- Trinity Baptist Church
- 1172 Nevils Denmark Road
- Nevils, Georgia 31321
- (912) 839-2599
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Office of Finance
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Welcome to the Office of Finance! We hope you will find this page helpful as we strive to provide the most accurate and up-to-date information on official church policy regarding financial operations, church law, and the IRS code and how they apply to Trinity Baptist Church and its contributors. We are committed to providing you with the important details you need to make personal decisions about your contributions to the church. If you should ever have a question concerning church financial matters, please give us a call or send us an email. We will be glad to assist you in any way!
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Your Questions Answered...
Find below a list of questions and answers in which you may be interested. If you have question(s) of your own to ask that do not appear below, please take a moment to send us your inquiry. We promise to respond as quickly as possible.
The intent of this section is to provide information to persons interested in knowing more about the financial operations at Trinity Baptist Church. Answers below are thought to be accurate and true at the time of publication (July 2008) in relation to this church only as certain federal and state laws are interpreted and applied to the policies and regulations of Trinity Baptist Church. Always check with your professional tax advisor or certified accountant when claiming tax-deductible gifts given to Trinity Baptist Church.
I. General
Why does Trinity Baptist Church have an Office of Finance?
The financial responsibility of the church is to be a wise steward of the resources God has entrusted to our fellowship. The Office of Finance is in charge of making sure the resources of The Church are handled with the highest level of trust and integrity as possible.
What are the responsibilities of the Office of Finance?
The Office of Finance maintains all financial records and enforces the official financial policies of Trinity Baptist Church. In addition, The Office of Finance handles banking, accounts payables, contribution receivables, general receivables, payroll, and the taxes associated with payroll. The Office of Finance provides oversight of The Church Budget in its official capacity.
Church finance laws introduced by the U.S. Congress, State of Georgia legislative bodies, and/or local officials require constant understanding and adaptation. Accordingly, it is the responsibility of the Office of Finance to make certain that compliance with the Internal Revenue Service and regulations concerning the church's non-profit status as a 501(c)3 organization is never jeopardized in any way.
Frequent changes of other laws in which The Church must comply, such as those relating to labor, the handling of contributions and funds, work by charities, and monetary giving by a charity, require a unique understanding for compliance as they relate to Trinity Baptist Church. The Office of Finance is responsible for the adaptation of the financial policies of Trinity Baptist Church in order to comply with changing laws and IRS rulings.
II. Giving
How do I give to Trinity Baptist Church?
You may give your contributions at church in your Sunday School or Bible Study class or during the morning worship service at the time when the ushers pass an offering plate. We also recognize that you may only write checks through a software program or through your bank's website and gladly accept check contributions by mail (do not send cash contributions).
Are my contributions to Trinity Baptist Church tax-deductible?
According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Trinity Baptist Church is classified as a "501(c)3" organization allowing contributions to be fully tax-deductible as long as no goods or services are provided in exchange for money given and as long as Trinity Baptist Church has the exclusive legal control over the assets contributed. (For more details, please read IRS Publication 526.)
If I make a contribution using cash, will I be able to claim a tax-deduction?
If you make a donation of $250 or more to Trinity Baptist Church in the form of cash, you must use the church supplied "Cash Contribution Envelope" in order to receive credit for your gifts. If you do not use the special envelope when giving cash, there will be no way for the Office of Finance to post your contribution for you to be able to claim a deduction with the IRS. Otherwise, your cash contribution is fully tax-deductible as long as no goods or services are provided in exchange for money given and as long as Trinity Baptist Church has the exclusive legal control over the assets contributed. (For more details, please read IRS publication 526.) Order cash contribution envelopes.
How can I make a contribution to directly pay on The Church Debt?
We encourage everyone to make special donations from time to time to The Church Debt by using the church supplied "Debt Reduction" envelopes which can be found in the lobby, breezeway, or ordered online. Simply place your contribution in the special envelope and place in the church offering plate. Although your regular contributions to the general operations of the church go well beyond in servicing the principal and interest of the bank note, giving to The Church Debt is a special way to honor someone special, to remember a friend or family member, or to say "thank you" to God for doing something special in your life. Please remember, it is important for you to use the special envelope so that your contribution is posted and designated correctly.
Are contributions to The Church Debt tax-deductible?
