Category
Starting a Church & 501(c)(3)
Does a Church File a Tax Return? Form 990 and the Church Exception
Churches are excepted from the annual Form 990. That exception is narrower than most boards think. Here's what your church still has to file, and when.
Opening a Church Bank Account: What the Bank Will Ask For
Church bank account requirements: the documents a bank asks for, what to do when they want a 501(c)(3) letter you don't have, and the day-one controls.
Naming Your Church: Legal Availability, Trademarks and Denominational Rules
How to name a church legally: the four separate checks people confuse, why state availability isn't permission, and which names can actually be protected.
What Is a Church Charter and Do You Need One?
Church charter means four different things, and only one of them is a legal requirement. Here's how to tell which one someone is asking you for.
Starting a Church Under a Denomination vs. Independently
Denominational vs independent church: affiliating changes who governs, who owns the building and how you leave. The questions to ask before you file.
Church Planting Legal Checklist: What to Do Before Your First Service
The church plant legal checklist, in the order the work happens: entity, name, bylaws, first meeting, EIN, bank, insurance, money controls and kids.
Can One Person Start a Church? Founder, Board and the Control Problem
Can one person start a church? One person can file it. Here is what states require for directors, and how founders keep the structure defensible.
What Does It Cost to Start a Church? A Real Line-Item Breakdown
The real cost to start a church, line by line: which items are required, which can wait, what drives each price, and where to get the current number.
Church vs. Ministry vs. Nonprofit: Which One Are You Actually Starting?
Church vs ministry vs nonprofit: what each word means legally, why the difference changes your filings, and four questions that tell you which you are.
Group Exemption vs. Your Own 501(c)(3)
A denominational group exemption can cover your church without its own application: what it gives you, what it costs in autonomy, when to file alone.
Form 1023 vs. Form 1023-EZ for Churches: Which Applies to You
Form 1023 vs 1023-EZ: churches are generally ineligible for the EZ. Here's what separates the two applications, and what a church files instead.
Church Fiscal Year: How to Choose and Why It Matters
Your church fiscal year sets the budget and reporting cycle, but payroll and donor statements always run on the calendar year. Here's how to choose well.
The 7 Most Common Mistakes New Churches Make in Year One
The new church mistakes that cause real trouble later: no minute book, one person on the money, a late housing designation, and receipts that don't hold up.
How to Start a Church Legally in 2026: The 9 Steps, in Order
How to start a church legally, in the order the steps actually happen: entity, name, articles, bylaws, first meeting, EIN, bank account, and what follows.
Should Your Church Apply for 501(c)(3) If It Doesn't Have To?
A church is exempt without applying, so should your church apply for 501c3 anyway? Here's what a determination letter actually gets you, and what it costs.
The 14 IRS Characteristics of a Church (and Why You Don't Need All 14)
The IRS 14 characteristics of a church are not a scorecard, and no church meets all of them. Here is what the list is, and what actually carries weight.
The First-Year Checklist for a Newly Formed Church
A new church compliance checklist in the order the work actually happens: the first month, the first quarter, the first year, and the annual rhythm after.
Organizational Minutes: What the First Meeting Must Record
Organizational minutes are the proof your church actually organized itself. Here's exactly what the first board meeting has to put on paper, and why.
Your Church's First Board Meeting: The Agenda and the Minutes
The first church board meeting adopts the bylaws, elects officers and authorizes the bank account. Here's the agenda in order and what the minutes must show.
The 6 Documents Every New Church Needs in Its First 90 Days
The new church documents that matter in the first 90 days: articles, bylaws, organizational minutes, EIN, a conflict policy and financial controls.
Multi-Site and Campus Churches: One Entity or Several?
Multi site church legal structure, decided properly: most run as one entity with several campuses. When a separate entity is worth it, and what it changes.
Church Compliance Calendar: What's Due and When
A church compliance calendar in four buckets: payroll, state filings, donor paperwork and governance. What falls due, when, and who should own each item.
The Corporate Records Book: What Goes In It
Your church corporate records prove the entity exists and acts properly. Here's the full list, who keeps it, and what stays out of it.
How to Fix a Church That Was Set Up Wrong
A church set up incorrectly can almost always be repaired. Here's the order to fix it in, and the one thing you must never do to the record.