Have you been Called by God to start a church? Please know that there is so much more to it than becoming an ordained minister and opening the doors to a congregation.  While you'll normally find excellent resources on the “how to” of ministry and outreach, it is much more difficult to find a good resource on the legal and business aspects of starting a church. Yet, the legal and business tasks can be among the most difficult to grasp and put into practice. One example involves the complicated issues of tax exempt status for church ministries.

Rather than spend your valuable time searching endlessly through hard copy and internet sources for this important information, you can get everything you need from one single reliable resource. It's called Building On Faith: Everything You Need To Know About Starting Your Own Church. Every church must be concerned with the various issues of tax exempt status for church purposes. Whether you incorporate, or not, you will probably want to consider seeking an exemption from having to pay income taxes. And your clergy should consider taking advantage of the special tax benefits available to ministers, such as the exclusion of their housing or parsonage allowances from ordinary income.

Under the tax law, churches that request recognition of their exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code, will be subject to a “test” to determine if they are in fact “churches,” for tax law purposes. This may be different than one’s definition of a biblical church. But again, it’s only for tax law purposes. Church tax law looks for a distinct legal existence with a regular congregation, an organized clergy, and a formal code of doctrine and discipline, to name a few criteria.  With the assistance of expert, authoritative treatment of these matters in Building On Faith, you’ll be able to understand and meet the various criteria involved, and secure tax exempt status for church activities you contemplate.