Yes. Your contribution to The Church Debt will be under the exclusive legal control of The Church. Therefore, contributions to The Church Debt will be designated as "extra principal" and brought before The Church for approval as a supplement to The Church Budget allocating disbursements directly to the church note. (The Church must approve all transfers and the disbursements for all non-ministry accounts when a change in The Church Budget has an affect of any kind on the a liabilities of the church.)
Why are contributions to my Sunday School’s fund not tax-deductible?
If your Sunday School or Bible Study class (or any other ministry or department), collects money to purchase breakfast, or for benevolent or any other purpose, contributions to this fund is not tax-deductible because your money is for the exclusive use of the class (or department). In view of the fact that your class is not an exempt organization and since the church does not have control over this fund, any monies collected for this fund are not tax-deductible.
Since Trinity does not designate contributions for particular funds, why are contributions to annual missions tax-deductible (such as the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering)? Trinity Baptist Church believes strongly in giving to various mission programs that are offered by both the church and through our church conventions and associations. Although Trinity does not designate funds that are collected for certain mission projects under the control of other organizations, any monies given to a fund that is established by our affiliated conventions or associations in which Trinity Baptist Church participates is fully tax-deductible. According to the IRS, the relationship between Trinity Baptist Church and organizations such as the Southern Baptist Convention and its International and Home Mission Boards, and the Georgia Baptist Convention is considered to be an “Integrated Auxiliary Of A Church”. This relationship allows us to record your contribution for tax-deductible purposes on behalf of the conventions.
Where are donations stored after collection? Who has access to the money?
Only the Church Treasurer, or a person in which she appoints from time to time, has access to the donations and only after the money has been counted, recorded, and sealed. The Office of Finance is intentionally not made aware of the procedures in collecting, recording, and sealing monies given on Sunday Mornings (in Sunday School, Bible Study, or during the worship service), as this is the responsibility of church ushers, and church security. The amount of money counted by the ushers and the amount of money deposited are recorded separately, and a comparison is made by the Office of Finance. If a difference between the collected amounts and the deposited amounts is found, The Office of Finance is required to contact the Director of Security.
What is "The Church Budget" and why is it so important to the operation of the church?
The Church Budget is one of the most important and necessary documents at Trinity Baptist Church. The Church Budget is not merely a list of set spending levels for church ministries and departments. The Church Budget is the Annual Mission Statement and a guide to all church members as to what The Church is expected to accomplish during a particular year. It is a ministry plan with the sole goal of carrying out the work of God's church at Trinity.
Who makes the decision as to how much each department is allowed to spend?
The Church has complete and final control of how much each department, ministry, and program at Trinity Baptist Church is allowed to spend. Each year, during a regular session of Church Conference, a budget proposal is presented and The Church (meaning all church members with voting privileges present at the Conference session) may vote to approve or deny the budget proposal. Upon approval, the proposal becomes official The Church Budget and Mission Plan for a particular fiscal year. Please Note: There is a time of discussion in which The Church may ask questions or comment on the proposal prior to the vote.
The Church's approval of The Church Budget indicates the full support of the Ministry Plan outlined in The Church Budget. The approval also makes clear that The Church confirms its trust and support of all church leaders in the the execution of the Trinity Baptist Church mission plan as it relates to the ministry in which the leader serves.
Who prepares the budget proposal and makes the decision as to what should be proposed?
Trinity has no budget committee, no persons that arbitrarily determines how much a particular ministry should need to operate, and no persons that "lobby" to get money for particular departments. There is no better system, there is no easier system for preparing a budget proposal than taking the advice of each department's leader. The individual talents and skills of church leaders facilitates the development of an appropriate budget proposal.
Each departmental leader is required to submit a "Budget Request Form" for each fiscal year. The information from the forms are compiled by The Office of Finance and/or persons in which it may select to compile the details from the forms for submission to The Church. The compilation is known as the Annual Church Budget Proposal and is presented to The Church at a regularly scheduled Conference session. On approval, the proposal is made officially The Church Budget for a particular fiscal year.
IV. Record Keeping, Auditing, Church Conference, Your Privacy
How does The Office of Finance go about keeping records?
The strength of any organization may be measured by the way in which it keeps records as the maintenance of information provides evidence of honesty and integrity. For this reason, The Office of Finance, along with the Church Office, strongly invests in reliable people and practices that uphold these essential principles of The Church. In addition, certain technologies allow us to retain more information than ever without compromising the privacy of church members and contributors while compyling with church law.
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