The Zondervan Publishing House puts out two different annual tax guides that can be very helpful to ministers and churches. These books are written by a leading expert in this specialized area of tax law. Examples of forms and wording of resolutions and other documents are provided.

Even if you will be using a CPA or attorney to help you with this, you will likely save a lot of money by having ready answer to questions that you would otherwise pay dearly for an expert to research. Most tax professionals and attorneys are not familiar with the specific laws and regulations that apply to churches and ministers and you don't want to pay for their education!

Both books are published annually and may be purchased at a discount on Amazon by following the links below. We do not carry these books in our inventory, because you can buy them from Amazon for less than we could sell them.

Church and Non-profit Tax and Financial Guide
This is an excellent resource for you if you plan to start your own congregation. It will guide you through the process if you wish to formally register your congregation with the government, and show you how to structure your organization to best utilize the tax laws.

However, before you go to the time, trouble and expense of filing paperwork with the government, you should consider carefully whether you really want or need to ask the government for permission to be a church. It is optional! Under USC 26 § 508(c)(1)(a), churches are automatically exempt by statute.

You may discuss this with your tax or legal advisor and decide for yourself whether you want to do this. If your congregation does not have significant financial transactions but is primarily for purposes of fellowship and worship, there may be no reason for you to consider doing anything along these lines.

Refer to hushmoney.org for an interesting and informative discussion of this topic. The forms for affiliating your congregation with the genuine Universal Life Church in Modesto may be found at forms.ulc.net.


Minister's Tax and Financial Guide
Unless you earn income from your work as a minister, there are no special tax exemptions that exist only for ministers. However, if you do earn income or wages from your ministry, this book will help you find the best approach to structuring your employment agreements and filing your tax returns.

As with the book for congregations, it is written by an expert in the specialized area of tax law as it applies to ministers, and includes examples showing how to fill out any forms and wording for employment agreements.