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How to avoid copyright infringement and being sued means learning about the things like the limited religious exemption and fair use. In this video series, attorney Sam Miller joins GCFA’s legal team to break down specifics in copyright law. This is a continuing series brought to you by GCFA Legal Services. After you check out this video, be sure the catch up on any in the series you may have missed!

What can I do to be creative with my social media using copyrighted materials? Know your rights and your responsibilities when using the intellectual property of others. Click on this video resource for answers to some common situations you might find yourself in.

The world is changing. From printing press to now, the way to disseminate knowledge has changed. People have different tools of learning and experiencing the world. Secular marketing often creates the "demand" their products offer to solve. Church marketing is about letting the world know your church has an answer to the deep needs people already have. Download these are 5 key reasons that your church should market itself today.

It is good practice to verify your ministry’s tax exempt status once a year. It can save a lot of money for your ministries. Here’s how.

Looking to upgrade your church’s audio/visual (A/V) system? A comprehensive A/V self-assessment will help you understand your current capabilities and assess your needs. Our in-house A/V specialist developed this resource to help you effectively communicate your setup to a trained technician. Expand your knowledge of your technology setup by filling out the resource. UMC Support can help your ministry save money when you purchase and install new equipment. Email your completed assessment to connectionalrelations@gcfa.org and receive a free advanced virtual A/V Assessment from our A/V Team.

Your ministry's brand is more important than ever in the virtual world. Our award-winning Marketing and Communications team developed a checklist for your ministry's brand elements. Get a better understanding of what you have and what you need.

Do you feel like you’ve hit a plateau in the HR area of your ministry? These days, it is easy to get caught up in just getting work done. Many of us are overwhelmed with daily tasks. Assessing how your HR functions can provide insight into how you can more effectively manage your staff to reach your ministry’s goals. Streamline your current processes Coordinating your organizational procedures and processes is a powerful tool in improving the overall efficiency of your operations. Technology advancements and developing internal communications systems can help to remove work silos. Conducting an HR assessment will also help your ministry identify new policies and procedures that could further improve your organizational effectiveness. Personnel file audits Auditing your files to ensure compliance with federal laws can save you from potential penalties and legal fees. Reviewing personnel files can help your ministry catch errors or identify missing documentation, will allow your HR team to correct these errors, and confirm that your ministry has proper personnel files. This also could be a great time to check your staff and volunteers for any personnel file updates that may be needed. Information like mailing addresses and contact information can cause major headaches when they aren’t updated regularly. Identify your organization’s culture, goals, and resources. How familiar are your organization's personnel and stakeholders with your ministry’s culture and goals? An HR assessment can assist your ministry in identifying and communicating the core values of your work. Examining your ministry’s current resources can help you create a strategy around to achieve your goals and identify areas where your ministry will need assistance. This could lead to strategic partnerships that can help you achieve your goals. Reveal effectiveness blockers There may be internal policies and procedures that restrict or completely block your organization from making changes necessary to improve your effectiveness. For example, setting up online giving or donation portals can help your ministry secure financial resources, but your ministry’s policies could make setting that up difficult. Identifying potential barriers your ministry may face will help you better prepare and equip your organization and personnel. Being proactive about improving your organization’s functionality will help your ministry optimize its resources and capitalize on its opportunities. The Human Resources Team at UMC Support can help you conduct a thorough assessment and develop strategies to increase your effectiveness. Contact our Connectional Relations team today to set up an HR Assessment with our experienced team.

If someone googles your ministry, what will they see? Maintaining your ministry’s website will help you present an active ministry and make a great first impression. You can make sure your website authentically represents the vitality of your ministry. Your website is your church’s digital front door. Use a Team Think of your website like your digital building. Maintaining your building can be left to one person, but it’s much easier if there is a team. Just like your building, there are tons of moving parts within a ministry’s website like page updates, software updates, and announcements. Website management is a full-time job that most administrative staff or volunteers can’t do alone. Forming a team with specific roles can help your ministry maintain and update your ministry website. Create Once, Post Everywhere Creating content for your website and social media is easier than you think. Using a “create-once, post-everywhere" or C.O.P.E. digital media strategy will help you keep all your digital outlets up-to-date. With this strategy, you create content for a primary platform - your website - and then share the content on your secondary platforms, social media, email, etc. Be sure to post your announcements on your website. By using social sharing tools on website management systems like Wix, Squarespace, or WordPress, you can post to your social media accounts when you post to your website. No more posting in four separate places. Review Content When you post, make sure it’s correct. Your ministry should develop a content review process for both written and graphic content. While this may slow down your posting process, having multiple people look for spelling and grammatical errors will help your ministry maintain a professional presence on your digital outlets, and assure your ministry message is clear. Schedule Content Time It can be difficult but setting a specific time to gather and post content for your ministry website will help you maintain a consistent web presence. Splitting the work into writing and posting sessions will help you manage the website fatigue. Also, most website management platforms will allow you to schedule a post to publish on a future date. Share the Content You Have You may not know it, but you create content for your website every day. Your announcements, birthdays, prayer, sermons, etc., are all information you can share creatively on your website. A website that isn’t updated can give the perception on a non-functioning ministry. You are a vibrant ministry; make sure a website visitor knows that. Tags and Categories Keeping your website organized can be easy. By using post categories and content tags you can help your website viewers find the sermon from two weeks ago without looking through all your announcements and updates. Using these tools also helps your website’s SEO performance and search rankings. Maintaining your website will only help your ministry. If you are struggling with your current website, contact our Connectional Relations team at UMC Support to schedule a consultation with our award-winning Communications and Marketing team.

