We’re pleased to announce the Church Law & Tax 2021 Webinar Series.
Last year, we planned to host 10 webinars to help inform and provide guidance on issues that directly affected the church. We can agree that 2020 had a mind of its own and many of our plans needed reevaluating. New developments occurred like the CARES Act and Paycheck Protection Program, and they often required further clarification. So rather than producing 10 webinars, we managed to host 15 to help the church navigate the constant changes.
This year, we plan to continue providing you with topics relevant to current needs and events. Our upcoming series will also reflect topics many of you suggested, presented by well-respected speakers you requested.
As usual, this year’s series will feature a combination of free webinars open to everyone as well as a set of webinars available exclusively to Church Law & Tax Advantage Members. (Not an Advantage Member? Learn how to become one.)
We encourage you to bookmark this page and check back regularly as we continue to announce upcoming and future webinars. You can also sign up for our free e-Newsletter or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to find out what’s coming up.
Church Law & Tax’s 2021 Webinar Series
Upcoming Webinars
We are currently making plans for our 2022 webinar series. In the meantime, we encourage you to look back at the webinars you might have missed from this year. They are listed below and available to watch on-demand.
Previous Webinars
Key Tax Developments Your Church Should Know for 2021 | January 21, 2021. More than 70 developments affecting ministers and churches occurred during 2020. In this webinar offered exclusively to Church Law & Tax Advantage Members, renowned church attorney and CPA Richard R. Hammar covers the most significant developments that churches and church leaders need to understand for 2020 tax-filing purposes—and 2021 compliance. He also offers key insights on the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA). Become an Advantage Member and get access to the recording.
Church and Nonprofit Ministry Finance – Planning for the New Normal | February 24, 2021. Is your church or ministry well-positioned financially and operationally for the new normal – whatever it may be? Churches and nonprofit ministries have grappled for a year with unprecedented change affecting their overall operations, including financial matters. In this free webinar, nationally renowned CPA Michael Batts will address this question and more to help leaders become better equipped to help their churches or ministries prepare for—and tackle—the new normal with confidence.
Avoiding Unexpected Surprises with Church Compensation | March 24, 2021. Church Law & Tax content editor Matthew Branuagh and CPA Elaine Sommerville sat down to discuss the common—and not-so-common—surprises created by special compensation arrangements. Watch this free webinar and gain knowledge to become more confident and legally compliant when it comes to housing allowances, love gifts, sabbatical plans, business expense reimbursements, and more.
Should My Church Consider a Merger Right Now? | May 11, 2021. Some congregations are facing financial struggles and uncertainties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Others want to expand their ministry presence and effectiveness further. Could a church merger be the answer? Attorney Erika E. Cole joined Church Law & Tax for this exclusive Advantage Member webinar. Cole presented a one-hour webinar further exploring how leaders contemplating one should carefully approach key legal and ministerial questions. Become an Advantage Member or upgrade your membership to get access to this webinar.
A Significant Source of Federal Funds for Eligible Churches | June 8, 2021. As the country slowly emerges from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an opportunity that few church leaders know about but should evaluate. If your church, nonprofit, or school experienced a substantial decline in revenues and/or was subject to a government-mandated shutdown, and it meets certain other criteria, it may be eligible for federal aid through the Employee Retention Credit. And the amount could be very significant for your church. CPAs Michael E. Batts and Kaylyn Varnum joined Church Law & Tax for this free, one-hour webinar to help leaders navigate the ERC.
Getting Your Church Employment Questions Answered | August 25, 2021. Churches today face an unprecedented number of employment-related issues, thanks to evolving state and federal laws and court decisions. Church leaders understandably wrestle with numerous questions as a result, whether about the ministerial exception, discrimination laws, FLSA—and more. In this one-hour exclusive webinar, attorney and CPA Frank Sommerville provides his more than 30 years of legal and accounting expertise to answer employment-related questions exclusively for Advantage Members. Become an Advantage Member to gain access.
The Basics of Running a Legally Sound Church Business Meeting | October 6, 2021. To effectively conduct business and make legally sound decisions, churches must implement specific parliamentary procedures. However, some churches have not adopted procedures, while others do not recall what they have adopted. In this free, one-hour webinar featuring attorneys Richard Hammar and Sarah Merkle, participants will learn more about the processes of adopting procedures; the various types of procedures available to adopt (including Hammar’s analysis of the new 12th edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised); the best practices for implementing and following those procedures; and more.
Fraud in the Church: What We Learned from 700 Church Leaders | October 27, 2021. A new nationwide survey of more than 700 church leaders conducted by Church Law & Tax shows nearly one-third serve in congregations that have suffered from some form of financial misconduct. In this free, one-hour webinar, CPA Vonna Laue and attorney and Church Law & Tax content editor Matthew Branaugh sit down to discuss the purpose of the survey, the results that stood out most, and the best practices leaders can implement now to reduce their church’s vulnerabilities.
Getting 2021 Year-End Tasks Right | December 8, 2021. This exclusive webinar for Advantage Members will be presented by renowned attorney, CPA, and senior editor Richard R. Hammar. He will explore how to handle business expenses correctly, set minister housing allowances, document and process charitable contributions, and more. You do not want to miss this event! Become an Advantage Member to watch this exclusive webinar.