Ministry and the American Legal System: A Guide for Clergy, Lay Workers, and CongregationsFortress Press, 1993 - 356 pages Written for persons who are not lawyers, accountants, or quasi-legal specialists, this book offers congregations and religious professionals practical insight, while avoiding mere listing of rules and lengthy discussions of cases. Part One provides an overview of the history, structure, and functioning of American law and its legal system, as these pertain to congregations, religious organizations, and professionals. Part Two details various areas of law, such as torts, contracts, real estate transactions, employment, copyrights, and taxation, that have direct bearing on congregational life and ministerial practice. Part Three focuses on "risk management": ways that congregations and religious organizations and professionals can improve their functioning and minimize their exposure to legal difficulties. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 84
Page ix
... claim to light and truth on the Yale campus are an allegory of the relationship of the two disciplines in the larger world . The world of law is central to the life of the larger society ; indeed , it writes the very rules by which the ...
... claim to light and truth on the Yale campus are an allegory of the relationship of the two disciplines in the larger world . The world of law is central to the life of the larger society ; indeed , it writes the very rules by which the ...
Page 1
... claim to tran- scend , but may in fact conflict with , civic obligations . Ministry effectiveness is impaired by unnecessary conflict with civil authorities and by the failure to order church business to minimize liability expo- sure ...
... claim to tran- scend , but may in fact conflict with , civic obligations . Ministry effectiveness is impaired by unnecessary conflict with civil authorities and by the failure to order church business to minimize liability expo- sure ...
Page 4
... claim of the Bishop of Rome , in a hierarchical church , to have authority " over all the earth , that is , over every Church . " The Orthodox were unwill- ing to grant Rome more than a primus inter pares ( first among equals ) status ...
... claim of the Bishop of Rome , in a hierarchical church , to have authority " over all the earth , that is , over every Church . " The Orthodox were unwill- ing to grant Rome more than a primus inter pares ( first among equals ) status ...
Page 24
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Page 33
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Contents
PreConstitutional History | 9 |
The US Constitutional System | 14 |
The Religion Clauses of the First Amendment | 30 |
Ecclesiastical Organization and the Courts | 63 |
Legal Privileges and Obligations of Clergy | 73 |
Liability for Contracts and Torts | 81 |
The Church as Regulated Employer | 96 |
The Church as Property Owner | 115 |
Purchasing Maintaining or Altering Property | 235 |
Accounting for Funds and Trusts | 248 |
Supervision of Children Social Events Child Care and Trips | 258 |
The Counseling Relationship and Church Discipline | 261 |
Litigation | 275 |
Liability Insurance | 297 |
Weaving Law and Church Together | 303 |
Constitution of the United States of America | 305 |
Copyright Law and the Church | 134 |
Other Government Regulation | 144 |
Organization and Governance | 179 |
Hiring Supervising and Firing Employees | 193 |
The Church as Wagepayer | 212 |
Compensation and Taxes | 220 |
Legal Citations | 318 |
Conciliation Provisions for Contracts and Wills | 321 |
Bibliography | 322 |
Notes | 324 |
Index | 346 |
Common terms and phrases
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