Church & Nonprofit

Church & Nonprofit

What Qualifies as an Accountable Reimbursement Plan for Churches and Ministries?

Employee business expenses in the religious organization context are usually treated the same as employee business expenses in any other business context. The IRS treats…

Should Your Church Withhold a Minister’s Income Tax

Erik Stanley

Church & Nonprofit

The question whether your church should withhold your minister’s income tax depends on whether your minister is considered an employee of your church or an…

Should Your Religious Organization or Church Accept Government Aid during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Erik Stanley

Church & Nonprofit

With the passage of the CARES Act and the Small Business Administration’s guidance that churches and ministries are eligible to apply for Paycheck Protection Loans…

Will Lobbying Activity Put Your Church’s Tax-Exempt Status at Risk?

Erik Stanley

Church & Nonprofit

Tax exemption is one of the keystones of church law, with its foundations in the First Amendment to the US Constitution. Yet federal tax law…

Church Director Liability Under Arizona’s Volunteer Protection Statute

Erik Stanley

Church & Nonprofit

When a church director (typically a director is someone responsible for governing the church, such as a board of elders or other church board) is…

Government help for religious and charitable organizations in the coronavirus pandemic

Erik Stanley

Church & Nonprofit

The federal government recently passed the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act” or the “CARES” Act. This Act is the latest in a series…

Keeping Church Information Confidential

Erik Stanley

Church & Nonprofit

Any church has its secrets. I don’t mean the “skeletons in the closet” kind. But spiritual life can be a highly personal and even private…

Church Director Liability Under the Federal Volunteers Protection Act

Erik Stanley

Church & Nonprofit

Passed in 1997, the Federal Volunteers Protection Act (VPA) was crafted with the purpose of limiting the amount of legal and financial liability that volunteers…

The Recent Repeal By Congress of The Church Parking Tax

Erik Stanley

Church & Nonprofit

As part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a new tax was imposed on churches and other nonprofits that assigned a value to…

What Do I Do if My Church Gets Sued?

Erik Stanley

Church & Nonprofit

Sad though it may be, churches are not immune to the threat of lawsuit. Indeed, the ever-increasing litigious nature of our society brings the courts…

What Should Be in My Church’s Bylaws?

Erik Stanley

Church & Nonprofit

Churches are subject to many external laws and rules but the law, and the Church’s constitutional rights, give a church the ability to define for…

Can Insurance Policies Cover Church Director Actions?

Erik Stanley

Church & Nonprofit

When a director’s action or inaction comes under fire via lawsuit, the question of whether the behavior in question is covered by insurance policies owned…