“With Attendance Down, Rural Churches Pool Resources To Keep Doors Open” NPR’s Morning Edition aired this story from WFIU Public Radio about rural churches pooling resources to keep their doors open. The story highlights a growing dynamic that often requires thoughtful legal counsel to navigate questions related to employment, governance, and the contract between congregations sharing clergy and other resources.
Category: risk management
ELCA Legal staff to host free webinar: “Legal Checklist for Congregations”
ELCA Legal staff to host free webinar: “Legal Checklist for Congregations.” Tom Cunniff, General Counsel to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and Aja M. Favors, ELCA Associate General Counsel will host a free webinar on February 21, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. E.S.T. Register here. The presentation is geared for ELCA leaders and volunteers. Download the checklist here. Here’s the description:
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“What to Know About a New Donation Scam: Why churches should be careful about refund requests.”
“What to Know About a New Donation Scam: Why churches should be careful about refund requests.” Mike Batts and Danny Johnson have this article on ManagingYourChurch.
FREE WEBINAR: Child Abuse Prevention and Reporting: Protecting Your Church in the #MeToo Era
FREE WEBINAR: Child Abuse Prevention and Reporting: Protecting Your Church in the #MeToo Era. April 18 at noon E.D.T. Register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xwE1zbYkTp-alINpjtGA4g
1746 Building a Culture of Accountability
[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5968145/height/90/theme/custom/autoplay/no/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/c30000/” height=”90″ width=”100%” placement=”top” theme=”custom”]When organizations lack accountability mechanisms, they can become stagnant. When someone suggests implementing some accountability or asks specific questions about current practices, the person responsible for that aspect of the faith community’s life often takes it as a personal attack. But when a community values accountability as a necessary part of good stewardship, moments of accountability can serve to improve the organization’s mission. Developing a culture of accountability takes time, but the process can be served by bringing in an outsider without personal connections to share what best practices look like. The three areas to focus on first in developing this culture are finances, child protection, and employee evaluation.
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“How to Recognize and Confront Fraud: Two telltale signs, and the best and worst ways to respond to suspected stealing.”
“How to Recognize and Confront Fraud: Two telltale signs, and the best and worst ways to respond to suspected stealing.” Bobby Ross Jr. has this interview with Nathan Salsbery on ManagingYourChurch.
1739 Website privacy policies
[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5778727/height/90/width/450/theme/custom/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/c30000/” height=”90″ width=”450″ placement=”top”]If your religious organization has a website, it should have at least a basic privacy statement informing users what information you collect on the site, who has access to it, what you do with it, and how you protect it.
“Responding to Injuries at Church: What to do when employees or volunteers get hurt.”
“Responding to Injuries at Church: What to do when employees or volunteers get hurt.” ChurchLaw&Tax has an interview with attorney John A. Anthony here.
“Why Domestic Violence in the Home Endangers Your Church”
“Why Domestic Violence in the Home Endangers Your Church: Step one: acknowledge that it happens.” ChurchLaw&Tax has excellent analysis and guidance here. Action step: Does your congregation have a plan to respond when someone comes for help from domestic violence? A few important excerpts: Continue reading ““Why Domestic Violence in the Home Endangers Your Church””
“No Red Flags is a Big Red Flag” in background checks. Instead, expect 8–10 reports for every 100 background checks.
“No Red Flags is a Big Red Flag” in background checks. Instead, expect 8–10 reports for every 100 background checks. Mike McCarty, C.E.O. of Safe Hiring Solutions has a column in Inside Indiana Business here. Here’s an important insight: