The principle that government must not interfere in “questions of discipline, or of faith, or ecclesiastical rule, custom, or law” is deeply rooted in American law.” Courts have operationalized this “non-interference principle” through the “church autonomy” or “ecclesiastical abstention” doctrine—different terms that all describe the same idea. To protect against costly, unnecessary, and invasive litigation, churches should structure their operations to rely on this doctrine whenever applicable.

In the hustle and bustle of daily work and service, faith-based nonprofits may never stop to think about copyright law. But that may be a very costly mistake.

Napa Legal's Faith and Freedom Index scores state laws that affect faith-based, federally tax-exempt nonprofits. This toolkit will help you understand every factor, from state constitutional protections for religious free exercise to property tax exemptions. With contributions from several different authors, this toolkit unpacks state laws that impact the free flourishing of faith-based nonprofit organizations.

Watch every recorded presentation from Napa Legal's 2025 Nonprofit Summit here. Faith-based organizations are the cornerstones of civic society, but they face difficult compliance responsibilities as well as religious freedom challenges. The summit will strengthen and support faith-based nonprofits' work by providing nonprofit professional formation in skills needed for legal and operational excellence and stewardship.

As tax-exempt organizations, 501(c)(3) nonprofits are required to make some of their records available for public inspection. Many nonprofit organizations file their IRS Form 990 in May, which means inspection requests often come this time of year from members of the public who want to review an organization’s Form 990. This is a good time to learn about (or refresh your knowledge of) public disclosure requirements for nonprofits.