Reimbursements and internal controls

I inherited an accounting department with strong internal controls and I've benefited greatly from it. I applaud Tom for his efforts to get our church to that level. But I'm constantly pressed to make exceptions and to loosen the controls for the sake of convenience. It can be tough to hold the line when you see ministries having to go through what seems like laborious paths to achieve a simple destination, but when I hear of stories of the person who received some $35,000 in fraudulent mileage reimbursements it affirms our hard-lined approach. The internal controls are not a nuisance, they're a protection. And while they protect the church, they also in a large way, protect the individuals, even though they don't always recognize it.