Church leaders often wonder about the legal parameters to engaging with governing officials – and the community – on issues of public and moral importance. This is of particular concern during election season. Your decision to speak is a matter of conscience, conviction, and an understanding of the legal considerations surrounding civic engagement by churches. As a church leader, you … Read More
ADF Webinar
Tuesday, ADF hosted a webinar discussing NEW Supreme Court Rulings and HOW they impact Churches and Ministries across America. To view a recording of the live presentation, please click here. You are welcome to share this with your leadership team and fellow church leaders who may be interested. Additionally, ADF invites you to download our free legal guide – 10 … Read More
New Online Opportunities for Our Churches
The Supreme Court has handed down multiple rulings in the past several weeks – rulings that affect your religious freedom. These rulings impact federal employment law, new protections for religious ministries, and how churches can be treated in COVID-19 restrictions. Our partner, ADF Church Alliance, is hosting a webinar on Tuesday, August 4 at Noon MDT to cover these critical rulings and … Read More
Huge Fines in Virginia for Churches and Ministries Operating According to Beliefs
On July 1, churches, Christian schools, and other religious ministries with theologically orthodox views on marriage will no longer be welcome in Virginia. And if you are among those operating a ministry in accordance with your religious beliefs about marriage and human sexuality, the state has declared a sort-of legal “open season” on you. The first offense comes with a … Read More
California Is Forcing Churches to Pay for Abortions – Here Are the Facts
How extreme is the state of California on abortion? You probably already know that the state tried to force pro-life pregnancy centers to advertise for abortions. But you might not know that some state officials want to force churches to pay for abortions. That’s not a typo. A California agency actually added elective abortion coverage to the employee healthcare plans of churches throughout … Read More
This Website Is Keeping a List of Churches with Traditional Beliefs. Is Your Church on It?
“Clarity is reasonable.” That’s the tagline on ChurchClarity.com. And while it may seem reasonable and relatively harmless, there are reasons to be skeptical about its real objective. In reality, ChurchClarity.com is a smear campaign, and it provides a list of churches for our opponents like ACLU to target with lawsuits. The crowdsourced website claims churches that don’t clearly articulate – … Read More
Think Churches and Religious Schools Will Be Safe from the “Equality Act”? Think Again.
You might expect churches and religious schools, of all places, to remain safe from the government’s meddling hands. Our Constitution does guarantee religious freedom, after all. But if the “Equality Act” is passed, not even churches and religious schools will be safe from the government’s reach. The deceptively named Equality Act was introduced in both houses of Congress in March … Read More
Worship Banned at the Civic Center? Why One New Church Filed a Lawsuit against Its Town
Starting a new church is no easy task. You need to put together a launch team, fundraise, and advertise. You have paperwork to fill out and bylaws to draft. And then, of course, you need to find a place to worship. Unfortunately, finding a temporary home proved to be a bit more difficult than one new church bargained for. And … Read More
Governing Documents: Protecting your church or putting it at risk?
What is the state of your church’s governing documents? Incomplete, out-of-date, in need of review? Maybe you’re not sure what state they are in, or maybe your church recently updated them – but an attorney wasn’t involved. Your church’s governing documents, such as your employment policies, bylaws, constitution, facility use policy, and others, are important. They can either provide legal … Read More
Is Your Church Parking Taxed?
ADF Church Alliance senior counsel Ray Kaselonis shares important information for MTSBC churches. You might have heard that the parking provided to church employees may now be taxed by the federal government. In last year’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a small but powerful provision was enacted that changed the federal tax code. But this seemingly little provision could be … Read More