When your church uses creative media like music, lyrics, images, and videos in your worship services, we want you to be protected against legal actions due to copyright infringement. Here are some guidelines for the proper usage of creative content that has a copyright. This is the first of a five-part series from the Legal Services team of UMC Support about Copyright Law. Video Licenses 1) CVLI – Church Video License + ScreenVue Provides a license for churches and organizations to publicly show motion pictures, such as church movie nights or movie scenes, to enhance a sermon. ScreenVue provides access to thousands of movies to choose from. Obtaining this license also gives the church permission to show scenes from feature films on YouTube as long as the video is uploaded by the copyright owner or someone authorized by the owner to do so. Pricing depends on activities and congregation size. Annual and event licenses are available. 2) Lifeway Church Movie and Video License Provides churches licensing for specific movies that are not typically included in the blanket licenses for music and media. You can browse their selection and purchase an Event Kit that provides the necessary permissions for a specific movie and event. Images Does the church use image in its bulletins, emails, website, or other church communications? You need licenses to use these images as well. You cannot, for example, use most images found through a Google search without permission. Some companies specialize in creating "web crawlers" that track and investigate illegal image uses based on Google search hits and website owner data. Stay safe and ask permission or use public domain images on sites like the first two websites below. These sites allow users to upload photos for others to use for free, and take precautions to prevent users from downloading others' protected content. Using these sites is not without some risks. While this information is the result of thorough research on this topic, GCFA strongly recommends that you do your due diligence before selecting and using images found on the Internet. Morguefile This site offers a collection of royalty-free stock photos for commercial use. With images found on this site, you have the right to adapt the work, use the work for commercial purposes, and accompany the photos with other content under the following conditions: You cannot sell, license, sublicense, rent, transfer, or distribute the images exactly as it is without alteration. If you don't alter the image and leave it exactly as it is, you must credit the photographer to use it. (Suggested credit byline: Photo by at Morguefile.com ) You may not claim ownership of this image in its original state. 2. Creative Commons This site contains openly licensed works freely available for legal use, sharing, repurposing, and remixing. Millions of people worldwide have made their photos, videos, writing, music, and other creative content available for any member of the public to use as long as the license conditions set by the copyright owner, such as proper attribution, are followed. For a list of the Creative Commons License Options and the limitations associated with each, see here. 3. Shutterstock This subscription-based website allows you to use its content based on the purchased plan. The website offers two Image License options: A Standard Image License grants you the right to use images as a digital reproduction, including on websites, social media, mobile advertising, software, e-publications, email marketing, and online media, including video-sharing services such as YouTube and Vimeo. This license allows you to print in physical forms, such as on letterhead and business cards. It enables you to incorporate images into film, video, or other audiovisual productions for distribution. Please note that this license has limitations on the number of reproductions, impressions, and budget for the project in which it is intended to be used, which you can review in further detail here. An Enhanced Image License grants you the right to use images in any manner permitted under the Standard Image License without any limitation on the number of reproductions, impressions, or budget for the project in which it is intended to be used. The license further grants permission to incorporate images into merchandise you plan to sell or distribute, including in your wall art for commercial space decorative purposes and images in elements of digital templates for sale or distribution. For Shutterstock's complete License Agreement, please see here. There are other sites, such as unsplash.com and pexels.com that offer images for free and provide you an opportunity to donate to the artists. Still confused? We understand - it is a lot of material and unfortunately the stakes are high! For a small fee, you can engage our copyright services specialty team to help you figure our which license(s) are right for you ministry. If you wish to have our team work for you, simply fill out our Copyright License Questionnaire to begin the process. A valued member of our team will be in touch and get you on the road to copyright peace of mind! Overview of Copyright Law Church Copyright License Options Common Church Copyright Myths Infringement: Did you know? Disclaimer: While the information provided below may assist a local church with its licensing needs, it is not a substitute for legal advice by an attorney with knowledge of copyright law or the written approval of specific copyright holders. If there is any doubt as to whether a particular use or practice violates copyright laws, the local church should seek the written advice of a lawyer or specific written approval of the particular use by the copyright holder or licensing agent. Similarly, the Licensing Report generated using GFCA's services is simply a recommendation based on GCFA's knowledge of available licensing options and does not constitute legal advice.

