Churches have a very important but frequently hard job to do: pay their pastors fairly. Pay must be carefully balanced so that it isn't too high, which might lead to IRS penalties and public skepticis...

Pastors spend their careers leading spiritually and serving their communities, but they frequently forget how important it is to make a full strategy for their money to protect their income, intellect...

Every executive pastor should have their own legal plan.

A lot of successful churches have executive pastors who work behind the scenes to make things happen. There is a lot of work for executive pas...

A pastor employment agreement is an important contract that lays out the pastor's duties and responsibilities in a church. It makes clear what is expected, what each person's duties are, preserves leg...

Planning for who will take over as senior pastor is an important part of running a church and keeping the ministry healthy in the long term, yet it is often ignored. Churches that don't have a clear, ...

Paying pastors is a difficult but necessary component of running a church that requires both following the law and having a plan. Setting up pay correctly not only makes sure that pastors are paid fai...

Introduction: Why Risk Management Policies Are So Important for Churches

Churches now work in an environment that is getting more and more complicated. They face legal, financial, and operational con...

All churches need to protect their pastors' intellectual property (IP) because sermons are being recorded, streamed, and shared online all the time, not only on Sunday mornings. Writing sermons is a c...

The parsonage allowance is a great tax break for pastors that can lower their taxable income by a lot. But even though it's important, a lot of church leaders and pastors don't understand or pay atten...

The Importance of a Church Legal Audit

Churches today have to deal with a lot of legal issues, like making sure they meet federal and state laws, managing risks, and administering the church. A thoro...

The Housing Allowance: Why It's Important for Churches and Pastors

A housing allowance is a common part of a pastor's pay and is a very important tax benefit that can lower a pastor's taxable income ...

Introduction: The Rise of Mergers and Acquisitions in Churches

Many churches are looking at mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to pool their resources, reach more people, and have a bigger impact on thei...