Faith BasedOverviewSupporting Clients with a Mission
Religious institutions and faith-based organizations are valued, long-standing contributors to our society. These organizations face unique legal challenges due to volatile, divisive cultural dynamics. Many times, religious organizations are not fully prepared to address some of these legal challenges. A new approach is needed for legal counsel and risk management.
Michael Best has the depth and experience to help religious and faith-based organizations meet these new challenges. We’ve served as general counsel to hundreds of religious and faith-based organizations across the country, including churches, church-affiliated hospitals and senior living facilities, religious nonprofits, denominations, religious and educational camps, schools and universities, synagogues, missionary foundations and conferences, and social services entities.
Not only do faith-based organizations have to navigate applicable federal and state laws, with a religious freedom layer of analysis, but more importantly, faith-based organizations operate within statements of faith and religious governance structures (e.g., Constitution & Bylaws, Presbyterian Book of Church Order, Methodist Book of Discipline, etc.),. Practically, this layer of analysis is often at least as impactful to the situation as is the legal analysis. We appreciate and implement this analysis into our legal advice to bring you full solutions.Beyond being excellent legal professionals, we are known for being both proactive and price predictable. Our approach has been well received by clients across the country—resulting in a growing client base for our firm and, in turn, long-term viability and sustainability for our clients. It is a privilege to partner with our religious and faith-based clients.
Client TestimonialsI’m thankful for the Michael Best team. They have supported Summit Church for nearly 20 years through all of our growth. They are tremendous in the day to day: responsive, qualitatively excellent, and business savvy. James is a trusted advisor and ensures that the right attorneys are involved on our file for various needs. They are focused on pricing predictability and transparency, allowing us to budget accurately for legal expenses. What sets them truly apart, however, is their understanding of our desire to balance legal risks with Gospel care. We not only want to be legally compliant but “above approach.” We not only want to protect the church but also care for all of those involved in any particular situation – no matter how difficult. Highly recommended. Todd Ervin, The Summit Church
CFO and Executive Pastor/Ministry Support (North Carolina) The Michael Best team has been a tremendous resource for our church around a multitude of topics. Our church has grown to the point where there are several legal considerations when dealing with debt financing, HR issues, employment law, liability issues, ministry funding, etc. James and his team have made it possible to stay focused on our mission while knowing that these other issues are being watched over by a group that is competent and cares. Rick Raiford, Definition Church
Senior Executive Pastor (North Carolina) I’ve worked with the Michael Best team for many years. They are very knowledgeable and have experience with just about every scenario you can throw at them. They have shown themselves to be very responsive and have added tremendous value to the organizations they serve. Scott Crawford, FBC Concord (TN)
Executive Pastor of Administration (Tennessee) We are so grateful for the legal team at Michael Best! Even though we certainly know that this isn’t the case, they often make us feel like we are their only client. They are very responsive, excellent at what they do, and understand our church well. The standing status meetings are extremely helpful. Strongly recommended. James Myers, Executive Pastor
Biltmore Church (North Carolina) I’m thankful for everyone at Michael Best. They were very helpful to our church this year. It’s been a very beneficial relationship and I’m grateful for their expertise not only on the legal issues but also their understanding of the particular challenges and context of churches. Matt Sigmon, Executive Pastor
Imago Dei (North Carolina) The faith-based practice group at Michael Best is fantastic! We went through their legal overview session process and were very pleased. They were able to spend an entire day with us on-site, review our documents and give us an objective opinion on where we should focus our priorities. Thereafter, they masterfully led us through our priorities month-by-month. They delivered each project on time and at budget. Awesome work! Brad Carter, Executive Pastor
Bethlehem Church (Georgia) The Michael Best team have added tremendous value as partners to Houston’s First. Their national platform has accelerated ministry effectiveness in churches of all sizes. They are extremely responsive and have a deep understanding of the nuanced legal issues churches face. Stephen Trammell, Executive Pastor
Houston’s First (Texas) We’ve enjoyed working with the team at Michael Best. They took us through their legal overview process, and it was extremely helpful to get an outside perspective on our risk management initiatives. Their proactive approach sets them apart, showing genuine commitment to resolving potential issues efficiently and effectively. On specific projects, they are responsive and knowledgeable. Their perspective from representing so many churches is extremely helpful. Deb Parnell, Operations Director
Woodsedge Community Church (Texas) We’ve been very impressed with Michael Best’s faith-based industry team. They’ve helped us navigate challenging circumstances with excellence and a nuanced understanding of the law, our organization, and our faith. They’re highly responsive, thorough, & precise in their work, focused on delivering value, and care deeply about our mission. Highly recommend. Timothy Price, Executive Pastor
Christ Central Church (Durham) James and the team at Michael Best have been value additive to the Durham Rescue Mission over the last several years. The legal acumen is top notch, and their viewpoint and perspective based on representing many non-profits across the country is particularly valuable. They are responsive and have expertise in nearly any area that we may need assistance. We are thankful to have them as a resource. Elisabeth Todd
Durham Rescue Mission Service Offerings to Faith-Based Orgs
Our team serves clients in all legal aspects of running a nonprofit business and a religious organization. We provide a customized mix of services, from periodic support to acting as outside general counsel.
- Corporate governance and bylaws
- Employment management and policies
- Commercial Contracts
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Financial transactions/capital raises
- Real state purchases and leasing
- Succession planning
Michael Best is deeply committed to meeting the unique legal needs of nonprofits. We offer strategic guidance designed to empower our nonprofit clients, ensuring the safeguarding of their invaluable tax-exempt privileges.
- Endowment fund and restricted gifting issues
- 501(3)(c) status, group tax exemption, and reclassification requests
- Charitable solicitation registration
- Tax controversy and litigation
- Unrelated business taxable income issues
- IRS and attorney general audits
- Property tax exemption filings and appeals
- Excess benefit transactions
A robust strategy to protect children. We will offer advice on every facet of child safety, from proactive measures to reactive strategies, thereby enhancing the safety and well-being of children.
- Development of child protection policies and best practices.
- Training in abuse identification, preventative measures, and reporting requirements.
- Investigations of harm and abuse and recommendations for reporting to authorities, improving policies, and caring for those involved.
Establishing alignment within your organization to ensure consistency and formulating a well-articulated plan to delineate approved and unapproved actions, helps set clear expectations. Regularly revising these policies allows your organization to keep pace with new laws, regulations, and best practices, adapting to changes effectively.
- Security policies
- Social media policies
- Gun policies
Our proactive strategy is designed to identify and mitigate potential issues before they arise, effectively reducing liability and ensuring that your attention remains undivided to focus on your faith-based mission.
- Training on abuse allegations reporting
- Insurance
- Church-based counseling programs
- Waivers of liability/terms and conditions
- Constitutional / government issues
- Privacy and information security
- Document retention
- Facility usage
- General risk management
We continuously strive to learn your business, coupled with the ability to strategically manage and protect your intellectual assets.
Leveraging our counsel’s deep experience, we offer forward-thinking, comprehensive advice to ensure compliance and proactively implement HR best practices.
- Employee benefits
- Employee handbooks
- Employment issues & disputes
- Immigration
- Internal investigations involving leader/staff wrongdoing
Our litigators thoughtfully assess each case, utilizing our teams’ extensive sector-specific knowledge for precise and insightful management.
- Litigation Matters
- Allegations of abuse
- Litigation involving defamation, abuse, internal member conflict, and internal leadership/governing board conflict
- Breach of contract
- Financial fraud and mismanagement
- Land use/zoning and property disputes
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