One quick way to reduce your church’s liability is to make sure your church is incorporated as anon-profit corporation. Why does this matter? If your church is not a non-profit corporation, you are an unincorporated association. You may have been an unincorporated association for years and years. A good indication that your church is formed as an unincorporated association is if your church has a constitution and not by-laws. What this means is that if sued, and if there is not insurance coverage or enough insurance coverage, the liability for judgment is going to rest on the shoulders of all the members of the church (not the church itself), and they will have to pay the judgment. Those with the highest net worth may be the most at risk, because the judgment would be joint and several with all the members, and the member with the deepest pocket is the one who would be at the most risk. By incorporating your church, you limit the liability to only the assets of the church and thereby reduce the liability of the members of your church.

As a church leader, you are pulled in many different directions. Sunday is always coming, there are meetings, counseling sessions, and lots of sheep in the flock that need to be led. With so many things to keep up with, its easy to ignore the things that are most important. Since the squeaky wheel gets the grease, what happens if the wheels are about to fall off but they don’t make a sound? The urgent is not always as critical as the important, and this is where church liability is located. It is most of the time not urgent, but one of the most important things that needs to be done.The fastest way you can find your church with real liability is to ignore the risks your church may have right now. This is why we have assembled these five quick wins that can drastically reduce your church’s liability quickly without you having to stop ministering but investing the time to keep your ministry safe.

Today, we will provide actionable tips on how to legally use music, images, videos, and other creative works in your ministry while respecting the rights of content creators. We'll also discuss practical steps to educate your church staff and volunteers on copyright matters, creating a culture of compliance and respect for intellectual property. This is a follow up to our last episode!

The Church Counsel Podcast is the essential podcast for pastors, worship leaders, and church media teams seeking to honor God and the work of artists while staying on the right side of the law. Subscribe now and join us on this enlightening journey toward a more informed, responsible, and copyright-compliant church community!