Steven Lewis
Attorney and Church Leadership Consultant
3233 E. Memorial Rd., Suite 105
Edmond, OK 73013
Telephone (405) 478-9500
Facsimile (405) 478-5978
churchlawyer@aol.com
Life Purpose Statement
My life purpose and calling is to do everything I can to help enable Christian churches, church leaders and
individual Christians to grow closer to the Lord, positively impact society to the fullest of their
supernaturally empowered ability in accord with God’s sovereign plan for them. In ministering to churches,
associations and conventions and helping their leaders prevent or resolve difficult problems, I can help
enable them to have the impact on our society that the Lord desires and that America desperately needs.
Legal/ Professional Experience
Oklahoma Church Project, Inc. I have started a not for profit ministry to train Oklahoma church leaders on
increasing their impact while minimizing risks in legal and leadership matters. The goal of Oklahoma
Church Project, Inc. is to train church leaders on the legal risks they are confronted with and to train them
on how to organize their ministerial practices to maximize their church's impact, while minimizing the
dramatically increasing risks of harm and litigation that churches face in America in 2014.
Private Legal Practice: From 1984 until the present date, I have had my own legal practice as a tent-making
ministry. I have provided legal services in many areas of the law, but the Lord has called me to
professionally minister to His Body, the Church. I have God’s call on my life to further His cause by serving
His churches and other Christian organizations. I pursue my calling by providing specialized legal, business
and leadership services to these entities to help them fulfill their purpose for existing.
Church Legal Leadership Conferences: For more than the last twenty years, I have helped lead many
conferences in twenty-eight states for pastors, church and convention leaders in cooperation with the North
American Mission Board and LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. I have
worked with numerous Southern Baptist State Conventions and associations to lead church legal leadership
conferences.
Publications: In 2009 I completed a church training resource manual entitled Organizing Your Church for
Excellence- Strategically Improved Bylaws to Meet the Challenges Facing Churches Today. The manual
is the basis for church leadership legal issue training conferences in several different states. I previously
co-authored and am updating a church employment resource manual entitled The Church as Employer:
Maximum Impact Minimum Risks. I have written numerous articles for LifeWay Christian Resources.
Church Legal Representation. During the last three decades, I have represented a significant number of
churches in legal issues including both true and false allegations of child abuse, sexual misconduct by
pastors or staff, children’s workers with criminal backgrounds, church bus and car accidents, injuries on
church premises, disputes over controlling power of the church, disputes over ownership of church
property, pornography in churches through the Internet, proper and improper dismissals of pastors and
staff, membership disputes, zoning fights, contract and lease issues, restricting youth participants because
of alleged drug use, prior alleged criminal activity of potential staff members, discipline of members,
defamation, insurance coverage, potential liability of improper transmittal of letters of membership and
numerous other legal issues.
Quail Springs Baptist Church: My wife and I are members of Quail Springs Baptist Church in Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma, where I am an ordained deacon and Sunday school teacher. Over the years, I have served
as Director of the church Sunday school program, served on the Leadership Team, By-laws, Personnel,
Missions, Stewardship Development, Budget, Pastor Search, and Youth Pastor Search teams, and worked
with Royal Ambassadors.
Alliance Defending Freedom: As an allied attorney with the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal
religious freedom entity, I have completed three advance litigation academies regarding the incredible
challenges presented to American Christians and churches today.
Other Community Service: I currently serve on a private corporate board of directors and previously served
on the Board of Directors, the Executive Board and the finance committee at Oklahoma Christian Schools,
a private pre-K through 12th grade Christian school in Edmond, OK. I also previously served as a guest host
of a Christian radio station dealing with church and Christian community issues for the KQCV Encounter
Program broadcast across Oklahoma.
Personal:
Born in 1958 in Norfolk, VA
Born again in April, 1978
Married to Kim Lewis
Family: We've been blessed with three children, our son-in-law and two
grandchildren.
Education:
Juris Doctorate
University of Oklahoma College of Law (May 1984)
Master of Business Administration
University of Oklahoma Graduate School of Business (May 1984)
Bachelor of Arts: Public Administration
University of Oklahoma (May 1980)
Spiritual Gifts: On different occasions I have taken. As an aid in discovering or indicating my spiritual
gift(s), spiritual gifts tests indicate that my primary spiritual gifts are teaching, leadership and
administration.
References
Dr. Hance Dilbeck, Pastor of Quail Springs Baptist Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Tim Russell, former Director of Missions at Capital Baptist Association, now pastor at FBC McAlester,
Oklahoma
Joe Infranco, Attorney – Alliance Defending Freedom, Scottsdale, AZ
Pastor Kevin Clarkson, First Baptist Church of Moore, OK
Dr. Bob Ryan, Director of Missions, Mile High Baptist Association, Denver, CO
(Other references, addresses and numbers available upon request)