Carnegie residents who spoke to reporters expressed shock that someone might steal from a church. “People get desperate, people get greedy,” one man said. “People do things once and think they can get away with it, and then they do it more and more and more.”
Unfortunately, embezzlement isn’t uncommon at churches. Almost one-tenth of Protestant pastors report being victimized, according to a 2017 Lifeway Research study.
On a Facebook post about Reed’s arrest, one person commented, “Who in their right mind, whether a business or an organization, permits one signer on an account? Do they keep the safe open also? Keys in the car?”
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ChurchLeaders has reached out to St. John’s Lutheran Church and will update this article in the event of a response.
