Step 9. Church Credit Card Policy

Today many, if not most, churches have a church credit / debit card. Because the pastor, staff or volunteers often have to make purchases that are necessary for the church, having a church credit card is a wise and effective way to reduce the number of reimbursements that have to be processed, and to facilitate matters by allowing individuals to make a purchase for the church without having to get a check or use their personal funds and then fill out a reimbursement form. The church should adopt a credit card policy for staff use. Below is a sample.

Church Credit Card Use Policy

A church credit card may be used by the pastor, a staff member, or other church volunteer, if it has been properly assigned  to the individual by the treasurer. The credit card can be only for purchases that are for use by the church. Sales receipts must be submitted to the treasurer, accompanied by a completed purchase requisition, if required, detailing items purchased  and the account to be charged.   If on any occasion the

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Section Three – Financial Issues

pastor or a staff member makes a purchase that was deemed to be personal, it will be credited to him / her as taxable wages  and deducted from his / her paycheck.

Accepting contributions via credit cards

With the proliferation of debit and credit card benefits such as frequent flyer miles, many church members use debit and credit cards as the preferred method for giving their tithes and offerings. It is recommended that the church make accommodations for this method of receiving tithes and offerings. Below are some possible ways you can accept credit cards:

  1. Tithes and offering envelopes;
  • Online donations and;
  • Kiosks in the church, connected to the web so that members can actually swipe their card and type the amount they wish to give.

Donations online and security/privacy policy

For donations made online, the church should publish the following privacy policy on the church website.

Online Security Policy

If you make a contribution online using our website, you will be required to provide contact information such as you r name, address, and email address. Additionally, you will provide financial information such as your credit card number and expira tion date. Church ABC pledges that all credit card information is handled in a highly secure manner, and is solely for the purposes of processing your donation.  Your contact informa tion is used to send you a donation receipt. If we have trouble processing the donation, this contact information may also be used as a means of communicating with you. We commit that we will never sell or share your information with any person, entity, or other organization in anyway whatsoever. Church ABC has security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of the information that you have submitted to us via this website. Any information submitted online that contains personal financial information is submitted via a secure server and cannot be seen by others on the web or outside this organiza tion. All of the information that is stored on our servers is inaccessible to any person, entity, or outside organization.

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