Church on Trial: Legal Lessons Every Leader Needs | David Middlebrook, The Church Lawyers

Does your church have a crisis communication plan? In this interview, Phil Cooke https://philcooke.com talks with David Middlebrook, one of the country's leading practitioners in religious nonprofit organizations law and founder of The Church Lawyers. David's team provides legal support to churches, ministries and nonprofits, domestically and internationally, with years of experience helping churches with crisis planning and crisis management. In this interview, you'll gain practical wisdom on how to:  👉 Prepare a crisis communication plan 👉 Develop a crisis communication team 👉 Implement risk management, spot red flags and avoid a crisis 👉 Manage media relations during a crisis and... 👉 Make sure you have the legal resources in place to handle any crisis—external, internal and child related A crisis doesn't have to break your church. This interview will help you navigate through it.  👉 **Watch now and transform your leadership career!** Like, comment, and subscribe for more tips on faith, media and culture for executive pastors, nonprofit leaders, and church media and communications creatives. ⚡️Get Phil's book: **"Church on Trial – How to Protect Your Congregation, Mission, and Reputation During a Crisis"** **Get your copy here:** https://philcooke.com/crisis 🔥 **Prepare yourself and your team with these masterclasses:** **Church on Trial—Crisis Management with Phil Cooke** https://philcooke.com/masterclass **Ideas on a Deadline Masterclass with Phil Cooke** https://philcooke.com/ideasonadeadline **Phil Cooke, Ph.D. — Strategic Advisor | Cultural Influence & Crisis Leadership** Phil Cooke, Ph.D., is a strategic advisor to church, nonprofit, and media leaders navigating crisis, credibility, and cultural influence in a rapidly changing digital world. Founder of Cooke Media Group in Los Angeles and Nashville, he works with senior leadership teams globally to strengthen reputation and clarify mission. Author of "Church on Trial" and several other books on leadership and creativity, he has produced award winning media projects seen worldwide.  👉 **Get weekly strategy and creative input delivered to your inbox:** https://www.philcooke.com/subscribe/ ⚡️**Join the conversation with Phil on social media:** Twitter https://twitter.com/philcooke Facebook https://www.facebook.com/philcookepage/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/philcooke/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@philcookeofficial Find out about Cooke Media Group here: https://www.cookemediagroup.com  **Subscribe to my YouTube Channel and Expand your Creative Leadership** https://www.youtube.com/c/philcookeofficial?sub\_confirmation=1 Subscribe and hit the Notification bell to be notified when they go live. **\*\*More About This Episode**\** David Middlebrook is one of the country's leading practitioners in religious nonprofit organizations law, both domestic and international.  Mr. Middlebrook has an in-depth knowledge of risk management for charities, religious organizations, private schools, and universities.  He is a frequent conference speaker, an award-winning author, and has published numerous articles on nonprofit topics.  Mr. Middlebrook founded Middlebrook | Group, PLLC ("The Church Lawyers"). Find out more at https://www.thechurchlawyers.com/    (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for the support!)  ⏰ Timecodes ⏰ 00:00 Phil Cooke introduces the topic of crisis communication and crisis management 00:51 Meet David Middlebrook, founder, The Church Lawyers 07:20 The importance of legal matters for churches – bylaws, background checks, child abuse reports 12:25 Creating a crisis communication plan 15:27 Developing a crisis communication team 18:10 Example of a crisis management plan 20:21 Media relations in a crisis and reputation management 22:49 Telling the truth in the age of AI 25:17 Why you need a church lawyer 27:39 Prepare for a crisis 30:26 Contact David Middlebrook at https://www.thechurchlawyers.com/