Case Study
Nondenominational church eliminates manual and error-prone processes
Learn why Cornerstone Ministries chose Baker Tilly to implement robust reporting and dashboards.
Case Study
Nondenominational church eliminates manual and error-prone processes
Learn why Cornerstone Ministries chose Baker Tilly to implement robust reporting and dashboards.
Client background
Cornerstone Ministries is a vibrant, dynamic, contemporary and growing nondenominational church located just outside of Pittsburgh. Led by Senior Pastor Dr. Donn S. Chapman, Cornerstone is a church that not only talks about loving God and people, but strives to live it out every day. After a rigorous evaluation, the church chose Baker Tilly over other on-premises and cloud solutions as the best fit to meet the needs of the organization.
We are on the small end of a megachurch, with a weekly attendance of about 2,000, so we knew we needed something to grow with. Functionality was the biggest key for me.Cindy Gwynn, Finance Manager, Cornerstone Ministries
The business challenge
Cornerstone Ministries had been using Logos for the past 17 years for financial management. The system had become cumbersome and is no longer supported by the vendor. It is based on outdated technology, has limited reporting capabilities and does not include dashboards or any budgeting capabilities.
"We hadn’t updated our accounting system in 17 years, so we were in need of an update," said Gwynn. "We are on the small end of a megachurch, with a weekly attendance of about 2,000, so we knew we needed something to grow with. Functionality was the biggest key for me."
I wouldn’t have wanted to do this without someone who had Baker Tilly's church background.Cindy Gwynn, Finance Manager, Cornerstone Ministries
Strategy and solution
The benefits of moving to the Sage Intacct platform include the elimination of many manual and error-prone processes across multiple areas, improving accuracy and efficiency. Cornerstone Ministries will be able to keep pace with changing reporting requirements and have the flexibility to add or change processes as the ministry grows and changes.
"The Baker Tilly team was excellent," said Cindy Gwynn, Finance Manager at Cornerstone Ministries. "We really appreciated Lynda Reich, Baker Tilly's lead implementer, during the project. Her nonprofit background was great and her church background was incredibly helpful. There is a big difference between church and nonprofit, and she knew it. Without having someone with that church background, we would be in a very different spot. Even things like renaming dimensions, she knew about our funds and was talking our lingo. I wouldn’t have wanted to do this without someone who had Baker Tilly's church background."
