Churches are often more than just a place of worship or a building for services. Many times churches want to participate in providing coffee shops, gift shops, book stores, day cares, and even book sales. However, each of these unrelated church business incomes are separate from the church’s operating purposes, and can even threaten the church’s tax exemption status.

Have you ever wondered whether you should start a new corporation? Maybe you’ve just founded a church or just started itinerating on a regular basis. Or, maybe you are launching a major new initiative for an existing church or ministry. Let’s look at some commonly asked questions concerning why and when to form a new corporation.

So you want to start a church or ministry? Pastors today face an increasingly litigious and regulated environment that can threaten their church’s success, so it’s vital that you do things the correct way from the start. At the Law Office of Dan Beirute, we incorporate churches and ministries all over the United States so they can avoid unnecessary legal hassles and expenses. Here’s an overview of six requirements to help you establish a church or ministry.

Individuals who are approached to serve on the Board of Directors of a nonprofit organization will often ask about a nonprofit volunteer’s liability exposure. Can a volunteer director or volunteer trustee of a nonprofit organization be held personally liable for his or her actions on behalf of the nonprofit? A little-known piece of federal legislation, the Volunteer Protection Act, helps to shield nonprofit volunteers against liability.

Our last post discussed some of the basic reasons for forming a church corporation or ministry corporation.  Today, let’s consider:

What type of corporation should be used for a church or ministry & how are religious corporations formed?

Have you ever wondered whether you should start a new corporation?  Maybe you’ve just founded a church or just started itinerating on a regular basis.  Or, maybe you are launching a major new initiative for an existing church or ministry.  Let’s consider some commonly-asked questions concerning why and when to form a new corporation. 

The Internet can be both a useful tool and a destructive force for a church. On one hand, the Internet allows churches to market inexpensively to potential churchgoers and to quickly and efficiently relay news and information to members and supporters. On the other hand, the Internet can bring lewd and inappropriate content into the church with a push of a button; allowing for the immediate circulation of rumors and outright lies about the organization and its leadership; and even subject the church to liability for sexual harassment, copyright violations, and a host of other legal claims.