In this episode of The Church Law Podcast, Erika Cole, The Church Attorney®, sits down with Nathan “Nate” Adams, partner at Holland & Knight, to unpack the essentials of trademark protection for churches. Whether your church is newly launched or generations old, this conversation will help you understand how to protect your name, avoid common legal pitfalls, and steward your ministry wisely. You’ll learn: ● The difference between a trademark and a trade name ● What legal protections state or...
May 27, 2025•27 min•Ep. 58
In this episode of The Church Law Podcast, Erika Cole, The Church Attorney®, dives into the vital topic of maintaining your church’s tax-exempt status. With over 25 years of experience guiding ministries of all sizes, Erika unpacks what tax exemption really means, the top five ways churches unknowingly put their status at risk, and real-life cautionary tales from churches that lost theirs. Learn how to avoid IRS scrutiny, protect your ministry’s financial future, and lead with legal confidence. ...
May 06, 2025•21 min•Ep. 57
In this episode of the Church Law Podcast , Erika welcomes back special guest Matthew Branaugh, attorney and editor at Church Law & Tax. Together, they tackle a variety of legal and tax questions submitted by you, our listeners—offering valuable guidance to help churches and ministries navigate complex issues. Topics include volunteer background checks, receiving property from another church, handling love offerings, protecting 501(c)(3) status while generating income, church name protection...
Apr 15, 2025•43 min•Ep. 56
In this episode, Erika provides essential guidance to help churches and ministries stay ahead of shifting legal and compliance requirements under the new administration. Learn critical steps your ministry must take to remain compliant and secure while discovering the invaluable support offered through Faithful Foundations Membership. Don’t let your ministry be caught off guard—stay informed, prepared, and faithful. Key Discussion Points: Understanding the Changing Landscape Overview of key polic...
Mar 25, 2025•24 min•Ep. 55
In this episode, Erika tackles a critical issue facing churches and ministries—immigration law and its evolving impact on faith-based organizations. With rapid policy shifts, many churches serving immigrant communities are left wondering how to navigate the legal landscape effectively. To provide expert insight, Erika welcomes guest, Lina Hughes, a seasoned immigration attorney with over 26 years of experience. Lina is the principal attorney at Yen Hughes Law, a professor of immigration law at T...
Mar 03, 2025•31 min•Ep. 54
This podcast episode, hosted by Erika Cole, The Church Attorney®, features employment law expert Tiffany Releford. The discussion provides valuable insights into employment law as it applies to churches and nonprofit organizations. Topics include distinguishing between employees and independent contractors, the implications of part-time versus full-time status, and how recent federal executive orders impact nonprofit compliance. Tiffany also highlights the importance of understanding legal prote...
Feb 19, 2025•30 min•Ep. 53
In this episode, we explore the often-overlooked importance of rest in leadership, especially for those in ministry. Erika is joined by Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith, a Board-Certified internal medicine physician, work-life integration researcher, and author of Sacred Rest. Together, we discuss how rest is not a luxury but a sacred commitment that leaders must prioritize to serve others effectively. Church and ministry leaders often carry heavy responsibilities, facing the demands of their roles whil...
Jan 31, 2025•30 min•Ep. 52
Hammar, attorney, CPA, and co-founder of Church Law & Tax . Rich reflects on his more than 40-year career representing churches and informing them through his articles for Church Law & Tax and his many books, including Pastor, Church & Law, Fifth Edition , and the annual Church & Clergy Tax Guide . The two discuss the top five reasons churches and religious organizations go to court. They also explore the issues and challenges that have changed over the past four decades, and why...
Nov 26, 2024•41 min•Season 7Ep. 51
So, you’ve planted your church, and it has entered a growth phase. And with that growth has come added responsibility, stress, and pressure. Therefore, it’s understandable that you might be considering bringing in someone to help. Should that someone be an executive pastor? David “Fletch” Fletcher, founder of XPastor.com and an advisor-at-large for Church Law & Tax, is known as the “Dean of Executive Pastors.” In this episode, he offers wisdom and insights gleaned from four decades leading c...
Oct 29, 2024•27 min
Many churches make it out of their infancies and early years and hit their strides as they approach the double-digit years of existence. When a church’s life cycle reaches this point, it’s easy for its leaders to focus on what got them there. But that can be a misstep. In this episode, Erika talks with Brad Hill, Gloo’s chief solutions officer, about how thriving, expanding churches can maximize their opportunities by developing new ways of thinking about ministry and doing it. Embracing new tec...
