ROLE OF PARISH BUSINESS MANAGER

 PREAMBLE  

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The Church by its very nature is called to mission, that is, to go forth and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It effectively does this through proper worship of God, creation and support of Christian community, proclamation of the Good News, teaching the saving mission of Christ and service to all, especially the poor.  

Because this call is fundamental to the Church, all Catholic faithful are expected in some way to assist the Church in realizing its mission.  

Some members, in fact, are asked specifically to give of their time and talents to counsel or advise the pastors of the Church in this most important activity.  Through use of a business manager, the pastor will better be able to carry out his mission to evangelize more freely.  

In light of the above, the business manager is seen as having an integral role in supervising the temporal aspects of the Church’s mission, under the vigilance and direction of the pastor.  In addition, the business manager should be attuned not only to the business activities of the parish but also to the other aspects of parish life.  

In order that it might be an effective and truly beneficial collaboration of pastor and business manager, the following guidelines are offered for a description of the role of the parish business manager.   

JOB OBJECTIVE  

To provide leadership and day-to-day supervision of the financial and temporal affairs of the parish in such a way as to enable the pastor to concentrate on the spiritual affairs of the parish.  This leadership is, at all times, framed by necessary approvals from the pastor in concert with the policies, procedures and guidelines set forth by the diocese regarding financial and temporal transactions.  

The position calls for coordination with other members of the staff, participation in staff planning and operational meetings and significant dialogue with the pastor so that he is fully apprised of matters being considered and acted upon by the business manager.  

The business manager must be sensitive to the nature of information he has access to and must treat it confidentially.

JOB DESCRIPTION  

1. Financial Management

1.  Financial Records

·      Supervise the accounting function of the parish and be certain the employee responsible for maintaining the financial records understands the parish accounting system.  

·      Prepare or require the preparation of quarterly and year-to-date financial reports for review by the pastor and the parish finance council.  

·      Supervise the maintenance of parishioner contributions.  

·      Supervise the maintenance of other financial records required by the Diocese or the pastor.  

2.      Financial Control  

·      Develop and monitor a strong system of internal control for parish receipts.  

·        Establish security procedures to ensure the safety of parish funds.  

·      Review all invoices prior to payment for reasonableness and accuracy and indicate approval for payment.  

3.      Funds Management  

·      Monitor and reconcile parish bank accounts.  Maintain monthly surplus funds in insured accounts which are interest bearing and annually deposit surplus funds in Diocesan Trust Fund in accordance with Diocesan Statute #32.  

#32. Pastors and administrators are to deposit all non-operating funds in the Diocesan Trust Fund for the benefit of their parishes. This regulation shall apply also to cemeteries, parochial schools and diocesan institutions.  

·      Schedule vendors’ payments to obtain purchase discounts and meet payroll tax deposit requirements to avoid penalties.   

4.      Budget  

·      Assist in preparation of an annual budget for the parish.  

·      Submit the annual budget for review by the parish finance council and for review and approval by the pastor.  

·      Review and analyze the financial reports by comparing the actual receipts and expenditures with the approved budget on a quarterly basis and advise the pastor and finance council of significant variances.  

2. Personnel  

• Supervise the maintenance of personnel records for all staff and be certain they include all pertinent information relating to the employees.  Determine that all appropriate federal, state, and local taxes are withheld.

• Where appropriate, participate in or be responsible for the hiring and termination of employees subject to the prior approval of the pastor.

• Supervise the training of new parish employees when required.

• Monitor the parish’s employment policy to be certain that it complies with all laws concerning health and safety standards, employment of minors, and with diocesan employment policies regarding employee benefits.

3. Parish Records  

·      Maintain parish records (exclusive of spiritual records) including the census records and envelope and mailing lists.  All sensitive information must be treated in a confidential manner.  

·      Ascertain that all necessary parish mailings are made in an orderly and efficient manner.  

4. Physical Plant  

·      Conduct an ongoing inspection of parish grounds and buildings to ensure that the property is maintained in a safe and aesthetic manner.  

·      Supervise the activities of the parish maintenance staff, and inspect all completed maintenance and repair projects.  

·      Obtain competitive prices and purchase maintenance supplies from vendors offering the best quality items for the most reasonable price.  

·      Conduct capital addition and improvement surveys and submit reports to the pastor and the parish finance council concerning the nature of the work required, the priority for completion, and the estimated cost, if available.  

·      Be certain that all procedures followed in connection with repair, renovation, and construction projects conform to the policies, procedures, and guidelines for diocesan capital projects.  This would include real estate and insurance transactions.  

·      Monitor parish’s compliance with diocesan policies regarding real estate, insurance, capital projects, etc.  

5. Parish Organizations  

·      Monitor compliance with diocesan policy regarding parish organization bank accounts.  

·      Review the financial reports of parish organizations prior to their submission to the pastor.  

·      Review the bank statements and cancelled checks of parish organizations prior to releasing them to the organization’s treasurer.  

·      Coordinate the fund-raising efforts of the parish organizations to prevent duplication of effort and to ensure their compliance with legal insurance requirements.  

·      Supervise the storage of parish organizations’ financial records over a year old in the rectory.