Church Auditing Department Report, 2008

This entry is part of my general conference application series.

Church Auditing Department Report, 2008, by Presented by Robert W. Cantwell
Managing Director, Church Auditing Department


In discussing tithes and offerings with a friend, he said that he is uncomfortable with the idea of church-viewed worthiness being associated in any way with money. I can understand his concern, but must admit that I hadn't given the potential for misuse much (if any) thought previously, partially because of the annual reports from the Church Auditing Department.

It probably has to do with the statistics courses I've taken, but I notice when independence is stated (or claimed). I've noted many times where someone says that things are independent of one another, when they really are not. I don't think such is the case here (note the ethos in the list of professionals):

The Church Auditing Department is independent of all other Church departments and operations, and the staff consists of certified public accountants, certified internal auditors, certified information systems auditors, and other credentialed professionals.

Thinking on the monetary connections with the church reminds me of the TIME article, "Kingdom Come" (from the Mormons, Inc issue from 1997, link). I had recently entered the mission field when this article came out (less than a month in the field) and remember some of the discussions that it prompted. I think I'll re-read the article and see how life's experiences in the past decade-plus contribute to the discussion.

Care to join the colloquy?