An investigation has been launched into a reported theft of at least $100,000 siphoned from an Indiana congregation since 2021.
Heartland Community Church of Lafayette filed a police report Tuesday, alleging that an unknown party has been embezzling funds since December 2021, taking an undisclosed six-figure sum in the process.
Authorities with the Tippecanoe County Sheriff’s Office said Heartland Community’s bank first alerted the congregation to a few discrepancies in the church’s accounts, The Lafayette Journal & Courier reports.
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Authorities did not give an exact amount missing; they just said that it was in the six-digit range. Investigators believe that a former employee of the church might be responsible.
Heartland Community traces its origins to Dutch Reformed immigrants coming to the area in the 19th century. The congregation was originally known as First Reformed Church. The current name and campus were adopted in 2008.
“Those with deep roots in the Dutch Reformed tradition have been made one in Christ Jesus with those from all different backgrounds. We don’t all agree on everything (imagine that!), but we do believe that God has moved into the neighborhood in the person of Jesus Christ,” stated the church’s website.
“So we make it our aim to follow Jesus together. And we love each other. And we trust in God, who has been faithful to this congregation since its start in 1888. This is a river always eager to welcome in new streams. Because in the heart of Heartland is a passion to see Jesus’ mission of love spread throughout Greater Lafayette.”
A 2017 study by Lifeway Research reported that almost one out of 10 Protestant pastors had said their church witnessed someone embezzle funds. Churches that have 250 or more members were slightly more likely than smaller churches to respond in the affirmative.
“Churches run on trust — but they also know people are imperfect and can be tempted,” said Lifeway Executive Director Scott McConnell, as quoted in the 2017 report. “That’s why safeguarding a church’s finances is an important part of ministry.”
