Financial Accountability
Statement of Financial Integrity
Central Baptist Church of Hixson, Tennessee (d.b.a. Abba’s House) is operated as a Section 501 (c)(3) “church” as that term is used and understood by the Internal Revenue Service. The church is not operated for the private gain or benefit of any person or member, and the church has filed all required state and federal filings and reports required by applicable law.
Our books are audited each year by an independent CPA firm, Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain (LBMC), formerly Petty & Landis. These audits are conducted in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. The audits include examining evidence, on a test basis, supporting amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. They also assess the accounting principles used, decisions made by staff, as well as financial presentation to determine that there is assurance that our financial statements are free of material error.
Our church operates within the guidelines set forth in our church bylaws. One of which is that we have a Board of Trustees, consisting of 6 members who must unanimously agree on decisions concerning our real property. Other matters of church business are discussed and voted upon by the Pastor’s Council, including the annual church budget and personnel decisions. The Pastor’s Council and the church body at large receive regular financial statements through quarterly meetings, disclosing matters of financial business. The annual church budget is voted on by both the Pastor’s Council and the entire church.
All disbursements must go through the proper channels, which include three layers of management approval. All checks require two check signers. Checks are typically signed by two members of the pastor’s council, rather than staff members. No executive staff member, including the Senior Pastor, is a check signer, with the exception of Denise Craig, CFO. However, she can not cut checks.
All charitable contributions, as defined by the Internal Revenue Service, are recorded as such, whether they are cash or non-cash donations. Appropriate statements or non-cash contribution letters are sent out in a timely manner to be used by donors for charitable giving tax credit, if they so chose.
Ron Phillips Ministries is a world-wide outreach ministry and a separate budget within Central Baptist Church, not an entity in and of itself. It operates on the generous donations of ministry partners, as well as through product sales by the Abba’s House Bookstore and Café and the Call Center.
Abba's House understands that your tithe is your hard earned money – seed given by God to re-invest in the kingdom. We do all we can to put ample controls in place to ensure that donor contributions are handled with the utmost care.
Abba's House is also a member of ECFA. ECFA is an accreditation agency dedicated to helping Christian ministries earn the public’s trust through adherence to Seven Standards of Responsible StewardshipTM. Founded in 1979, ECFA provides accreditation to leading Christian nonprofit organizations that faithfully demonstrate compliance with established standards for financial accountability, fundraising and board governance. ECFA’s Seven Standards of Responsible StewardshipTM focus on board governance, financial transparency, integrity in fundraising, and proper use of charity resources.
