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	Commission Formed to Review Financial Accountability Policies of Churches The Underground January 11, 2011 http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2011/01/commission-formed-to-review-financial-accountability-policies-of-churches-15015 A new panel was formed by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability to lead an independent, nationwide effort to study ways by which policies can be set in place for churches to have more accountability of its finances. The panel was formed at the request of US Senate Finance Committee member Charles Grassley of Iowa, after he had completed his report on six media-based Christian ministries, the ECFA website said. The report is a product of three years' work and listed areas of concern that they wanted ECFA to address. ECFA is a 1,487 national accreditation organization for churches and other religious groups, according to Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Grassley's report investigated, among others, Rev. Creflo Dollar and Taffi Dollar of World Changers Church International/Creflo Dollar Ministries, and Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, AJC said. In a statement, Long said he was "relieved that after more than three years of intense investigation and countless untrue allegations that Sen. Charles Grassley's review has found no evidence of wrongdoing," AJC reported. Only two ministries, AJC said, namely those of Benny Hinn of World Healing Center Church and Joyce Meyer Ministries, answered all questions and were shown to have made significant internal reforms. Three of the six ministries that were investigated gave partial information, AJC said, namely Long's New Birth Missionary Baptist Church/Eddie L. Long Ministries, Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, and Randy and Paula White of Without Walls International Church. The "least cooperative," AJC said, was World Changers which did not provide the names of its board members nor information regarding compensation. Information came from public sources, watchdog groups, current and former members, and former officers in the church, among others. The Grassley report mentions travelling by private jets, luxury homes, Rolls Royces and other luxury cars, and expensive gifts, among others, AJC said. The new panel, called the Commission on Accountability and Policy for Religious Organizations will study tax and policy issues with regard to religious organizations, ECFA website said. The website said that among the issues they will study are, 1) Whether churches should file form 990 which would contain the same, highly-detailed annual information return that is required of other nonprofit organizations. 2) Whether legislation is called for to curb clergy abuses of housing allowance. 3) Whether a repeal or amendment is needed on existing legislation that disallows churches and other nonprofits to engage in a political campaign intervention. 4) Whether legislation would be called for on tax rules for "love offerings." The commission will be headed by Michael Batts, who owns Batts Morrison Wales & Lee, PA, an accounting firm exclusively servicing nonprofit organizations. Batts told AJC that he hopes solutions can be reached without involving "burdensome legislation." Batts told AJC, "I would not say categorically that legislation would be bad, but certainly harsh, adverse or burdensome legislation would not be welcome." He said he hopes the problems can be addressed through self-regulation and improved enforcement of rules for churches and nonprofits.
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