Ecclesiastical Law (C.E.J.D.)

Program Overview

The Corporate Executive Juris Doctor (C.E.J.D.) in Ecclesiastical Law is for executives who run the corporate side of churches. Dioceses, denominations, conferences, and large congregations operate through corporations, trusts, and affiliated entities that own property, employ staff, run schools and hospitals, and manage investments. Their executives must satisfy corporate law and the church's own law at the same time — and when the two disagree, the cost can be lost property, invalid decisions, or litigation. The corporate core covers organizational form and limited liability, fiduciary duties and board governance, and compliance, risk, and internal investigations. The specialization covers the civil legal structures through which churches act — the corporation sole, nonprofit corporations, trusts, and unincorporated associations; property held in trust for a denomination; the alignment of civil bylaws with canons, constitutions, and books of order; the governance of church-affiliated schools, hospitals, and charities; and the tax and regulatory obligations of religious bodies. Graduates serve as diocesan and denominational chief financial and operating officers, corporate secretaries, trustees, and administrators of church-affiliated institutions. The capstone audits the civil-legal and ecclesiastical structure of a real church body and proposes reforms. The C.E.J.D. is a professional credential for executives; it does not qualify graduates for bar admission or the practice of law.

Core Courses

• CEJD 501 — Corporate Law and Organizational Form (6 credits)
• CEJD 510 — Fiduciary Duties and Board Governance (6 credits)
• CEJD 520 — Compliance, Risk, and Internal Investigations (6 credits)
• CEJD 612 — Civil Legal Structures of Churches (6 credits)
• CEJD 622 — Church Property and Denominational Trusts (6 credits)
• CEJD 632 — Governance of Church-Affiliated Institutions (6 credits)
• CEJD 690 — Corporate Executive Capstone in Ecclesiastical Law (12 credits)

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from a recognized institution
• Management, board, compliance, or executive experience in a company or nonprofit organization
• Statement describing the governance or legal challenges of the applicant’s organization
• Current résumé
• Official transcripts from prior institutions when available
• Signed acknowledgment that the degree does not qualify the holder for bar admission or the practice of law