Church Auditing Department Report, 2003
To the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Dear Brethren: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints maintains an auditing department, which performs its work independently from all other Church departments and operations. The managing director of the Church Auditing Department reports directly and regularly to the First Presidency. Church Auditing Department staff consist of certified public accountants, certified internal auditors, certified information systems auditors, and other credentialed professionals.
By charge from the First Presidency, the Church Auditing Department has authority to audit all Church departments and operations worldwide. The Church Auditing Department has access to all systems, records, personnel, and properties necessary to audit contributions, expenditures, and Church resources. Professional financial and operational auditing standards govern the performance of audit work. Risk is the primary factor guiding the selection of audits.
The Council on the Disposition of the Tithes is responsible for, and for the year 2003 authorized, the expenditure of Church funds. This council is composed of the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the Presiding Bishopric, as prescribed by revelation. Under direction of this council, accountability for contributions, expenditures, and Church resources is controlled through each department’s management group and through the Church’s Budget and Finance Departments. Administration of funds by these management, budget, and finance groups is audited and reported.
Based upon our audits, the Church Auditing Department is of the opinion that, in all material respects, contributions received, expenditures made, and Church resources used during the year 2003 have been administered in accordance with approved budget guidelines and established Church policies and procedures.
Financial activities of Church-affiliated organizations, which are operated separately from the Church, were not audited by the Church Auditing Department in 2003. Independent public accounting firms audited the financial statements and corresponding controls in these organizations. These organizations include, among others, Deseret Management Corporation and its subsidiaries and the Church’s institutions of higher education, including Brigham Young University. Nevertheless, the Church Auditing Department did verify that appropriate reporting of these public accounting firms’ audit results occurred with each organization’s audit committee.
Respectfully submitted,
Church Auditing Department
Wesley L. Jones
Managing Director