Written for lawyers representing religious organizations and other professional administrators who serve religious organizations on a volunteer basis, this guidebook focuses on the daily business activities of a religious organization, such as its status and obligations as an employer; creating and use of materials in programs; fund raising activities; liability for and to volunteers' public liability, and much more.

Nonprofit Law for Religious Organizations: Essential Questions & Answers is a hands-on guide to the most pertinent and critical legal issues facing those who lead and manage religious tax-exempt organizations with an emphasis on tax, employment, property and constitutional law. This timely book is a response to the need for guidance, direction, and clarification of legal and tax laws affecting churches and other religious organizations.

Designed for those who are not lawyers, accountants, or quasi-legal specialists, this book outlines the elements of risk management for congregations and church professionals. Divided into three parts, the guide provides an overview and history of the American legal system, details various areas of the law, and focuses on ways religious organizations can minimize their exposure to legal difficulties.

Providing both a comprehensive legal overview and practical advice, this is an essential reference work for every pastor, church administrator, and parish council member. The US is the most litigious country in the world. The sex abuse scandal has virtually bankrupted the American Roman Catholic Church. The breakup of the American Episcopal Church threatens innumerable lawsuits over ownership of church property. Every religious community in the US has reason to be concerned about its legal liability. Wrongful dismissal, potential liability for the actions of employees or volunteers, a parishioner slipping on icy church steps... these are just some of the other legal issues that should be of concern to every Christian church and parish community in America. Recognizing that most people working in the church need guidance when confronting church-related legal issues, lawyers (and long-term church members) David Blaikie and Diana Ginn have adapted their popular Legal Guide for Canadian Churches for the American religious community. This handy reference book takes readers, step by step, through all the legal implications of the daily operation of a church and parish community. Blaikie and Ginn explain different areas of the law, including administrative law, property law, employment law, and civil liability. This book provides a legal context for understanding and responding to relevant legal issues, while at the same time providing answers and directions on specific legal questions. The Legal Guide for Religious Institutions provides a comprehensive legal overview, coupled with practical advice, that will be required reading for every American pastor, church administrator, and parish council member.