A free book for pastors, ordained ministers, ordained church staff, and the board members who serve alongside them
A Practical, Faith-Filled Guide. Yours Free.
47 pages. 10 chapters. The legal and operational side of ministry — written by Regan VanSteenis, former Chief Legal Counsel at Lakewood Church and Joel Osteen Ministries. Decently and in order.
The Author
If you lead, serve, or steward a church, this book is for you. Title doesn’t matter.
Pick the one that sounds most like you — it tells me which chapter to recommend you start with.
47 pages · 10 chapters · Instant PDF · Free · Built by Church Law & Strategy
“Let all things be done decently and in order.” — 1 Corinthians 14:40
It’s Time You Went From
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What’s Inside The Book — Ten Chapters On The Side Of Ministry Pastors Were Never Trained For.
Why this book exists
Most pastors don’t get blindsided by big things. They get blindsided by the small things nobody warned them about.
The kind of things that don’t show up until something triggers them
Every week, pastors tell me, “Regan, I don’t know what I don’t know.” Hope is wonderful for faith. It’s terrible for governance.
Bylaws written before livestreams. Boards without a removal clause. Volunteers without a background check. Sermons whose IP belongs to someone else. Each one shows up all at once when something triggers it.
70% of church splits trace to bylaws without a clear removal process. 80% of embezzlement cases trace to no segregation of duties. 300 days is how long a former employee has to file an EEOC complaint.
The book doesn’t fix any of this. It shows you what’s there — chapter by chapter.
“Hope is wonderful for faith. It’s terrible for governance.”
Why I wrote this book
My dad is a pastor. I’m a pastor’s daughter. This book is the one I wish someone had handed him forty years ago.
A “suddenly” call, twenty years at Lakewood, and a nudge to serve the Church
I grew up a pastor’s daughter — rich in faith, light on material wealth. After law school, I got one of those “suddenly” calls only God orchestrates: Lakewood Church, newly pastored by Joel Osteen, needed an in-house attorney. An Ephesians 3:20 moment.
Twenty-plus years later — after serving as Chief Legal Counsel at Lakewood and Joel Osteen Ministries and advising Joseph Prince Ministries, King Jesus Ministries, and Elevation Church — I sensed a different nudge: I wasn’t called to serve one church. I was called to serve the Church.
That step became Church Law & Strategy. This book is one of the things I built to keep the promise. God cares about your calling and your compliance. Both at once.
“God didn’t fill a priest, prophet, or king first. He filled a builder. A craftsman. An operations leader.” — From the foreword
Inside the book — the foundation chapters
Chapters 1–3 — Hidden Risks, Biblical Foundation, and Governance That Protects Vision
The foundation every church sits on — usually without realizing it
Chapter 1 · Hidden Risks. The five blind spots most churches miss: outdated bylaws, unclear board authority, volunteer missteps, insurance gaps, and IP vulnerabilities. Each with a tell-tale sign and a quick win.
Chapter 2 · Biblical Foundation — 501(c)(3). Why “we’ll fix it when we grow” compounds for years. The three pillars: formation, recognition, documentation.
Chapter 3 · Governance That Protects Vision. What healthy governance looks like — and why it doesn’t kill vision; it protects it.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” — Psalm 127:1
Inside the book — the people chapters
Chapters 4–6 — Ordination, Compensation, and HR Without The Headaches
The people on your staff — pay, ordination, and employment law
Chapter 4 · Ordaining Ministers. The 200-staff church that found 30 more people who qualified for ministerial benefits. Why proper ordination protects the church — and saves staff real money on payroll taxes, at no cost to the church.
Chapter 5 · Pastor Compensation. The pastor whose take-home went up 18% with no increase to the church’s budget. Every component: base, housing, SECA, retirement, insurance, continuing education.
Chapter 6 · HR & Employment Law. Stale handbooks. 1099s who should be W-2. Terminations without documentation. From minefield to manageable annual rhythm.
“The laborer is worthy of his wages.” — 1 Timothy 5:18
Inside the book — the risk and legacy chapters
Chapters 7–10 — Child Safety, IP, Insurance, and Building A Legacy
The domains pastors lose sleep over — and the legacy chapter that bridges the book to the rest of your ministry
Chapter 7 · Child Safety. The 2-adult / 3-person rule. Background checks. Mandatory-reporter training. The strongest defense in any civil case involving minors. Chapter 8 · IP & Media Protection. Sermon ownership, music licensing, trademark, social-media handles — the chapter that protects your family for forty years.
Chapter 9 · Insurance. General liability vs. D&O vs. sexual-misconduct coverage. Sub-limits most churches don’t read. Chapter 10 · Building A Legacy with STRONGCHURCHES. How the four CLS membership tiers — Startup, Foundation Plus, Pastor Support, Executive — map to your size and stage.
What you get. A 47-page PDF, emailed within 60 seconds. Ten chapters with Scripture anchors and real client stories. Read in a weekend or skim in a board meeting. Yours free. Written by Regan VanSteenis — 20+ years of church legal counsel · $1B+ stewarded in agreements.
“47 pages. 10 chapters. Yours free.”
Written By
Regan VanSteenis — Church Attorney. Pastor’s Daughter.
Regan VanSteenis ✓
Church Attorney. Pastor’s Daughter. 20+ years of church legal counsel.
$1B+ Stewarded In Agreements · Former Chief Legal Counsel at Lakewood Church and Joel Osteen Ministries.
Former Chief Legal Counsel at Lakewood Church and Joel Osteen Ministries. Later counsel to Joseph Prince Ministries, King Jesus Ministries, and Elevation Church. 20+ years of church legal counsel. $1B+ stewarded in agreements.
Through Church Law & Strategy, Regan equips pastors, ordained ministers, ordained church staff — and the board members who serve alongside them — to lead with clarity, courage, and the principle the book opens on: let all things be done decently and in order.
“Let all things be done decently and in order.” — 1 Corinthians 14:40
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Right after you confirm your email, I’ll show you the field guides — short companion PDFs that take a single chapter and turn it into a 30-day action plan you can run with your board. They’re optional. Almost everyone glances at them.
“Let all things be done decently and in order.” — 1 Corinthians 14:40
