HALLELUJAH, WE WON AGAIN

3/29/2019

HALLELUJAH, WE WON AGAIN

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Beginning in 2011, Freedom from Religion Foundation has kept Churches and Pastors in their crosshairs, in attempts to infringe upon benefits legally allowed to a Pastor. This month, it appears the battle is finally over.

Pastoral Occupation Among the Least Paid and Least Thankworthy

With the exception of a few mega-Church Pastors in this nation, most men and women who have answered this high call from God, are among the least thanked and least paid of all the occupational positions in America.

Most Pastors provide comfort, care, Scriptural guidance, and other Pastoral duties to congregations of less than 70 people. These men and women of God are on call 24/7. Many are awakened in the dark of late night and early morning by a phone call alerting them to a member who has just been rushed by ambulance to the Emergency Room. Many answer the late night and early morning phone calls to be notified of the death of a member or a member’s family.

A huge portion of these faithful Pastors do their tasks without grumbling and often with barely enough pay to survive week to week.

Satan’s Attack via Freedom from Religion Foundation

If these men and women of God, the Pastors of our Churches, did not struggle enough, Freedom from Religion Foundation intended to invoke further financial harm upon these Pastors by removing one of the only few financial benefits these men and women can enjoy—the Pastor’s Housing Allowance.

Without tax-free housing, many ministers across the nation would have been subjected to living in poor conditions and some may have had to resort to finding shelter in a Government-funded Housing Project.

With God’s Help, We Win Again

Two lower Federal courts ruled in favor of the Freedom from Religion Foundation’s lawsuit. The first one was overturned because Freedom from Religion did not have legal standing. However, they restructured their salaries, providing Housing Allowance for all of their employees. When the IRS denied their Housing Allowance claims, President Obama’s Treasury Secretary stated that the IRS ruling gave Freedom from Religion Foundation the necessary requirements to now have legal standing.

They refiled their lawsuit in 2016 and Federal Judge Juanita Crabb ruled in favor of their lawsuit. It has hopefully come to an end this month. This month, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously overruled Judge Crabb and declared Ministerial Housing Allowance to be constitutional.

Since Freedom from Religion Foundation’s initial attack on Ministers Chitwood & Chitwood has been diligently fighting on our Ministers’ behalf. With 81 years of experience protecting the rights of Churches and Ministers, we are excited to see another win for God’s servants.

Why You Need Us

Our staff has been at the forefront of all IRS changes that could affect a Church or a Minister. We know how to best protect God’s House and His servants during times of uncertainty.

With Chitwood & Chitwood in your corner, you and your Church can do what God has called you to do in your community, while leaving any stress to us.

It would behoove every Pastor and Church, who are not currently represented by Chitwood & Chitwood, to attend the next Church Management and Tax Conference. To register call 800-344-0076 or visit us online at www.cmtc.org.

By Dr. Micheal Chitwood

What You Will Learn at our Conferences

Our Church Management Conferences will arm you with the information you must have to shield your Church or Ministry from IRS intrusiveness; teach you how to get your Taxes to the lowest possible rate; and daily operate your Church or Ministry within IRS acceptable guidelines.

Our Conferences have been taught across the Nation for over 48 years. Because of the Penalties, Fines, and even Imprisonment that the IRS imposed on many Churches and Pastors, Dr. Chitwood felt led by the Holy Spirit to become a buffer between Churches, Ministers, and the IRS.