We exist to give you and your church peace of mind.
Every Pastor deserves to have the legal tools they need in order to help their church succeed. After many years of representing churches and religious nonprofits, our co-founders Mark and Miles realized that while every pastor needs a great attorney, not every church can afford one. So, they launched ChurchLegalTools.com as way to make sure that the legal tools churches need are available for them at an affordable price.
Mark Goldfeder, CEO and Director of Academic Affairs
Miles Terry, CEO and Director of Strategic Affairs
About Our Co-Founders
Church Legal Tools’ co-founders, Mark and Miles, have spent decades working with, for, and on behalf of churches, pastors, and religious organizations. Previously, Miles served as chief of staff for one of the largest religious liberty legal organizations in America, and he has represented dozens of pastors, churches, and nonprofits across the country and around the world. Mark, a former law professor specializing in the First Amendment and Law and Religion, is co-author of the five-volume treatise Religious Organizations and the Law (Westlaw), the leading textbook on the subject.
Both of our founders have extensive experience working with international, federal, state, and local governments. They also have experience on your side of the pulpit – Mark was a practicing synagogue rabbi before he became a lawyer, and Miles was a youth pastor and ministry leader. If anyone understands the challenges you face on a day-to-day basis, they do.
In 2018, Mark and Miles decided to combine their respective law practices into Gideon Law Group, now Goldfeder & Terry LLC, in order to better provide representation to churches, schools, and religious organizations of all shapes and sizes. Headquartered in the Southeast with attorneys licensed throughout the country, the firm represents churches, synagogues, private schools, and other religious nonprofits. Their mission is to help your mission succeed.
Q & A
Q: Why does a church need legal assistance?A: A pastor and their church face more risk on a given day than almost any other professional and organization in our society – yet oftentimes they have the least amount of legal preparedness and protection. In addition, religious organizations face a slew of ongoing potential liabilities that require specialized skills and knowledge to overcome. They also regularly fail to take advantage of the numerous legal benefits that are actually designed to help them succeed in their missions simply because they do not know enough about this area of the law.
Q: Why should a Church invest in ChurchLegalTools.com?A: Our program is designed for any church no matter the size of the congregation. Our documents and policies are designed specifically for pastors, administrators, and other church officials, as they are generally the primary individuals authorized to lead their congregation.
Q: How long will I have access to this platform?A: Once you have purchased the subscription, you will have 12 months of access to all documents and content on the churchlegaltoo.wpenginepowered.com platform. Additionally, you will have access to any document updates made to all of the documents in your library as they become available. Our library is constantly being updated, so make sure that you stay tuned for new additions and developments.
Q: How do I get tech support if I have an issue?A: If you ever have an issue with churchlegaltoo.wpenginepowered.com, just shoot us an email at hello@churchlegaltoo.wpenginepowered.com or fill out a tech support ticket here.
Q: How often are the documents and policies updated?A: Our library is constantly being updated and reviewed to ensure it reflects current regulations and best practices. New or updated documents arrive on the churchlegaltoo.wpenginepowered.com platform on a regular basis, although not every change is necessary for each church. As a member, you will receive notifications for when your current documents have been updated or if they still require signatures.
Q: What if I do not see a policy or a form our church needs?A: If you ever do not find what you are looking for on churchlegaltoo.wpenginepowered.com, just shoot us an email at hello@churchlegaltoo.wpenginepowered.com or fill out a document or policy request ticket here and our team will work to generate it and inform you of when it is available on our platform.
Q: What if I want to cancel?A: We would hate to see you go, but if, for any reason, you need to cancel your subscription after the first year, contact us here and a member of our team will be in touch with you shortly.
Q: What if I am having trouble navigating the website or our church’s dashboard?A: Contact us at help@churchlegaltoo.wpenginepowered.com if you are having technical difficulties and a member of our team will be in touch with you shortly.
Q: Are you my attorneys?A: No. ChurchLegalTools.com was established to provide legal information and other educational services through our site. ChurchLegalTools.com is not a law firm, we are not your attorneys, and we do not provide legal advice or representation to our customers. Church Legal, LLC D/B/A/ ChurchLegalTools.com is not intended as a substitute for an attorney, legal counsel, or law firm. If you do need an attorney, we may be able to help facilitate that conversation.
Q: What is Church Law?A: The emerging area of Church Law, which combines subsets of administrative, civil, regulatory, and occasionally criminal law, deals with everything ecclesiastical from the technical to the theoretical- from upholding lofty constitutional rights to interpreting statutory and administrative regulations detailing minutia. In order to operate safely, both professional and lay leaders of religious communities need a solid grasp of the underlying law that governs the way their respective entities interact with the world.
Disclaimers
ChurchLegalTools.com will provide access to independent attorneys and self-service tools. We are not a law firm and do not provide legal advice. Use of our products and services are governed by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT: Attorneys advertised on this site are independent attorneys. See the attorney in your area who’s responsible for this advertisement. ChurchLegalTools.com is not an “attorney referral service” or a law firm. The information you provide to ChurchLegalTools.com is not protected by attorney-client privilege. Get more information about this advertisement if you live in Alabama, Missouri, or New York.
Additional State-Specific Attorney Advertising Disclosures
- Alabama: No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.
- Missouri: The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.
- New York: Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.