What Am I?
At a recent Authentic Fire Ministries event, I got asked the question “What’s the difference between a church and a ministry?” According to the IRS, they are classed somewhat differently.
You can see in the screenshot below, that churches are required to meet certain criteria, such as regular services, established place of worship and a congregation. The 1023 filing is different also in that churches must complete the long form to apply for 501(3)c status. Churches do not have to file form 990’s while a ministry needs to file some version of a 990 based on expected income. They both must have established boards with a minium requirement of officers.
Having recently completed my paperwork to function as a ministry, these were the questions I asked in the beginning. Why am I sharing this information? Because I’ve seen too many small churches miss out on what they need due to misinformation and too many ministries improperly started due to lack of information. You don’t know what you don’t know, so get informed. If you want more information, contact us.