The Call Starts HEAR

The CMTC team discusses the importance of incorporating your church to protect your church. Dr. Chitwood provides the 14 point criteria that must be met in order to incorporate your church. Chitwoods will review your Articles of Incorporation.

In today’s podcast Dr. Chitwood has 2 pastors, a CPA, a bookkeeper and a board member are discussing the misconceptions of parsonage and housing allowance. They discuss the allowable expenses that is the responsibility of the church to maintain regardless if the pastor lives in a parsonage or is living in his/her own personal home. The information shared today will be surprising as most pastors do not have a broad understanding on this topic and much money is spent personally by the pastor which is the church’s responsibility.

In Episode Five the CMTC team answers the question, “What Is The Process Of Applying For A 501(c)(3) Exemption”. It is necessary to complete form 1023. Dr. Chitwood stresses the importance of this form being completed properly and why it should not be attempted on your own. Generalized answers are not sufficient. In order to receive the recognition and approval you must provide adequate answers to past, present and future activities to prove your exemption.

Today Dr. Michael Chitwood and the invited guests discuss the real status is of a minister. Dr. Chitwood explains the dual status of a minister. This is a topic that Chitwood & Chitwood receives 100’s of questions about. Most preparers do not understand the Minister status for eligibility for tax deductions purposes. It is very important for Pastors/Churches/Ministers to seek the expertise of a firm that is experienced in this area. Chitwood & Chitwood have been helping Pastors for 80 years!

In today’s podcast, Dr. Chitwood breaks down when love offerings are taxable and when they are not. We will also walk you through how you should handle love offerings moving forward. A true “gift” must meet several criteria to constitute a nontaxable event. The gift must be detached, disinterested, spontaneous and arise from the generosity of the person making the gift. Although “love and affection” may be recited as the basis for a gift in many circumstances, and such a gift may meet these guidelines, gifts may be taxable if there is a relationship of services or employment.

Every minister will forever remember the day they were ordained through the local church; it is a life-giving experience for both the ministry and the minister. Yet many ministers are unaware that their ordination may not stand legally should it be challenged by the government. In today's podcast, we discuss the importance of making sure that your ordination is legal. You will learn the key benefits of being legally ordained, as well as some myths surrounding ordination. If you question the legality of your ordination then you will want to listen to this podcast. We explain how to know if you’re legally ordained, and we even provide you with the steps you can take to implement an ordination program in your ministry.

This is Episode One of The Call Starts HEAR. The pros & cons and ins & outs of tax exempt status are discussed. Understanding and comprehending the legal definitions. While churches are considered tax-exempt without officially applying for 501(c)(3)status, the implications of not obtaining 501(c)(3) approval are often misunderstood and can be costly. The problem is that there is this disconnect . . . this knowledge gap, so to speak, among pastors and the truth of what it means to apply for 501(c)(3) tax exemption. In this podcast, we will expose some myths surrounding the issue of 501(c)(3) status. You will also hear the major benefits to applying for 501(c)(3) status. We begin to discuss what steps you need to take and the requirements needed to qualify for 501(c)(3) status.