Degree programs seek to educate pastors, avoid embezzlement

Many U.S. churches have been victims of embezzlement over the years, reflecting not just moral weakness on the part of the wrongdoers, but lax financial controls. Often, church budgets are overseen by volunteers or employees with little guidance or professional training.

Now, some colleges are hoping to prevent such faith-shattering abuses by offering programs devoted specifically to managing church finances and personnel.

Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and Boston College started programs in September, and Villanova University outside Philadelphia is offering an online master's degree in church management beginning this summer.

The concept is becoming more popular despite some among the faithful who bristle at the notion of the church as a business, said Kerry Robinson, executive director of the National Leadership Roundtable on Church Management, a Roman Catholic group. - AP

Fact: the Catholic Church is not fundamentally a business.

Fact: stewardship of temporal goods, in this age, requires education.

Conclusion: while it doesn't have to be the pastor, it doesn't hurt to have someone competent on staff.