With the growth in virtual worship and digital ministry comes the growth in opportunities for simple mistakes to cause serious issues. Copyright infringement or violations are common issues ministries have faced while transitioning and expanding to digital ministry. The Legal Services team of UMC Support has developed a five-part series to help your ministry understand copyright laws and how to protect your ministry. Copyright is a form of protection that extends to "original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device." Legally, copyright means that a musician, author, or artist has a limited monopoly on anything they create. Copyright does not require registration. Copyright in work arises when an original work of authorship is fixed in the tangible medium (e.g., when pencil touches paper). Copyright law further provides that "works of authorship include the following categories: literary works; musical works, including any accompanying words; dramatic works, including any accompanying music; pantomimes and choreographic works; pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works; motion pictures and other audiovisual works; sound recordings; and architectural works." Copyright protection may also extend to compilations and derivative works that are created. A derivative work is a work based on or derived from one or more already existing works. If you use a song or other copyrighted work without the owner's permission, or an appropriate license, you may subject yourself and your organization to substantial fees and legal action. What are the Rights of a Copyright Owner? The United States copyright laws grant the owner of copyrighted material six exclusive rights: Reproduction - reproduce the copyrighted work in copies or on material objects, such as discs, cassette tapes, and compact discs (CDs); Adaptation - prepare derivative works based upon the copyrighted work; Distribution - distribute copies or phonorecords of the copyrighted work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending; Performance - perform the work publicly in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and motion pictures, and other audiovisual works to perform the copyrighted work; Display - display the work publicly in the case of literary, musical, dramatic, and choreographic works, pantomimes, and pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works, including the individual images of a motion picture or other audiovisual work; and Recording – perform the work publicly using a digital audio transmission if the work is a sound recording It is important to note that these exclusive rights are distinct from one another, which means that having the right to use a copyrighted work in one of these ways does not mean you automatically have the right to use that work in all of these ways. Copyright Notice A copyright notice is a statement placed on copies of a work to inform the public that a copyright owner is claiming ownership of the work. Copyright notice consists of three elements: The copyright symbol © or ℗ 134 for phonorecords, the word "Copyright," or the abbreviation "Copr."; and The year of first publication of the work (or creation if the work is unpublished); and The name of the copyright owner, an abbreviation by which the name can be recognized, or a generally known alternative designation. A lack of copyright notice should not be treated as a definitive indication that a work is not copyrighted. For more information visit our Legal Services YouTube Playlist. Copyright law is a complex legal subject, and we hope we have given you a solid foundation. We have two more articles in this series; stay connected with UMC Support through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and our Collaborator Newsletter to get the latest updates.

The Book of Discipline requires local church trustees to annually review and report on the adequacy of local church property and liability insurance coverage “to ensure that the church, its properties, and its personnel are properly protected against risks.” Since 1797, the Book of Discipline has provided that the property and assets of local churches are held in trust for the benefit of the denomination. Inadequate insurance puts local church property and assets at risk, including the denomination’s trust interest therein. Therefore, in representing the denomination’s trust interest, the following minimum insurance requirements are adopted for local churches:

In 2022, on average a person is predicted to spend 100 minutes per day watching online videos making up more than 82% of all internet traffic. This amount of screen time is an opportunity for disciple making for your church. If you are thinking about making a video to promote your ministry, here are a few things to consider: Video Type Technology allows you to film different types of videos, depending on your needs. Do you want a welcome video for first-timers to show them your sanctuary and members? Or should you consider a testimonial video that often provides highly emotional responses from viewers? Audience What type of video you make may largely be dependent on the audience? A younger audience, full of digital natives, expect a clean modern feel to their video content. Also, a younger audience may mean you consider motion graphics. An older audience might be more used to reading text on the screen. Distribution Method/Platform Equally important to type and audience is the consideration of how your video will be distributed. A longer video, 5-7 minutes, may work if it is hosted on your website – your viewers coming to your site are already interested in what you have to say. However, a video for social media needs to be shorter, 2-3 minutes, catching the audience’s attention and stopping their scroll. Recording Location Once you have made these decisions, it is time to narrow down a recording location. Keep acoustics and lighting in mind. If you are filming in a large sanctuary, you may need to pay special attention to audio and consider an external microphone. Similarly, if you are filming in a very dark area of the church, you should look into additional lighting. Put It All Together, Authentically Don’t make your ministry look like something it isn’t. Keep the message consistent with your ministry objectives. Does your video say what you want it to say in a way that is true, genuine, and credible? While sometimes you need to make changes or adjustments to get the best video content, it is important to remember that the goal of video content should be to highlight and support the mission and ministry of the church always. Wanting to make a video, but feel overwhelmed? Work with UMC Support’s communications team to create and enhance your church’s video presence online. We can work with you to create a holistic approach to your video content creation, at an affordable price. Contact us today at ConnectionalRelations@gcfa.org or call 866-367-4232.