member of the AME Church for thirty-two years, these meetings are helpful in understanding the many nuisances of how our Zion is structured. As I attend these meetings, I apply what I learn to my experiences outside of the AME Church, instead of just blindly accepting the norm.
I participated in a session on “Oversight and Accountability.” I was encouraged by the topic, as there were many interesting and useful statements made, but I was distressed by the overall conversation. I raised the issue of a proper financial umbrella with a Chief Financial Officer responsible for the financial management and safeguarding of all the assets of the organization. While many agreed with my concern, when the summary of our session was read, all comments about this type of structure were deleted, and the ideas pushed by several bishops of a Chief Compliance Officer/Chief Operating Officer (or some other similar paid position) were noted as the recommendations of the group.
In my experience, I believe it will be impossible for any hired executive to put oversight and compliance in place where we have abjugated the authority to control where the money of the organization flows into—the Episcopal Districts. I spent years heading teams in mergers and acquisitions as we built our company from $25 million to $125 million to prepare it for sale. My team and I were always the first group in the door of all newly acquired entities. Why? Because we knew that once we took control of their money, the rest of the integration would move smoothly. Therefore, how can we provide the authority, access, and control to any officer and expect oversight in an area the church does not control? This sounds like a weak effort to keep the current structure in place.
The role of a true Chief Financial Officer cannot be replaced in the overall structure of any organization because of the critical need to center financial control, authority, and the responsibility of oversight into one function. The structure may have many branches, but it must retain one solid foundation for any proper execution within this role. Anything less will produce the same results we are currently suffering through.
Cynthia Gordon-Floyd is a certified public accountant and a certified fraud examiner. She is the founder of Willing Steward Ministries, LLC. Willing Steward Ministries (www.willingsteward.com) is a financial consulting and accounting firm for churches and other faith-based non-profits, specializing in Bible-focused financial practices, pastoral compensation issues, IRS compliance, and other financial needs specific to churches. Cynthia is a graduate of Lake Forest College and holds her MBA in Accounting from DePaul University. She teaches a certificate program in Church Financial Management at Turner Theological Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia.
