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Writer's pictureJanet Kelly

Exposing Embezzlers: Predators in the Church

Should two brothers sign checks for the church bank account?


No, they should not. But sometimes this happens in organizations and churches. Why?


Embezzlers come in many forms – sweet old ladies and dynamic young workers. They may be perceived to bring a lot of activity and revenue to your church. But the thing you must remember is they were grooming you to trust them long before they ever stole a dime.

Maybe the directors don’t want to be bothered with checks or they are afraid of some financial obligation by having their name on the account. This fear can be mitigated by purchasing directors’ insurance with the building insurance policy. This is needed for the pastor and elders/deacons as well.


The expensing of your donated funds requires careful oversight. No one ever expects to be embezzled. But temptation and personalities can deceive you when it comes to stealing church monies. Embezzlers are essentially con artists. But you cannot give them the opportunity to steal. This needs to be clarified in your church financial policy. Oftentimes, smaller churches face the problem of not having enough members to take care of simple tasks like signing checks. Protect your people and your revenue by having strict rules regarding money.


One of the things I have learned is that character-disordered individuals – narcissists, sociopaths, wolves in sheep’s clothing, embezzlers, oppressors, bullies and abusers – are among us and we don’t easily recognize them. It is not until you have experienced a relationship at home or at work with a high-conflict personality that you have a full understanding of the damage these people do to our organizations and our well – being.


Some insurance companies will not cover your church for theft if you do not press charges against the perpetrators. You must consider all these factors when making your church financial policy. And to protect the next church, we need to expose these people. This is the same type of predatory personality as child abusers and intimate partner predators. The victims of these perpetrators are speaking out. As this has given great insight into how these predatory personalities function covertly in the church.


The Bible speaks about Judas Iscariot plainly. He was embezzling among the twelve disciples. That is how good these personalities are at lying. They can tell a lie better than we can tell the truth. Once we understand that, we can humbly accept the fact that sometimes we are duped by these characters.


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