Managing Your Church

Church Organist Gets Ministerial Exception. “In Sterlinski v. Catholic Bishop of Chicago, (ND IL, July 23, 2018), an Illinois federal district court held that the ministerial exception doctrine applies to an organist at a Catholic parish. Plaintiff claims he was demoted ...

I do a litigation review every year for church leaders based on about 12,000 cases I read pertaining to religious organizations across all 50 states and the federal courts. I systematically categorize them by type to help understand the top reasons religious organizations, including ...

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General membership

First, there is the general membership. Members use financial statements to help them reach certain conclusions on the status of the church. For example, if the church is doing well financially, members will generally place more confidence in the abilities ...

Chicago Mayoral Candidate Hands Out $200,000 at Church Event. “Mayoral candidate Willie Wilson apparently did not violate election law by handing out more than $200,000 in cash and checks Sunday to people at an event he attended with Gov. Bruce Rauner at a South Side church, ...

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In this biweekly column, longtime executive pastor and and XPastor.org founder David Fletcher takes on readers’ questions about finances, staffing, communications, and more. Submit your questions using the subject line "Hey, Fletch" to editor@churchlawandtax.com. ...

SBC leader arrested 11 years after church leaders learned of allegations. “The missionary arm of the Southern Baptist Convention knew about allegations against Southern Baptist leader Mark Aderholt more than 10 years before he was arrested July 3 on charges that he sexually ...

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Church bylaws are a necessity, both from a legal and an organizational perspective. They provide the framework from which the organization exists and operates.

So, hear me well. I not advocating the elimination, eradication, or minimization of church bylaws.

But I am suggesting ...