Purpose | Online Resources | Weekly Training Programs
Church Safety Center | Online Seminars | Terms and Restrictions

PURPOSE

ChurchLawToday.com exists to provide church leaders, staff members, and volunteer workers with extensive legal, tax, and risk management resources and training at an affordable price. With Richard R. Hammar’s expertise, this site is the best legal, tax, and risk management program available to church leaders today.

ChurchLawToday.com is divided into four key areas:

• Online Resources
• Weekly Training Programs
• Church Safety Center
• Online Seminars

ONLINE RESOURCES

1. Legal and Tax Library. You’ll find a wealth of legal and tax resources exclusively devoted to the needs of church leaders like you. You can search the library by either key word or topic, or use the index to quickly find the information you need. Articles are cross-referenced and linked to enhance your search capabilities. It's a powerful tool, and provides church leaders with unparalleled access to reference materials, legislative developments, and ongoing legal and tax cases that affect churches and clergy.

2. Discussion Boards. A variety of discussion boards are provided for the exclusive use of members. One is dedicated to legal and tax issues. The discussion boards enable you to search answers and comments pertaining to ministry issues or legal and tax questions, ask your own questions, and to interact with other church leaders from across the United States. The discussion boards are a powerful educational tool, and Richard Hammar, the editor of Church Law & Tax Report and Church Finance Today, responds to many of the legal and tax questions.

3. Church Law & Tax Update Email-Newsletter. You'll stay up-to-date on emerging legal trends and developments through this twice-monthly email newsletter. It will keep you informed on the most important new legal developments that affect ministries and church leaders.

4. Church Treasurer Update Email-Newsletter. The monthly email newsletter provides helpful information to treasurers, bookkeepers, and business administrators, and provides direct links to articles on pressing tax issues that impact churches and clergy. You’ll also find a helpful tax calendar to keep informed on deadlines and filing dates. Plus, find all of your  tax forms here in downloadable form.

WEEKLY TRAINING PROGRAMS

The Weekly Training Programs provide a powerful tool for the continuing education of all church staff members and lay leaders. Each program features a weekly lesson that can be completed in about 10 minutes or less. The purpose is to introduce important topics and concepts in bite-sized chunks, and to reinforce the learning process through a sustained, systematic program. Each training area has its own discussion board enabling learners to interact with one another. And as part of your membership to ChurchLawToday.com, they are also the most cost-effective approach to continuing education available to any group today.

Programs are provided based on your church role and include those for:

1. Pastors. This program helps pastors to gain insights on a broad range of important legal and tax topics that impact pastoral ministry.

2. Board Members. The primary focus is on key legal issues and fiduciary duties that affect board members.

3. Business Administrators. This is a broad ranging program that includes legal, tax, and training in risk management.

4. Treasurers, Bookkeepers, and Finance Committees. The training program reviews a broad range of tax topics that affect churches and clergy, as well as other financial management concerns.

5. Youth and Children Directors. The program focuses on safety concerns in working with children and youth, as well as liability issues and some tax topics that impact compensation planning.

6. Denominational Leaders. This program helps denominational executives understand key legal and tax issues that impact their work, as well as the impact on the churches with which they work.

CHURCH SAFETY CENTER

The Church Safety Center provides churches with an unprecedented level of support in preventing accidents and losses that harm people, destroy property, and hurt ministry. Each week you will receive a risk management plan that focuses on one key task. The idea is simple--by completing one manageable task each week, you will continuously improve safety. In addition, you will also receive coordinated safety and inspection checklists. These checklists are vital tools to improve safety. The Church Safety Center represents an excellent training program for staff members, church board members, custodians, and members of church committees. It's a practical and manageable way to promote both stewardship and caring within your church.

ONLINE SEMINARS

Each month we offer a variety of online seminars for both church leaders and congregational members. Your church will have complete access to every seminar offered during your enrollment period. You'll be able to expand the continuing education of your staff on important topics while reducing overhead and expenses. Consider the following:

Taking an Online Seminar is Easy. Once you enroll, any member of your staff (or congregation if you select the Leadership Plus Congregational Support Program) can take any event! Just login by entering your shared ID and Password.

Save Money. No travel expenses or overhead. Individuals can participate in any event at home or work.

Train Staff, Leaders, Members. The membership fee provides access to all Online Seminars for the level of support you select. You share the same password and ID.

Learn from Recognized Leaders. Richard Hammar and James Cobble are widely recognized as leading experts in their respective fields. Together, they have written over 30 books, and both are members of the National Association of Church Business Administration Hall of Fame.

Receive Valuable Help. Each seminar provides important and practical information. The goal is to improve both knowledge and skills. In addition to the lessons, you'll have access to the Seminar Discussion Board where you can ask questions, share ideas, and interact with other seminar participants. We'll also send you the seminar newsletter once you enroll to help you get started, and to share additional useful information about the seminar topic.

Study at Your Own Pace. Each seminar has from 1 to 5 lessons. Most lessons take 10 to 15 minutes to complete. Study at your own pace based upon your needs and schedule. You can do all the lessons at once, or spread them out over the entire month. Plus each lesson has a self-test with immediate feedback to help you learn better.

Self-Evaluation. At the end of each lesson you will find a practice test. The test is a good way to reinforce knowledge of the important information found in each lesson. Participants may also test their knowledge of the material by taking the seminar test. Each question provides immediate feedback.

Here are just a few examples of available events:

• Preparing Annual W-2 and 1099 Forms. This seminar provides detailed guidance on completing the following tax forms: W-2, W-3, 1099 MISC, and 1096. Special attention is given to the unique issues that affect churches.
• Safety Seminar for Church Nursery Workers. This seminar provides detailed information on safety practices for both volunteers and paid staff members involved in the care of infants and toddlers. Participants will learn how to recognize and correct many unsafe conditions. Special attention is given to topics such as cribs, playpens, toys, changing tables, plus many other areas of concern that affect the welfare of children.
• Selecting and Screening Church Staff Members to Work with Children. The purpose of this seminar is to help churches implement a screening process for both paid and volunteer workers to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse. Attention is given to understanding the profiles of child molesters, screening paid and volunteer workers, and the use of background checks including criminal records.
• Supervising Church Workers. The purpose of this seminar is to help churches supervise workers to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse. The seminar examines the problem of negligent supervision, and looks at the relationship between supervision and various levels of risk. Attention is given to general versus specific supervision, and assessing levels of risk using the concepts of isolation, accountability, and power. The seminar focuses on the formation of policies for supervision, and looks at specific areas that deserve attention.
• Protecting Church Property Against Theft, Vandalism, and Arson. A high percentage of churches experience theft and vandalism annually. While no statistics are available, one can postulate that casual, nonprofessional criminals commit most church crime. Churches can develop a crime prevention program that reduces problems in all areas. The three lessons of this seminar are designed to help church leaders, staff members, building and grounds committees, and church custodians to implement practical strategies to reduce theft, vandalism and arson. Lesson 1 focuses on controlling access to property and buildings. Lesson 2 identifies additional strategies to reduce vandalism. The third lesson, summarizes the guidelines the federal government issued in its Church Threat Assessment Guide following the rash of church arsons that occurred in the late 1990s.

TERMS AND RESTRICTIONS

Members must agree to abide fully by the Terms and Restrictions of ChurchLawOnline.com.

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