Whether the filing and reporting requirements of the campaign financing and practices act apply to churches and church organizations which permit proponents or opponents of a ballot question to gather petition signatures or solicit contributions in support of or in opposition to a ballot question from persons attending church services or at scheduled meetings of church members.

"(1) A ballot question committee shall file a campaign statement as required by this act according to the following schedule:

(a) A preelection campaign statement, of which the closing date shall be the sixteenth day before the election, shall not be filed later than the eleventh day before the election.

(b) A postelection campaign statement, the closing date of which shall be the twentieth day following the election shall not be filed later than the thirtieth day following an election. If all liabilities of the committee are paid before the closing date and additional contributions are not expected, the campaign statement may be filed at any time after the election, but not later than the thirtieth day following the election.

"(2) A ballot question committee supporting or opposing a statewide ballot question shall file a campaign statement, of which the closing date shall be the twenty-eighth day following the qualification of the measure, not later than 35 days after the ballot question is qualified for the ballot. If the ballot question fails to qualify for the ballot, the ballot question committee shall file the campaign statement within 35 days after the final deadline for qualifying, the closing date of which shall be the twenty-eighth day following the deadline."

" 'Ballot question committee' means a committee acting in support of, or in opposition to, the qualification, passage, or defeat of a ballot question but which does not receive contributions or make expenditures or contributions for the purpose of influencing or attempting to influence the action of the voters for or against the nomination or election of a candidate."

"a person who receives contributions or makes expenditures for the purpose of influencing or attempting to influence the action of the voters for or against ... the qualification, passage, or defeat of a ballot question, if contributions received total $200.00 or more in a calendar year or expenditures made total $200.00 or more in a calendar year. An individual, other than a candidate, shall not constitute a committee."

"a payment, gift, subscription, assessment, expenditure, contract, payment for services, dues, advance, forbearance, loan, donation, pledge or promise of money or anything of ascertainable monetary value, whether or not conditional or legally enforceable, or a transfer of anything of ascertainable monetary value to a person, made for the purpose of influencing the nomination or election of a candidate, or for the qualification, passage, or defeat of a ballot question. An offer or tender of a contribution is not a contribution if expressly and unconditionally rejected or returned."

"(1) 'Expenditure' means a payment, donation, loan, pledge, or promise of payment of money or anything of ascertainable monetary value for goods, materials, services, or facilities in assistance of, or in opposition to, ... the qualification, passage, or defeat of a ballot question. An offer or tender of an expenditure is not an expenditure if expressly and unconditionally rejected or returned.

"(2) Expenditure includes a contribution or a transfer of anything of ascertainable monetary value for purposes of influencing ... the qualification, passage, or defeat of a ballot question.

"(3) Expenditure does not include:

"....

"(b) An expenditure for communication by a person strictly with the person's paid members or shareholders.

"...."

"In our view, continuing observation and review of religious organizations' documents and records would be necessary for the government to review for evidence of possible lobbying activities. Additionally, determination of which records are for lobbying and which are for religious purposes would be a continuing difficult chore.

"... The Michigan Constitution recognizes that religious groups traditionally have been granted special status. We conclude that, insofar as applied to churches and religious institutions, the act violates the First Amendment by creating excessive and enduring entanglements between state government and religious institutions. Consequently, in order to preserve the constitutionality of the act, we interpret it to except churches and religious institutions from its coverage and application." Pletz, 125 Mich App at 373-374.

"We have long recognized that underlying the Establishment Clause is 'the objective ... to prevent, as far as possible, the intrusion of either [church or state] into the precincts of the other.' "

"Plaintiffs' regular and continuing programs of broadcasting their religious services on radio or television or of publishing and distributing church newsletters are not and cannot be considered campaign contributions or expenditures, regardless of whether they advocate a particular election result or not in the course of such activities, as these activities are protected by the First Amendment and are expressly excluded from the operation of the Act under T.C.A. Sec. 2-10-102(3)(B). Only the financing of their direct participation in the campaign, through activities in which Plaintiffs would not otherwise have engaged but for an impending election, trigger the Act.... [However,] the predominantly religious activities of Plaintiffs are not within the scope of the Act and would not result in Plaintiffs being considered political campaign committees for any purpose under the Act...." 731 SW2d at 905.