Having your ministry online opens the door to so many possibilities. Whether you are connecting with your community, growing your congregation or spreading the gospel around the world, the sky's the limit to how you can engage online to share the love of Jesus Christ.

At the same time, most are unaware that there are guidelines to follow to keep your online interactions legally compliant. Let's walk through from start to finish how to establish churches and ministries online and keep them protected.

Establish and Protect Churches and Ministries

If God has placed a calling to start a church on your heart, you can begin the journey of bringing that vision alive today. As you move forward, you'll want to protect what God has called you to lead. Let's take a look at how to legally establish your organization.

Here are the five steps to establish your online ministry:

1. Secure your name. Establishing your name creates your identity in your community, gives you legal representation and determines your brand. To check if the name you want is available, visit your Secretary of State's website.

2. Get incorporated. Now you will begin to establish the legal foundation for your church or ministry. Incorporation will look different per state, so be sure to check your Secretary of State's website for the specific incorporation process.

3. Create a brand. Branding is how people will recognize your ministry as you engage with your community. You want to have a consistent message to communicate your ministry's values and vision effectively.

4. Take your church or ministry online. After establishing your brand, you will want to create your online presence. We cover more of this topic in the next section.

5. Start your 501(c)(3) approval process. And lastly, once you have completed your incorporation process with the state, you will want to apply for your 501(c)(3). This allows you to receive tax-deductible donations.

If you wish to go further into these steps, we have a previous blog on this very topic here.

Do you need help getting your church or ministry incorporated? Look no further than our StartRIGHT Service! Give us a call today at (833) 827-3062 to learn more, or click the link below!

For the rest of this article, visit startchurch.com.

Reverend Christine Bové works on StartCHURCH's Digital Products Team. Every day, Christine serves to create products to better the lives of pastors and ministry leaders. She also serves as a StartSITES Creative Specialist and serves on the Tech Support Team. She is passionate about curating experiences to help pastors and ministry leaders, equipping them to serve their best and make their dreams come true.

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Dr. Mark Rutland's

National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)

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