Audit Committee

Needed! One more volunteer to complete the Audit Committee of three voting members (as required by the Constitution of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church).
 
Minnesota statute requires charitable organizations, including churches, with greater than $750,000 annual revenue to file an audited financial statement prepared by an independent CPA. St. Luke’s doesn’t quite meet that revenue threshold … yet, so we are permitted to conduct an internal audit.
 
The primary purpose of an audit is to ensure that year end financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Secondary purposes include spot checks of church financial transactions and payroll reporting and ensuring the practice of using two tellers whenever counting money. Although not required, the Audit Committee may also review the minutes of Council meetings.
 
Internal audits should be an annual process. If we complete an internal audit just once every few years, we likely won't get helpful results or make the best use of our time and effort. It's also helpful to use the same internal audit committee each year, if possible, to reduce or eliminate time spent on organizing the process.
 
The bad news: We have not completed an internal audit since 2019. The good news: We are blessed by the professional expertise of our Minister of Finance, Heather Kambeitz, and by our Council Treasurer, Paul Sundet, and his predecessor, David Johnson. We are also blessed by the commitment of two prior members of the Audit Committee, Mike Kurtz and Mick Thorsland, to participate in the audit of our 2023 finances and Council activities.
 
Again, we are asking for one more volunteer with a general business background. Specific accounting or finance experience is not required. We hope to start the process by the third quarter of the year, July 1st, at the latest. The process involves meeting with Heather and Paul periodically and should not take an unreasonable amount of time to complete. Think days, not weeks.
 
If interested, please contact the church office, and either Paul Sundet (Audit Committee Chair) or I will follow up with you.
 
Thanks and blessings,
 
Mark Bergherr
Past-President