Religious Hiring Developments Could Affect Churches, Ministries

Winchester, Va.: March 16, 2010, (PCTV Newsdesk)

World Vision President Richard Stearns will join ECFA President Dan Busby in a webinar discussion April 15 on recent religious hiring litigation involving World Vision and its potential implications for any Christian nonprofit or church.

Registration is open for the 1 p.m. EDT webinar, "Religious Hiring Update: How Recent Developments Could Affect Your Ministry," which will address:

• The changing landscape in religious hiring freedom
• Insights on the Obama administration's view of hiring practices
• The potential impact if World Vision loses its case
• What this case means for a ministry or church

"This is a significant subject that affects the everyday operations of churches, Christian nonprofits and organizations," said Busby, an author and speaker recognized as one of the nation's top experts in tax and finance issues for nonprofit organizations, clergy and the church. "It is noteworthy that more than 500 people signed up for this webinar within the first 24 hours that registration opened."

Since 1998, Stearns has served as president of World Vision U.S., one of the nation's largest nonprofits. President Obama named Stearns to the advisory council of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Also on the guest panel is World Vision's legal counsel Steve McFarland, who specializes in the defense of religious liberty -- lobbying Congress, building alliances and advocating in the courts. During the second administration of Pres. George W. Bush, McFarland spearheaded the president's Faith-Based and Community Initiative in the U.S. Department of Justice. He was the first executive director for the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

ECFA in-house counsel John Van Drunen, director of compliance, is a writer and speaker on technical nonprofit issues. Van Drunen will join Stearns, Busby and McFarland as a discussion panelist.

The webinar is tailored for church pastors, ministry heads, board members, financial managers, chief executive officers and other church and ministry staff members.

Participants will have a chance to ask questions during and after the webinar, Busby said.

Registration fees are waived for ECFA members and are $40 for non-members. A recording of the webinar will be available through the ECFA website after the webinar at a cost of $5 for ECFA members and $40 for nonmembers.

For more information on this webinar and to register, visit www.ecfa.org.