Church Lawyer Serving Churches & Ministries Nationwide

Get help with tax-exempt status, clergy employment, bylaws, and compensation.

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Advising churches since 1997 | Harvard Law-trained lawyer | Churches served in all 50 states

Practicing Nonprofit Law Since 1997 | Serving Clients in All 50 States | Focused on Nonprofit Law | 1,200+ Nonprofits Served

You didn't start a church to become an expert in IRS filings, employment law, or property zoning, but leading one means all three eventually land on your desk. Church & Charity Law is a law firm serving pastors, ministry founders, and church leaders across the United States.

Since 1997, Dan Beirute has focused his legal practice on church and nonprofit law, helping churches establish special legal protections and fulfill specific obligations that are often different from other nonprofits, covering various topics from how churches establish tax-exempt status to how employment law applies to clergy. We understand those differences, and we share the conviction that red tape shouldn't slow down your mission.

Our goal is simple: handle the legal side so you can stay focused on your congregation.

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Legal Services for Churches & Ministries

We work with churches, ministries, denominations, and other faith-based organizations on the legal matters that come with leading a congregation, including:

This work sits inside our broader nonprofit legal practice, so we regularly handle legal questions that churches face, such as how automatic tax exemption works, what the ministerial exception means for a personnel decision, how clergy housing allowance should be documented, and how religious liberty protections apply to your organization.

If your organization is a nonprofit but not a church, ministry, or house of worship, our nonprofit attorney page covers the full range of services we offer secular and other faith-based organizations.

What Makes Church Law Different From Nonprofit Law

A church isn't just a nonprofit with a steeple. Under federal law, churches receive legal protections and carry obligations that other 501(c)(3) organizations don't, and a lawyer who only knows general nonprofit law can miss them.

You may already be tax-exempt and not know it.

Under IRC Section 508(c)(1)(A), churches are automatically recognized as tax-exempt and aren't required to file Form 1023 with the IRS to get 501(c)(3) status. Churches also aren't required to file the annual Form 990 that most nonprofits file. That's a real advantage, but it also means many churches operate for years without documentation that a bank, grant maker, or IRS agent may eventually ask to see. We help you confirm and properly document your exempt status so the benefit doesn't become a liability.

Your property has extra protection.

RLUIPA (the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act) gives churches heightened protection against restrictive local zoning, which matters if you're building, expanding, or relocating.

Employment law works differently for clergy.

The "ministerial exception," a doctrine rooted in the First Amendment, limits how courts can apply employment discrimination law to a church's ministerial employees, including pastors and other staff with religious duties. Knowing where that line falls, and where it doesn't, matters when you're hiring, disciplining, or letting a staff member go.

Your governance structure isn't a standard corporate board.

Elder boards, deacon boards, and denominational polity don't map neatly onto typical nonprofit bylaws. We draft governance documents that reflect how your church actually operates.

Compensation has church-specific rules.

Clergy housing allowance, love offerings, and other faith-specific compensation arrangements have their own IRS treatment. We provide pastoral and leadership compensation reviews and issue opinion letters on what counts as "reasonable compensation" for church leaders.

Helping churches for decades.

Since 1997, our practice has served religious and charitable organizations, and we understand the mission behind the paperwork, not just the paperwork itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • No application needed. Under IRC Section 508(c)(1)(A), churches are tax-exempt automatically, without filing the Form 1023 most nonprofits need.

  • Donors, banks, and foundations often ask for one, and some foundations legally can't give without it. It can also simplify state tax exemptions.

  • Not a Form 990. The exception is Form 990-T, required if your church earns $1,000 or more in a year from a business unrelated to its mission, like renting out space commercially.

  • It limits how employment discrimination law applies to staff with genuinely religious roles. Job title alone doesn't decide it (a worship leader or teacher may qualify), so check before you hire, discipline, or dismiss an employee.

  • Generally, yes. A separate ministry, school, or auxiliary you run alongside the church may not share that exemption, so check it separately.

  • It's the part of a minister's pay excluded from federal income tax (though usually still subject to self-employment tax). Your board must designate it in advance, and the tax-free amount is capped at the lowest of actual housing costs, the designated amount, or fair rental value of the minister’s residence.

  • Have an independent committee set it using pay data from comparable churches. Done that way, the IRS presumes it's reasonable, and the burden shifts to anyone who challenges it.

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It’s Easy to Get Started

Legal issues shouldn’t stand in the way of your mission. If you’re ready for peace of mind with legal guidance you can trust, we’re here to help. 

Let’s work together to protect your church or nonprofit so you can focus on what truly matters.

Contact us today to get started!

Address:
252 West 16th St
Tulsa, OK 74119

Phone:
(918) 392-1956

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Fax:
(918) 517-3333