Church Director Liability Under the Federal Volunteers Protection Act
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
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?
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?
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?
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…
What’s the Difference Between a Church and a Ministry for the IRS?
It may surprise many to learn that, where the Internal Revenue Service is concerned, there is a difference between how it classifies churches and ministries.…
Are Clergy in Arizona Mandated Reporters for Child Abuse?
Child abuse is considered by advocates to be a “hidden epidemic” in our society at large. And Arizona is no exception. We’ve witnessed recently churches…
Dissolving a Religious Nonprofit
Most churches in the state of Arizona are incorporated as nonprofit corporations. From time to time a church or religious nonprofit will cease to be…
Church Director Liability Under Arizona’s Business Judgment Rule
Directors of churches are classified in Arizona law as directors of nonprofits. Arizona statutes provide a standard of conduct for such directors, along with protections…
Must A Church Use Funds Raised as Initially Designated?
In a very real sense it is the generosity of a church’s members, and their belief in its mission, that keeps a religious community alive.…
Ensuring Church Employee Expenditures Are Tax Exempt
Where the tax rules on employee business expenditures are concerned, a church is generally treated like any other employer. Which is to say, the rules…
Creating Guidelines for Church Outreach Programs
Churches provide tremendous value to their surrounding communities, and beyond, in the outreach activities they undertake. It’s a truism that human beings derive benefit both…