Money & Mission

By Colonel Lee Graves, Chief Secretary

Just 30 pieces of silver! A paltry sum by comparison in exchange for the salvation of the whole world. It is interesting how monetary resources and the Scripture are so closely tied to the unfolding story of the betrayal, death and resurrection of our Lord. Thirty pieces of silver! Money changing hands, at first glance thought to be for the purpose of advancing man’s scheme, only to discover these resources advanced God’s. That was the price paid. That is all it took to entice the betraying of our Lord, surrendering Him to the authorities (Matt. 26:15). A few pieces of silver, instruments of God in the hands of a conspiring betrayer yet used to further the very plan of God by mobilizing the resources of heaven towards the salvation of humankind. Money used to advance the ultimate Mission albeit causing one to ponder and contemplate the mysterious ways of God.

Only 30 pieces of silver were needed. This was very close to the price paid for a slave in that day. Don’t forget that we were once slaves too, slaves to sin. Yet those silver pieces purchased the life of the One whose blood was of immeasurable value. We were in need of a Saviour. God the Father, by sending us His Son, Jesus Christ, made possible, by accepting Him, that we “having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness (Rom. 6:18), so now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness and the result is eternal life” (Rom. 6:22)

The 30 pieces of silver Judas was paid would have been roughly equivalent to $3,000 in today’s value. Did Judas betray Jesus for money? One can only theorize, but what is clear is that 30 pieces of silver were poor compensation for the great evil they brought, as Judas himself tragically realized. On Easter Sunday morning we will stand in glorious celebration once again and be reminded that money changing hands played a role in accomplishing God’s plan, the victory of an empty tomb, a resurrected redeemer and a conqueror over death. What an amazing account of Money and the Mission. Just 30 pieces of silver!

By Lieut.-Col. Neil Watt

The Salvation Army Insurance Program is comprehensive in scope. This program states: "It is vital to the continued success of The Salvation Army. It enables the Army, its officers and employees to operate without fear of financial loss because of damage to our property or our liability to others."

A recent review of Internal Audit reports finds that 50% of audits conducted are non-compliant when it comes to "adequate record of furniture and equipment for insurance purposes".

Findings range from.....

• Non-existent, outdated or incomplete inventory lists
• Ministry units not aware of their insurance coverage
• Inadequate valuations of contents
• Inventory lists not forwarded to DHQ and THQ to ensure that accurate values are recorded for insurance purposes

Operating Policy 5208, section 3 clearly states that ministry units are to update the total building/inventory/content on a yearly basis and return the information to the THQ Insurance Office via their DHQ. Claims for losses will be based on the total values provided each Fall. The inventory list is the source document for claims calculations.

We understand that keeping an up-to-date inventory list may be a tedious task, I get it! But here is the problem. Without a recent and accurate inventory list the ministry unit may not be adequately covered.

The THQ Insurance Office makes it clear that the inventory list serves as proof of the items owned by the ministry unit and without it the unit is placed at risk of inadequate insurance coverage.

A final word from the THQ Insurance Office.....

" In the past couple of years we've had several claims where the values were under reported and our insurer had the right to deny the claim or only pay the amount reported."

Don't be caught without proper coverage......"there could be a cost to being out of date!"

By Arnold Adey, Assistant Financial Secretary

The Finance department regularly updates its strategic plan, and now has one for the 2017 -2019 time period.

In developing this plan, the department consulted widely, sending out 1,100 stakeholder surveys and 170 staff surveys, and held 15 key leader interviews and numerous discussions with the full management team.

The strategic statements were reviewed but not changed. They are as follows:

• A vision to be a world class financial services group known for superior customer service, award winning financial reporting, efficiency, creativity and excellence.

• Our mission reflects the overall mission of The Salvation Army exists to share the love of Jesus Christ, meet human needs and be a transforming influence in the communities of our world.

• The Finance department’s role is to deliver quality accounting and financial reporting services, provide strategic business advice, ensure prudent management of the organization’s investments, and promote excellence in financial management and Christian stewardship, with a primary focus on the mission of The Salvation Army.

While we embrace the overall values of The Salvation Army, the department developed two supplementary values:

1. Our Clients: Our clients include all personnel within The Salvation Army. Our efforts also impact clients served within the ministry of The Salvation Army. In serving our clients, we constantly look for ways of improving service based on their needs; we conduct ourselves in a professional and courteous manner; and we provide relevant information that is concise, accurate and understandable.

2. Our Staff: Each staff member can make a valuable contribution. This contribution is maximized when we create a positive work environment characterized by Christian values; cultivate open and effective communication; encourage staff development and personal growth; and establish realistic job expectations that allow for a balanced lifestyle.

Based on the considerable feedback from the consultative process, the following key strategies were identified as the areas needing most attention for the three-year planning period:

* Process improvement

* Customer service

* Communications

For each of these strategies a number of specific projects have been planned with a leader and a target date for completion. Specific projects include:

• Process improvement – Taxable benefits review to ensure full compliance with the Income Tax Act; Chart of Accounts revisions to provide more flexibility to specific types of ministry units; the introduction of purchase cards to help reduce petty cash holdings; development of standard description protocols to help users understand entries in the financial systems; modifying our approach to TEM expense claims so that users need not deal with the tax coding.

• Customer service – Additional training webinars, e.g Agresso reports, Managing Your Finances, budget training, Charitable receipting, etc; a staff directory to help clients know who to contact about specific issues; ; introduction of the What Fix help tool to Agresso and TEM to provide tips and answers to users’ questions;

• Communications – Territorial Finance Manual rewrite and design; exploration of social media tools; semi-annual video conference meetings joining Finance department staff across the country to engage in discussion around key subjects, such as fraud awareness, internal controls, customer service, etc.

This is only a partial list of the projects to be undertaken over the three-year plan. The list is not static, and subject to change as we respond to a changing environment with new priorities to better deliver on our mission.

2 Overlea Blvd
Toronto, ON M4H 1P4
(416) 425.2111 ext. 2237

116 - 276 Midpark Way SE
Calgary AB T2X 1J6
(403) 201.9223

101 - 85 Thorburn Rd
St. John's NL A1B 3M2
(709) 579.3919

Please click here for back issues of Money & Mission, to see our index by topic or to find a printable version.

For more information about the Finance Department, please visit http://salvationist.ca/departments/finance/

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Managing Editor:

Alister Mason
Senior Editor:

Paul Goodyear
Design Editor & Production Manager:
Angela Robertson
French Translator:

The Salvation Army Translation Department