2024 Top 25 Legal Questions Q1/Q2

Credible guidance, at the click of a mouse. Of nearly 100 topics, ministry leaders accessed Legal Assist's FAQs more than 23,000 times in the last six months. From bylaws and boardrooms to parking lots and service animals, these 25 questions are your peers’ top queries of 2024.

Numbers indicate yearly pageviews as of 6/30/24.

  Question 2024
pageviews Jan-Jun		 2023
pageviews + ranking		 2022
pageviews + ranking

1

Are ministries allowed to remove disruptive people?

3,843

6,818 (2)

7,714 (1)

2

Does our ministry need to obtain a special permit before serving or selling food? 

3,830

7,014 (1)

6,518 (3)

3

Does the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) apply to our ministry? 

1,631

865 (9)

1,206 (8)

4

Do we have to report all injuries, even those that are insignificant?

1,440

3,555 (3)

5,647 (2)

5

What should ministry leaders know about donor-directed donations?

1,015

2,664 (4)

3,833 (4)

6

Does our ministry need permission to use people's pictures? 

881

1,298 (7)

2,240 (6)

7

How can our ministry identify an independent contractor for tax purposes?

711

486 (16)

702 (16)

8

As a church board member, what issues should I be aware of?

623

1,592 (5)

2,270 (5)

9

What should our ministry know about bylaws?

595

1,368 (6)

1,240 (7)

10

What are the potential tax ramifications for leasing ministry parking lots to outside entities?

538

1,043 (8)

1,246 (9)

11

Is our ministry employee exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) as an "administrative" employee?

499

43 (60)

—

12

What rules apply when hiring youth to perform work for our ministry?

429

591 (13)

733 (14)

13

Should our church have armed security guards?

388

786 (10)

871 (12)

14

What should we do when a background check turns up a criminal record? 

380

781 (11)

1,047 (10)

15

One of our church attendees uses a service animal and would like to bring it to church. How should we respond?

358

748 (12)

683 (18)

16

Are clergy members required to sign marriage licenses?

333

514 (15)

718 (15)

17

Is our ministry employee exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) as an "executive" employee?

287

25 (73)

—

18

Does our ministry need an Employer Identification Number (EIN)?

276

352 (21)

485 (22)

19

Is our ministry employee exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) as a "professional" employee?

259

7 (89)

—

20

Is our employee exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) as a "creative professional" employee?

247

19 (80)

—

21

What should our ministry be aware of before recording conversations?

222

458 (17)

688 (17)

22

What is an activity participation agreement?

196

341 (23)

474 (23)

23

How do good Samaritan laws apply to our ministry?

185

515 (14)

275 (—)

24

What should ministry personnel know about mandatory reporting requirements?

179

329 (24)

593 (21)

25

What risk management issues are associated with lending our church facility to an outside group?

167

361 (20)

630 (19)

Legal Assist is a free service for all ministries, whether you're a customer or not. Our in-house team of attorneys is ready to provide the risk management guidance you need to help protect your people, property, and mission.*

Got a complicated question?

*Important information: Brotherhood Mutual is pleased to provide Legal Assist as a complimentary resource. The services we offer through Legal Assist are intended to provide general legal information to our current and prospective policyholders. The information we provide is intended to be helpful, but it does not constitute legal advice and is not a substitute for the advice from a licensed attorney in your area. Accordingly, no attorney/client relationship is created through this process, and no legal advice will be provided. We strongly encourage you to regularly consult with a local attorney as part of your risk management program.

 

2024 Top 25 Safety Library Topics

In addition to the most-clicked legal topics, we’ve also compiled a list of the 25 most visited articles in our Safety Library for ministries in 2024.

Numbers indicate yearly pageviews as of 6/30/24. 

  Article 2024
pageviews Jan-Jun		 2023
pageviews + ranking		 2022
pageviews + ranking

1

5 Steps to Starting a New Ministry

5,128

11,469 (2)

20,361 (2)

2

Sex Offenders—Allowed to Attend Church?

4,706

8,412 (3)

7,396 (6)

3

Six Tips for Resolving Conflict in the Church

2,773

11,719 (1)

—

4

Make Sure Your Church and School Bus and Van are Up to Licensing Standards

2,648

5,071 (5)

6,066 (7)

5

Are gifts to ministry workers taxed?

2,630

3,983 (8)

5,868 (8)

6

Mandated Reporting Not Limited to Child Abuse

2,443

6,702 (4)

9.080 (3)

7

Service and Emotional Support Animals at Church

2,409

4,418 (7)

3,602 (11)

8

Surveillance Cameras at Church

1,708

3,286 (10)

2,687 (17)

9

Incorporating Your Church: Why and How?

1,474

4,534 (6)

8,932 (4)

10

Complying with Copyright Laws

1,324

3,604 (9)

5,176 (9)

11

Records Retention for Ministries

1,268

2,332 (12)

2,976 (14)

12

Dealing with Disruptive Individuals

1,268

2,349 (11)

3,355 (12)

13

Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Maintenance

1,221

1,935 (18)

1,128 (42)

14

Legal Guidelines for Photo and Video Use

1,181

2,031 (15)

2,626 (19)

15

Sample Policy: Using Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) at Work

1,168

—

—

16

Child Abuse Prevention

1,163

2,248 (13)

2,604 (23)

17

Can a Ministry or Charity Lose its Tax-Exempt Status?

1,101

2,033 (14)

3,165 (13)

18

Lending Church Facilities: Facility Use Agreements

1,076

1,987 (16)

2,921 (16)

19

Overtime Rule Changes Effective July 1, 2024

975

—

—

20

Create a Medical Response Team

891

1,516 (23)

1,257 (39)

21

Ten Questions Every Church Board Member Should Ask

866

1,479 (24)

2,956 (15)

22

Sweepstakes, Doorprizes, and Raffles: Is your Church Fundraiser Legal? 

839

1,936 (17)

1,772 (23)

23

Surviving a Violent Attack at Church

829

1,828 (19)

2,634 (18)

24

Unrelated Business Income and How it Affects Your Ministry

809

1,577 (21)

1,974 (22)

25

Developing Security Teams

809

1,295 (28)

—

Find more resources

*The information provided via the articles and resources in our Safety Library is intended to be helpful, but it does not constitute legal advice and is not a substitute for the advice from a licensed attorney in your area. We strongly encourage you to regularly consult with a local attorney as part of your risk management program.

Updated July 15, 2024

2024 Brotherhood Mutual

2024 Brotherhood Mutual