Oct 08, 2024•26 min
Pastors Soboma and Faith Wokoma weren’t planning to start a church. But bringing 17 people together for connection, coupled with earnest commitments to prayer, eventually led to launching Legacy Center Church in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Eight years later, the church draws about 350 people a week. The church is at a stage some consider “the messy middle” of ministry: Operations have grown, the newness has faded, and it’s easy for ministries to move off course. Continuing the theme of “the lif...
Sep 10, 2024•27 min
Three years ago, Harvest Valley Church was a dream—a vision—to reach the people of Horace, North Dakota. From humble beginnings meeting in coffee shops to forming small groups to using a “portable” approach from week to week, the church has grown to nearly 500 people as it approaches its third anniversary. How does a church like this start right and grow in a healthy way? In this episode, Erika speaks with Peter Olson, the executive pastor of Harvest Valley (and a Church Law podcast listener!). ...
Aug 20, 2024•23 min
A new season of the Church Law podcast is here! In this episode, Erika discusses this season’s theme: The lifecycle of a church. Whether a church is launching, growing, thriving, or declining, there are important administrative, legal, and spiritual tasks and responsibilities to address. This season will walk church leaders through each of these seasons, offering the guidance and direction they need to handle the challenges and opportunities well. Regardless the season your church faces, learn j...
Jul 30, 2024•12 min
There’s no shortage of economic indicators and reports to read, and as we near the halfway point of 2024, church leaders likely wonder where everything is heading. Inflation persists and interest rates still hover near recent historic highs. Unemployment remains low, but new jobs reports suggest that may be changing. Many stocks have posted impressive returns while housing prices continue surging in many places. In this episode, Erika talks about the economy with Rob Eby, a CPA from Aprio who ha...
May 14, 2024•23 min
It’s election season in the United States, and after contentious races nationwide in 2020 and 2022, 2024 promises to bring even more heat. The Oval Office is up for grabs. All 435 seats in the US House are on ballots, as are 34 in the Senate. Add to that a slate of 13 gubernatorial elections and countless state and local elections, and measures. What is a church leader to do? Should pastors speak up, speak out? In this episode, Erika walks church leaders through some of the key considerations th...
Apr 30, 2024•17 min
Producer’s Note: This podcast episode addresses a very sensitive topic. Listener discretion is advised. The statistics are staggering: one in three girls and one in five boys in America will be sexually abused before they turn 18, and 90 percent of victims know their abusers. Church Law & Tax’s legal research shows that abuse claims are a perennially top reason churches and religious organizations go to court each year. And church leaders must mobilize to respond. Jeff Dalrymple, executive d...
Apr 09, 2024•19 min
Like it or not, church leaders need to think about insurance coverage. While ministry always should be driven first by the unique call God places upon a congregation, good stewardship still requires anticipating the possible risks a congregation will encounter and mitigating them. In this episode, Peter Persuitti—the global managing director of Gallagher Insurance Company’s nonprofit and religious practices—joins Erika to talk about insurance trends affecting churches. Property insurance has bee...
Mar 26, 2024•29 min
SHOW NOTES Episode 5: “Why Church Meetings Go Off the Rails” Episode 14: “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill and What You Should Consider Before Changing Your Bylaws, with Guest Mike Cosper” Episode 30: “Equipping Your Church Board for Long-Term Success” “What Every Church Board Needs to Know,” a self-paced webinar by attorney Erika E. Cole “Board Member Checklist,” by James Cobble and Tyler Charles “Four Fiduciary Duties of Church Boards,” by Richard R. Hammar “Preparing for a Church Business Meeti...
Feb 13, 2024•18 min
Property represents the most valuable tangible asset owned by churches. Yet many use them only once or twice a week, leaving a lot of ministry opportunities untapped. In this episode, Erika talks with attorney Midgett Parker, who has represented faith-based institutions for real estate matters since 1990. Through his decades of experience, Parker has observed many ways churches can maximize their properties to serve their communities. In some instances, these uses can also generate alternative r...
Jan 30, 2024•25 min
As a new year begins, it’s time to evaluate the sacred cows in your church. What’s a sacred cow? It’s holding to anything that has become established and continues without question year after year, without evaluating its effectiveness. With 2024 underway, now is the time to evaluate systems and programs that have grown stale, ineffective, and burdensome and find new ways to reinvigorate the operations of your church. In this episode, Erika visits with Denise Craig, chief executive officer of The...
