The LA  Times reports the arrest of a Baptist minister on charges of stealing more than $800,000 from the Southern California church he leads. The LA County Sherriff’s Department says Rev. E. Joshua Sims, pastor of Double Rock Baptist Church in Compton, was taken into custody after a months-long investigation.
Between March 2000 and September 2008, investigators believe, Sims diverted [...]

USA Today is not exactly being transparent when it reports churches are pushing for a hike to the federal minimum wage. Though its headline blares “Churches push for $10 minimum wage by 2010,” a simple check of the website of the group advocating a $10 federal minimum wage — the Let Justice Roll Living Wage Campaign [...]

Tallahassee legislators are considering repealing the sales tax exemption on religious items as they grapple with an expected $5-6 billion state budget deficit for the 2009-2010 budget year. The House Finance and Tax Council heard testimony this week. Urging the tax exemption stand for the sale of religious items, including Bibles, Florida Baptist Convention legislative consultant Bill Bunkley says [...]

Survey finds more Americans have no religion.
Fifteen percent of respondents said they had no religion, an increase from 14.2 percent in 2001 and 8.2 percent in 1990, according to the American Religious Identification Survey.

The National Association of Church Business Administration on Friday released a survey of its members to try to answer the question: how is the economic recession impacting congregations? 
“Although the survey found a less-than-dire affect there seems to be a worsening condition than in August of 2008.”
More highlights:
*32 percent said their church was definitely having economy-related financial difficulties, [...]

More reports on churches offering financial advice. CNN.com posts this, including resources for a variety of denominations (Baptist, Mormon, Presbyterian).