"Tim has set me free to lead at a more strategic level because he is taking care of the details of accounting and bookkeeping. He's there to answer questions and know we're in compliance. I'm not losing sleep over our books anymore, wondering are we doing things correctly, are we following laws that are specific to churches."
— Deborah Tepley, Executive Director
The Challenge
As executive director of Church of the Advent, a Washington, DC congregation founded in 2007, Deborah Tepley found herself increasingly overwhelmed by the demands of church financial management. As the church grew in both congregation size and revenue, so did the complexity of its bookkeeping needs — consuming more and more of both her time and the treasurer's time.
The situation reached a critical point when payroll errors required Deborah to spend significant hours resolving issues retroactively with their payroll provider, the IRS, and the DC tax office. Church accounting, she discovered, is a uniquely specialized field with its own rules around clergy housing allowances, sabbatical funding, and tax compliance.
"We were just finding that we needed to make decisions, and we just didn't have the expertise that we needed. I was just googling a lot of things and trying to make decisions based on what I could find on the internet. So we just realized we needed more expertise in the church accounting space specifically."
The turning point came through Deborah's network of DC church administrators, when a fellow church shared their positive experience working with a BELAY Bookkeeper — and connected her with the team.
The Solution
BELAY matched Deborah with bookkeeper Tim Gassmann, whose expertise in church accounting proved to be exactly what Church of the Advent needed. The first priority was a thorough onboarding — migrating payroll and all existing books onto a solid foundation, correcting outstanding issues along the way.
Tim took full ownership of the church's day-to-day financial operations, sending monthly financial statements and written reports on the church's financial position, flagging concerns and special considerations, and managing the payroll, expenses, and credit card platforms.
"A lot of this has been about having peace of mind that we have someone who's an expert in church bookkeeping [and] things aren't falling through the cracks. When I have questions — and questions come up all the time related to finance and accounting — I have someone I can call on and who either has answers or who can find answers on my behalf."
What set the partnership apart was Tim's genuine investment in the church's mission. As Deborah noted, "He really sees that he's helping us. He's making an impact on the city of Washington, DC, through keeping our books, and so it's not just a job for him." The two connect every other week and maintain constant email communication, ensuring Deborah is looped in at exactly the right moments.
"I felt an ROI immediately from those first meetings and knowing that someone was going to be keeping an eye on things, tracking things and that someone would be able to catch any errors or mistakes or things that we were doing that were not in compliance with tax laws and regulations."
— Deborah Tepley, Executive DirectorThe Impact
The relief was immediate. From the very first meetings, Deborah felt the weight of financial uncertainty lift — knowing someone with real expertise was watching over the books, catching errors, and keeping the church in compliance with the regulations unique to faith-based organizations.
"I felt an ROI immediately from those first meetings and knowing that someone was going to be keeping an eye on things, tracking things and that someone would be able to catch any errors or mistakes or things that we were doing that were not in compliance with tax laws and regulations."
Over time, the impact deepened. As the church's budget grew, Tim helped manage that growth — overseeing grant tracking, fundraising initiatives, and resource allocation. When Church of the Advent launched a capital campaign ahead of moving into its first permanent home after 15 years of renting, Tim was a key partner in navigating that milestone.
Most profoundly, Deborah reclaimed the strategic headspace her role demands. No longer bogged down in bookkeeping details or lying awake worrying about compliance, she's free to lead at a higher level — working with pastors, steering the church's mission, and trusting that the financial foundation is secure.
"I always sing Tim Gassmann's praises every chance I get. He's an amazing man and amazing bookkeeper and has been such a joy to work with."