We represent churches, denominations, and religious nonprofits in Missouri—in their governance, their transactions, and their disputes. Jon Whitehead has advised congregations on their governing documents since founding the firm in 2008 and has represented religious organizations from local circuit courts to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Talk it through with a lawyer. The first consultation—30 minutes, by phone or Zoom—is free for new clients. Book a free consultation or call 816-398-8305. When you book, send only your name, how to reach you, the names of the other people or organizations involved, and a sentence about the kind of help you need, so we can check for conflicts first.
What we do for churches
Formation and structure. Incorporating a new church or ministry; choosing between Missouri’s Chapter 352 (benevolent) and Chapter 355 (nonprofit) corporation statutes; converting or updating old charters; federal tax-exemption questions.
Governing documents. Drafting and reviewing articles, constitutions, bylaws, membership covenants, and policies. Finding the conflicts between documents before they matter. Making sure amendments are adopted the way the documents require. Our governing-documents review reads your articles, constitution, and bylaws together and gives you a short written report: where the documents conflict, which provisions Missouri law overrides, and the changes we would make first. Call for a quote. See Church bylaws: what to include.
Group exemptions. Advising denominations, associations, and conventions—and the churches on their letters—on the IRS’s new group-exemption rules under Rev. Proc. 2026-8, including the January 22, 2027 transition deadline. See our group exemption guide.
Property and denominational disputes. Disaffiliation, trust-clause claims, contested elections and business meetings, lockouts, and disputes over who controls the church. We were among counsel for the congregation in Heartland Presbytery v. Gashland Presbyterian Church, 364 S.W.3d 575 (Mo. App. W.D. 2012), and for the Executive Board of the Missouri Baptist Convention in its charity-governance litigation.
Employment and the ministerial exception. Hiring, discipline, and separation of pastors and staff; leave and accommodation requests; severance agreements; responding to agency charges.
Religious liberty. Zoning and land-use problems (including the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act), government programs that exclude churches, and discrimination against religious organizations. Jon was among counsel for Trinity Lutheran Church in Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer, 582 U.S. 449 (2017).
Real estate, leases, and contracts. Church purchases, sales, and leases; shared-use and facility agreements; lending and guaranty documents.
When to call
Most of the fees churches pay us could have been smaller if the call had come earlier. Call before a contested business meeting, before removing a member or leader, before signing a lease or loan, before answering a letter from a lawyer or an agency, and whenever you learn of an allegation of abuse. See twenty times a church needs a lawyer.
Where we practice
Our office is in Lee’s Summit, and we serve churches throughout the Kansas City area and across Missouri. Jon is admitted in Missouri, the U.S. District Courts for the Western District of Missouri, Kansas, and Maine, the Second and Eighth Circuits, and the Supreme Court of the United States. For churches outside Missouri, we can often advise on federal-law issues or work with the help of local counsel.
Who we represent
Baptist churches of many kinds—Southern Baptist, Free Will, Reformed, and independent—along with Presbyterian, Lutheran, Pentecostal and Assemblies of God, Church of God, Evangelical Free, Christian Church and Church of Christ, Mennonite, Catholic, Bible, and nondenominational congregations. Spanish-speaking and immigrant congregations. Denominations, conventions, and associations; Christian schools, colleges, and seminaries; rescue missions, ministries, and church-related foundations.
Why churches hire us
- We read the documents first. Most church disputes turn on what the governing documents actually say and whether the church followed them.
- We understand polity. Congregational, elder-led, and connectional churches need different documents and handle conflict differently.
- We have litigated what we draft. Knowing how a provision reads to a judge changes how we write it.
Questions about your church’s legal needs? Book a free consultation or call 816-398-8305. Here is what happens next:
- A free 30-minute call for new clients, by phone or Zoom, to understand the problem. Before the call, send only your name, how to reach you, the names of the other people or organizations involved, and a sentence about the kind of help you need, so we can check for conflicts first.
- A written quote or fee agreement before any billed work begins. Nonprofit discounts are available.
- You decide whether to go ahead. Nothing is billed until you do.
Past results afford no guarantee of future results; every case is different and must be judged on its own merits. This page is general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Law Offices of Jonathan R. Whitehead LLC, 229 SE Douglas St., Ste. 210, Lee’s Summit, Missouri 64063.