The Church Lawyers’ employment law practice addresses a wide range of issues related to religious organizations and the unique way federal and state law applies to churches.

HIRING, DISCIPLINE, TERMINATION, AND SEPARATION

Church is all about people. The church’s ministry, missions, and programs don’t simply occur; they require the work of people. It is very rare for a church to rely on an all-volunteer workforce. As the size of the congregation grows, the number of people employed by the church also grows.

As an employer, the church has an obligation to ensure its policies and procedures comply with local, state, and federal employment laws. Compliance with the law is not only consistent with Christian values and the right thing to do, but it has the added benefit of reducing the church’s risk of employment-related litigation.

The entire life cycle of employment—from initial hiring, to discipline, termination, and separation—can be uniquely challenging for churches and ministries as they navigate theological concepts of grace and forgiveness while also the practical understanding that not all individuals satisfy the employment standard for your organization.

The Church Lawyers are experienced attorneys who advise on employment matters on a regular basis and are particularly knowledgeable about the unique intersection of federal and state employment laws and their application to religious organizations.

Our attorneys assist clients with initial onboarding of employees, employee handbooks, ongoing issues arising throughout employment, as well as counseling churches on decisions to terminate employment and the best way to effectuate such a decision.

We assist clients with hiring applications, interviews, and pre-employment inquiries, job descriptions, written employment agreements, discipline, confidentiality and severance agreements.

VOLUNTEERS, INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS, AND INTERNS

Proper classification of a worker as an employee, independent contractor, volunteer, or intern can be challenging and complicated, and a misclassification will often result in fines and penalties for the church.

Our attorneys provide legal counsel and classification analyses of worker status, leveraging their knowledge and practical experience to ensure the church’s workers are properly classified.

SUCCESSION PLANNING

The Church Lawyers provide legal counsel and practical insight on how a church or ministry can develop a succession plan as one leader passes the mantle to the next.

Whether the successor is from within or is an external hire, The Church Lawyers are prepared to guide your organization with clarity and sound legal counsel through what could be a tumultuous time.

ADDITIONAL EMPLOYMENT SERVICES

• Affiliation Agreements

• Americans with Disabilities Act

• Application Process

• Bonuses, Incentives, and Early Retirement Programs

• Child Abuse Reporting, Policies, Compliance, and Training

• Compliance

• Confidentiality Agreements

• Consent and Authorization Agreements

• Discrimination

• Employee Classification

• Employee Handbook

• Employment Taxes

• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

• Executive and General Employment Agreements

• Fair Labor Standards Act

• Foreign Workers Arrangements

• Hiring and Onboarding

• Human Resources

• I-9 and Related Federal and State Compliance

• Independent Contractor Arrangements

• Intellectual Property (Work-for-Hire) Agreements

• Interns and Internship Agreements

• Non-Subscriber Polices and Programs

• Policies, Procedures, and Processes

• Releases and Waivers

• Risk Management

• Self-Employment

• Sexual Harassment Reporting, Policies, Compliance, and Training

• Shared-Resources Agreements

• Social Media

• Termination, Separation, and Severance Agreements

• Volunteers and Volunteer Agreements

• Wage and Hour Disputes

• Workers Compensation and Insurance

• Wrongful Discharge Reporting, Policies, Compliance, and Training