Jan 23, 2024•20 min
As 2023 comes to a close and 2024 comes into view, now is the time to look at issues your church may encounter in the year ahead. In this episode, Erika talks with Matthew Branaugh, attorney and editor of Christianity Today’s Church Law & Tax, about their “Four for ’24.” Find out their picks and why Erika and Matthew see them as important ones to watch. SHOW NOTES Download your FREE copy of The Church Attorney Legal Audit® System document checklist here, and check out Episode 29 (“Using a Le...
Dec 12, 2023•24 min
The end of 2023 is near, meaning it’s the perfect time to look back and reflect upon the best of the Church Law podcast this year. In this episode, Erika shares the five episodes that stood out the most to her in 2023, ranging from leadership culture to mergers, succession planning to legal audits, and more. The topics, the insights, and the guests all captivated Erika—find out why they did, and why you’ll want to revisit these episodes (or check them out in case you missed them the first time a...
Nov 28, 2023•12 min
This bonus episode of the Church Law podcast features live Q&A with pastors and church leaders recorded during Erika’s 16th annual Church Compliance Conference in the Washington, D.C. area. Continuing this season’s theme regarding ways to strengthen churches for renewal and growth, Erika—along with guest Matthew Branaugh, attorney and editor from Church Law & Tax—tackle questions covering: The tax implications of renting church property; Community development corporations started by chur...
Oct 17, 2023•27 min
What is church membership? Why does it matter? Is it even still relevant? Erika wraps up her multiple-episode theme, “Strengthening Your Church for the Long Haul,” by exploring church membership, and explaining why it remains relevant as ever. Even though churches define membership differently, and some use more formalized processes than others, it’s critical for leaders to revisit their church’s specific approach—and the potential legal implications created by it. Erika walks through the key de...
Sep 19, 2023•23 min
Several years ago, Travell Travis received a phone call from one of his church’s bishops, who was fighting end-stage pancreatic cancer and was nearing death. The bishop needed help putting together a succession plan. That phone call showed Travis the need for churches to plan well for leadership transitions. It motivated him to write a book and help churches think strategically about succession plans. In this episode, Erika talks more with Travis about what he’s learned as an attorney and pastor...
Aug 29, 2023•26 min
In Revelation 3:2, we’re instructed to be watchful and to strengthen the things that remain. As Erika continues exploring various topics focused on strengthening churches for the “long haul,” she turns her attention to technology—specifically, generative artificial intelligence (AI). Can AI help churches strengthen the things that remain? Can leaders use to engage a culture that is attending church less? Understanding this tool’s potential—and potential problems—s important for leaders who are t...
Aug 22, 2023•17 min
Equipping younger church leaders is key to the church's future, as research from Barna Group (and others) shows the church has a leadership gap. As pastors retire, fewer young people are rising to take on those roles. But research also suggests many younger people—including those in Gen-Z—are passionate about Christ, the church, and the future. Why is there a disconnect? What can be done to bridge it? Re-think the models In this episode, Erika speaks with Dr. Nicole Massie Martin, chief impact o...
Aug 01, 2023•20 min
Serving as a church board member carries significant duties and responsibilities. But church board members rarely receive training to perform their roles. That puts strain on the men and women entrusted with making critical decisions affecting the health and vitality of their church. In this episode, Erika explains how state laws shape the way boards operate. She also discusses the governing structures churches typically follow, and the ways board members—also called “leadership teams,” “board o...
Jul 11, 2023•24 min
Every day, new laws, regulations, and court decisions affecting churches emerge at the local, state, or federal levels. Zoning law, property tax exemptions, incorporation, governance, housing allowances—the list of ways that law and regulations can intersect with church activities is extensive and continues to grow. Keeping up can be challenging. But it isn’t impossible. In this episode, Erika talks about how church leaders can regularly conduct legal audits to stay current with changes and a st...
Jun 06, 2023•27 min
Every person, including pastors and church leaders, deals with hurts and hang-ups, and those hurts and hang-ups can easily turn into bad habits when stress and pressures mount. But rather than allow bad habits to form—and lead to moral failures as the stress of ministry grows—leaders have an opportunity to regain their true identities in Christ. In this episode, Erika talks more about recovering these true identities with Irene Rollins, an author and church leader who studies human behaviors. In...
May 16, 2023•32 min
