Please pray for our church.

Amen. I pray that God will pave the way.

 

The article quotes the pastor . . .
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Cosby has refused to file for a property tax exemption the church would be eligible for as a nonprofit organization because he says the government should recognize it is a house of the Lord.
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Well, it seems to me he is creating the problem by refusing to follow the legal requirements for a tax exemption. The government apparently is not refusing to recognize it as a "house of the Lord", but merely expecting the church to file the proper paperwork like every other tax exempt organization.

 

I'll pray also Dale but I don't understand why your pastor won't file the papers? We are to obey all laws. We are to render to Ceaser what is his and to GOD what is his. Jesus paid his taxes and I believe he would have filed his papers.

 

I don't pretend to understand, but I will be praying.

 

What's the issue with identifying your group and building as a church? Personally, it's hard for me to worry about someone who takes that position.

 

It takes almost nothing to file as just tax exempt status. It is just a matter of filing with the IRS. I did it years ago with a church I started with a phone call to the IRS. I got all the necesary materials in the mail. It took less than five minutes on the phone. It is not like filing 501 (c) (3)If the church is not recognized as a chruch then the people who give may not be able to take the amount they give off their taxes. His practice is like shooting himself in the foot. I am not sure but I do not believe he can claim a parsonage either if he does not pastor a church. His group is not recognized as a church but rather just like a group of people getting together to play cards.

If the people in the church claimed their giving on their taxes then they may possibly owe a bunch of back taxes should the IRS audit them.

 

Amen to that!

 

I don't see God in any part of this debate. It is the gov that is taxing and is the gov who sets the tax status. It is the gov who agreed not to tax non-profit and religeous orgs and it is up to each group to provide proof of status.

File the papers and get back to worshiping our Saviour...

 

How about a different way of looking at it. The deduction allows you to give more to charitable organizations. If for example you are in a 30 percent tax bracket then you are roughly able to give 30 percent more to the church or otehr causes. Isn't that more beneficial to the church or those other causes? If you do not get a tax deduction then the church wil get less than you are actually able to give with a tax deduction. That could mean a huge difference for a pastor of a small church or a missions program.

You can either give your money to the IRS or give it to the church. You can pay more taxes to the IRS by not claiming the deduction or give lesss to the IRS and more to your church. Which would you rather?

 

If you are giving what God wants you to give, then that is a non-issue.

If you do not take the deduction then how would it make you feel to give more money to what the world wants such as Planned Parenthood and the abortionists?

You only have so much money in each pay check. A portion of any deduction that you are entitled to but do not take goes to the IRS. But if can take a deduction then you can designate it where you want.

Taxes are not about the US getting money. They print the money. It is about a way to control people to get them to do what they want.

The anti-Christians would love to spend your money on their whims instead of allowing you that tax deduction.

 

Bro Dale,

3 John 1:7
Because that for his name's sake they went forward taking nothing of the Gentiles.

One of my favorite verses on the subject, completely overlooked and disregarded on the subject at hand. These are good people who mean good for you also, but they are entrenched in 100 years of BENEFITS. The scriptural position you are taking is in complete agreement with the historical Baptist distinctive of the "ENTIRE separation of church and state" (emphasis mine). Let me make this clear.......I am not talking about the commonly debated issue of "separation of church and state" in the way that it is NORMALLY debated. Government is in the church business. Government defines, guides, requires, observes, blesses and holds accountable churches, ministries, and religious organizations. I understand that your church does not want to be a part of that system. I believe in church polity. You should have the right to do that without being restricted and/or punished.
We are praying for you all from Ky/Tn.
Can someone cite or please help us to see the law or even the IRS directive that requires a church to sign up, register or whatever for a not for profit, for (c) 3 status or anything like that?

Thank You all for your consideration in this matter.
"Once I was blind but now I see"

 

Bro Dale,

3 John 1:7
Because that for his name's sake they went forward taking nothing of the Gentiles.

One of my favorite verses on the subject, completely overlooked and disregarded on the subject at hand. These are good people who mean good for you also, but they are entrenched in 100 years of BENEFITS. The scriptural position you are taking is in complete agreement with the historical Baptist distinctive of the "ENTIRE separation of church and state" (emphasis mine). Let me make this clear.......I am not talking about the commonly debated issue of "separation of church and state" in the way that it is NORMALLY debated. Government is in the church business. Government defines, guides, requires, observes, blesses and holds accountable churches, ministries, and religious organizations. I understand that your church does not want to be a part of that system. I believe in church polity. You should have the right to do that without being restricted and/or punished.
We are praying for you all from Ky/Tn.

Can someone cite or please help us to see the law or even the IRS directive that requires a church to sign up, register or whatever for a not for profit, for (c) 3 status or anything like that?

Thank You all for your consideration in this matter.
"Once I was blind but now I see"

 

There is no requirement for a chruch to be 501(c)(3). However if a chruch is sued then the entire membershipo can be sued. If however a chruch is sued and it is incorporated as a non-profit 501(c)(3) then the memebrs cannot be held liable and the limits of liability is limited. In the past I found that many insurance companies will not insure you if you are not incorporated.

 

Please pray for our church

gb,
You are correct with your statement that there is no requirement for churches to register with the IRS. It is a commonly held misconception that all churches must be a "not for profit organization" (NFP). Now moving on to your statement about liability. You are painting with a wide brush. Incorporation does not limit liability for all members of an assembly. The arriving subpoena will normally list the Pastor (CEO) of the church (business) and at least the trustees (not a scriptural minister, only there for NFP business). Depending on the scope, force and circumstances of the litigation it will sometimes name the deacons, and some members. So...if the animal doesn’t work why continue to feed it? It only stays in the barn and drops manure all over the place.

I know, I know some lawyer somewhere said it would be the best thing to do. A good thing for the lawyer to say because it gives him job security. It keeps the assembly on the line with the court jurisdictionally and keeps it as a sitting target. It may never get shot at but I just don’t like wearing the T-shirt with all the red rings on it. We live in a day when all the pastors are listening to the lawyers and it used to be that all the lawyers listened to the pastors. Something wrong with this picture?

Lastly, you made a statement about insurance. Your statement is incorrect. Coverage can be contracted for a non NFP organization. It happens all the time.
Thanks
Bartimaeus

 

Please pray for our church

gb,
I am very sorry, I was wrong in my last paragraph. You were not incorrect, just very broad in your statement. My apologies.
Bartimaeus