When I first started working on the Church Law and Tax team, my expectations for exciting journalism were pretty low. I knew the content I'd be working on would be "important for church leaders," but I doubted we'd have the kind of impact that other publications at Christianity Today seem to have. It felt more like required textbook reading, which would make me a textbook editor … which just didn't sound that adrenaline-pinching.

Turns out, I was wrong.

I've been on the CLT team for a year and a half, and every day I find myself more and more excited by the content we create. We're on the edge of breaking news and church court case rulings, and understanding the impact those cases will have on churches and pastors across the country energizes me more than I'd ever have expected. For me, it's been more than a job where I write and edit—working for Church Law and Tax has become a daily education process in which I've learned the ins and outs of some of the most important legal matters our churches, and our country, face every single day. I spend my time talking to lawyers and CPAs who care deeply about the Church, about justice, and about transparency—our editorial advisors are an inspiring group of people to say the very least.

I've learned that the content we create for Church Law and Tax truly matters—not just journalistically, but in a Kingdom sort of way. The cases we report on affect every single minister in the US. They impact churches in heavy, meaningful ways—as our country continues to face decisions that seem to put church leaders in the center a the storm, ChurchLawandTax.com, Church Law & Tax Report, Managing Your Church, and Church Finance Today have become deeply important guides in helping churches navigate the choppy waters. These faithful publications, led by legal expert Richard Hammar and Editor Matt Branaugh, are devoted to protecting churches and keeping their congregations safe.

I love that what I do helps churches protect their congregations in the most tangible ways. And that's why I'm so proud that my team has won six EPA awards this year.

EPA stands for Evangelical Press Association. Every year, Christian publications submit the stories, newsletters, websites, articles, and magazines that they feel represent the best they offer, and every year, EPA judges those submissions and awards those they deem best. This isn't our first year to win awards, but to take home six is outstanding recognition. It's encouraging to see the hard news and the important matters we cover being recognized.

Church Law and Tax won two Awards of Excellence, one first place Higher Goals award, and three Awards of Merit.

Awards of Excellence
Digital Newsletter Category: ManagingYourChurch.com
Christian Ministry Category: Church Law & Tax Report

Higher Goals in Christian Journalism
First Place for Website Design: ChurchLawAndTax.com

Awards of Merit
Christian Ministry (digital): ManagingYourChurch.com
Christian Ministry (digital): Church Law & Tax
Newsletter: Church Finance Today

It was such an honor to be so heavily recognized by an organization that looks at hundreds of Christian publications across the country. It solidified, for our whole team, the importance of standing by the high standards we set for every piece we publish.

Even so, I often wonder how many churches who desperately need us, don't know we exist. The Church Law and Tax team boasts of having all the resources needed to keep your church safe, legal, and financially sound. Just this year we've created content that focuses on best practices for active shooters in the church, how to best handle the heath care changes that are hitting churches hard, and the importance of preventing sexual abuse in youth ministry. It's practical—and it's necessary. And honestly, it worries me to think about the churches who are trying to figure this all out alone. Churches are becoming sitting ducks for lawsuits and embezzlement. When I think about past practices of churches I've attended, I am concerned for their well-being—not because their church leaders are trying to be dishonest or unsafe, but because they don't spend all their time thinking about the best ways to keep their churches safe—they just can't. They don't have the time.

That's our job.

It's not fun to read about youth pastors who've gotten in trouble for having inappropriate relationships with their students. It's frustrating to read about church members who've embezzled funds from the church treasury. Yes, it can be incredibly disheartening to take such a close look at the often unhealthy underbelly of the Church. But we would rather learn all we can in that and prevent bad things from happening at other churches, than choose to ignore the problem. By providing church leaders with the essential information they need, we are protecting ever person who walks through the doors of that church on a Sunday morning. It's pretty cool, actually.

Thank you, EPA, for recognizing the care and the substance of our publications. Our hope is to reach more churches every year.

See the full list of Christianity Today's other award-winning content from the 2014 Evangelical Press Association convention.

Ashley Moore is assistant editor of Church Law and Tax.