A church 501(c)(3) application isn’t legally required — churches are automatically tax-exempt. Here’s why many file one anyway, how Form 1023 differs from Form 1023-EZ, and what automatic exemption doesn’t cover.
How unincorporated associations can hold title to real property in California. Understand the legal risks, liability exposure, and why most churches should incorporate before acquiring real estate.
When a church needs Attorney General approval for a merger, asset sale, or dissolution, and what recent regulatory changes mean for that process.
Forming a non-profit is easier with a clear plan. Learn the essential steps, filings, and legal requirements to start a compliant nonprofit organization.
When a congregation winds down, one question dominates: what happens to church property when a church closes? California law is strict — the building and money can’t be handed to members. Here’s who decides, where the assets go, and the Attorney General’s role.
The key steps to forming a church in California: choosing a legal structure, filing Articles of Incorporation, drafting bylaws, and securing tax-exempt status.
A comparison of entity types for churches — unincorporated association, LLC, corporation, and nonprofit corporation — and the liability and tax tradeoffs of each.
What a church conflict of interest policy needs to cover, and how California Corporations Code § 9243 governs self-dealing by religious corporation directors.
Religious employment gives churches real freedom over who fills their faith-based roles, but that freedom has limits. Here’s how Title VII’s exemption and the ministerial exception protect a church’s decisions, and exactly where they stop.
How California’s ABC test determines independent contractor status, the steep misclassification penalties, and why clergy are a separate, dual-status category.
