Over $500,000 Unaccounted For? A Santa Cruz Church Member Demands a Forensic Audit, and the Bishop Says No

• A former finance committee member of Santa Cruz New Testament Church of God demanded a forensic audit
• He said more than $500,000 was spent between March and August 2012 without the board’s knowledge
• Bishop Wellesley Blair called the allegations unfounded
• The member was removed from the church’s bank accounts

A long-time member of the Santa Cruz New Testament Church of God in St Elizabeth has demanded a forensic audit of the church’s finances, but the head of the denomination has refused, the Jamaica Observer reported.

George Robertson, a member since the congregation began 45 years earlier and a former member of its finance committee, said more than $500,000 was unaccounted for between March and August 2012, and that the problem reflected wider irregularities over six years. “There is a lack of transparency and accountability for the past six years,” he said, adding that “over half a million dollars…has been spent without the board knowing anything about it.” He said dozens of members had signed a petition supporting an audit, and that he had asked both local leaders and the Kingston headquarters without success.

Bishop Wellesley Blair, head of the New Testament Church of God, rejected the claims. “They are unfounded because we don’t have any facts to prove what he is saying,” he said, suggesting the request was driven by ambition. Blair said the church was not afraid of being audited and that financial propriety was very important, but said he would not grant an audit on those grounds. “I do not respond to threats,” he said.

By a letter dated June 26, 2014, Robertson was removed from the church’s bank accounts and stripped of administrative duties. He said unhappy members were leaving the church over the unresolved concerns.

The dispute shows why church finances need clear rules. Money given for a building fund, repairs or outreach is held in trust for the congregation, and members are entitled to see how it is spent. An independent audit, done regularly rather than only when there is a complaint, protects leaders as well as members. For congregations planning a new building or an extension, regular audits, a finance committee with real oversight and published accounts keep members confident enough to keep giving.

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