ECCU Blog

If you receive an email for your ministry regarding a failed ACH transaction that appears to be sent from NACHA (The Electronic Payments Association), do not open it or you risk infecting your computer with a sophisticated new version of malware that could ultimately siphon large amounts of money from your ministry’s bank accounts.

According to a recent alert issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the email is likely part of a sophisticated phishing attack designed to capture online banking log-in credentials and transfer funds from your ministry’s accounts. NACHA never sends emails directly to businesses or consumers.

The FBI urges caution whenever you receive communications from senders that would not normally send you email or are not from the sender’s normal email address. You should not open such emails.

To learn more about how to protect your ministry from phishing attacks, visit ECCU’s Member Security page.

The list of reasons for churches and other ministries to become members of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) just got longer. While tithing is at a 40-year low in mainline churches, giving to ECFA member churches is up four percent from the 2009 level. And contributions to all members are up 5.8 percent.

ECFA presents a full account of members’ giving in its second Annual State of Giving report. To learn more about the benefits of ECFA membership, follow this link.

How does your ministry’s giving compare to the ECFA averages?

Question: What is one way to make it easier for someone to cover up fraudulent activity with your church’s finances?

Answer: Create too many church bank accounts.

According to a recent Managing Your Church blog by Matt Branaugh, this is one of five reasons church treasurers should keep accounts to a minimum. In Q&A: Limit the Number of Church Bank Accounts, Branaugh writes that “conventional wisdom in the church finance world is for churches to limit the number of bank accounts the church uses. Ideally, a church should use only one or two.”

The five reasons underscore the importance of accountability and internal controls.

Does your church limit the number of bank accounts? Why or why not?

My son is learning to read. It is amazing—not just because I think he’s brilliant, but because he is standing on the brink of a whole new world. I can hardly wait for him to experience the wonder, the escape, the opportunity to learn, that books offer.

I’ve spent a lifetime reading anything I can get my hands on, and this year was no different. There is so much good stuff to read out there, and plenty that’s not, so I always love a good recommendation from a trusted source.

I compiled a list of my read-happy coworkers’ favorite books of the year and will gladly share a few recommendations if you’ll share yours. For your reading pleasure (okay, some of this stuff is pretty challenging as well), we recommend:  

Radical by David Platt

Want to be challenged to think beyond our consumer-driven society and pursuing the “American dream”? Get a hold of this book and buckle up for a thought-provoking and convicting look at what Jesus means when he calls us to follow Him and make disciples of all the nations. What does it really mean to deny myself, take up my cross, and follow him? Warning: If you’d rather stay comfortable, don’t read this one.

Forgotten God by Francis Chan

An inspiring, challenging, and paradigm-shifting book. Focuses on our relationship with the Holy Spirit and how we should look to live Spirit-filled lives in a deep and personal relationship with the triune God head. 

Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry

By now, you’re probably familiar with the concept of emotional intelligence (and its importance in just about every aspect of life). This book is the how-to for practicing and increasing your emotional intelligence.

Poke the Box by Seth Godin

Godin speaks of one of the scarcest resources in most organizations—the spark of initiative. This book just may be the kick in the pants you need to get off the starting line.  

Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation by Sally Hogshead 

A fascinating book on the study of, well, fascination. Hogshead argues that fascination influences our behaviors and decision-making more than marketing, advertising, or any other form of communication. Anyone who sells anything, or influences others (so basically everyone), should read this.                                                                                                                             

There you have it, a few of our favorites. Now, what are your best book recommendations from 2011? Can’t wait to get my hands on the next good read.

When I joined the ECCU staff, I was surprised by the scope of training we receive here. Regular training on matters of banking security is mandatory, even for those like me who don’t handle member’s money or have access to their personal information. 

Some of this training is fascinating. In one session a video showed us the sophisticated methods hackers use to get at people’s information online. It had an effect similar to that old documentary Scared Straight. I left the session and immediately changed many of my passwords to make them more secure. 

A recent Forbes article used a little intrigue to underscore the importance of picking smart passwords. “25 ‘Worst Passwords’ of 2011 Revealed” makes you smile unless yours is on the list. My favorite is “letmein.” 

Besides a chuckle, the article gives readers practical guidance, including three tips from a list of password best practices created by NASA to help safeguard their rocket science, including: “It should contain a mix of four different types of characters – upper case letters, lower case letters, numbers, and special characters such as !@#$%^&*,;” If there is only one letter or special character, it should not be either the first or last character in the password.” 

Have you chosen smart passwords to protect your important information and assets?