State News

Ten Tax Developments that Affect Churches and Clergy

Several important tax developments in 2016 will affect 2017 tax reporting by ministers, church staff, and churches. Richard Hammar lists the top ten developments in the January/February issue of Church Law & Tax Report, including: • Affordable Care Act reporting requirements • Changes in Form W-2 and Form W-3 • IRS extends audit protections to […] »

Keys to Renewing Evangelistic Growth in the Local Church

“What can we do to help the churches in our state become more evangelistic?” “We need more good evangelism programs. Why aren’t you providing them?” “Why are we reaching fewer unchurched people than we used to?” Those three questions were asked of me in the span of a just a few days. Each of them […] »

Religious Freedom Bill Heads to President’s Desk

Religious Freedom Bill Heads to President’s Desk

The U.S. House of Representatives passed and sent to the President’s desk the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act (H.R. 1150). The bipartisan bill, authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and co-sponsored by Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), will give the Administration and the State Department new tools, resources and training to help counter extremism […] »

Engaging Biblical Principles in Today’s Health Care Environment

With a new year on the horizon, many Americans are once again facing difficult health care decisions because of the health insurance requirement still in force under the federal Affordable Care Act. This is especially true as the open enrollment deadline of Jan. 31, 2017, is just around the corner. Samaritan Ministries International (samaritanministries.org), with […] »