Does preaching politics cause a Church to lose tax-exempt status?
Friday, May 14th, 2010 at
5:54 pm
Last year I attended a pre-call rally at a local church. The guest speaker was not a member of that church. However he did at some point say something along the lines of not supporting the "three democratic frontrunners". Obviously referring to Hillary, Barack, and John Edwards. I can’t quote his exact words, but he was basically saying he recommended we not support those three.
My question is, wouldn’t such a statement cause the Church to lose their tax exempt status since this event was never advertised as being remotely connected to politics and the 2008 election?
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If someone was "borrowing" the church building, then the IRS would not even get involved. If it was a church function and a candidate (or party) received "air time", then the IRS would investigate it…
If it just comes up, and no one said anything about who to support or there were no petitions being passed around or anything like that… then I doubt the IRS even cares.
..it should but that doesnt apply to black churches..they get a free ride everywhere
Yes, it depends on who the Church Supports.
It is OKAY for Black Churches to Openly Support Candidates, because they only support Democrats.
If a Church would Support a Republican—- the IRS would nail them.
Democrats Are Above The Law at EVERYTHING.
It should loose that status. I would also like these huge churches where the leaders make major bank should pay…come on now! Like Joel Orsten or whatever his name is… those guys need to pay up! But I also know Bush gave some incentive what was it…oh that Faith Based Charity Initiative. Ffft! I don’t like Religion mixing with govt but they all do it even if they say they don’t!
Churches cannot endorse candidates. They can of course talk about issues. For example, the Catholic church can talk about abortion but they cannot open endorse candidates that are opposed to it.
it is supposed to…. however in 2004 churches across the nation were urging their members to vote for Bush…. nothing was done about it then either……
It depends. If they are supporting Democratic candidates like Hillary or Barack, then they will NOT lose their tax-exempt status. In fact, this practice is encouraged. However, if they are supporting a Republican candidate, yes. A lot of it will depend on who the ACLU will go after. The ACLU will never go after churches that support Democratic Candidates because they represent part of their base.
IT SHOULD BE!!! If you reported this to the IRS they might think so also! I recall the IRS waning some churches a while back that they were monitoring for political activism about losing their tax-exempt status! The law says you are either a tax exempt church or a political campaign-not tax exempt! But since they are supporting Republicans they will probably get away with doing whatever they want! (But wait until BUSH is gone! Things will change!)
It should cause the church to lose its tax-exempt status, no matter the candidate or party.
It should, but it rarely does. Someone has to file a formal complaint, and then the government has to investigate, hold hearings, all the usual government mishegoss. It’d take years for a decision to be made, and even then, maybe more years for all the appeals and what not before it would actually be enforced. Political statements from the pulpit are usually in the nature of "preaching to the choir" in any case. The members of any given congregation generally tend to hold similar views on most issues.
You should report the incident to the IRS. A video of the speech would prove to be vital, or a lot of others from the congregation that would testify that your claim happened. Be prepared to join another church, though, as you won’t be welcome back at that one.
I’ve actually heard T.V. preachers make similar remarks.
They should lose their tax exempt status but they don’t.
It very well possibly could. My grandma works at a church where they teach illegals English and American civics, basically making up for what they SHOULD have done to become citizens, and they are very cautious not to influence their political beliefs should they get a right to vote.
If the building is borrowed or rented, it is OK, but if it is a sanctioned church function it is not.
It’s against the law, inform the local politicians.
The IRS rules on that are complicated. If the church gets turned in, the IRS will investigate. It’s fairly hard to substantiate though because sometimes guest speakers make random comments. That’s different from a pastor speaking from the pulpit or inviting a candidate to do so.
The only clear cut rule is the Democrat/Black Church Exception. If a Democrat campaigns at a black church (preferably more than one on a single Sunday morning) and shares the pulpit with the Minister and another Democratic political figure, and the event is televised, so that everyone can see that it is open to the public and the candidate is embracing diversity, then there is no violation of the tax codes.
If a Republican candidate goes to church, it is a sign that the "evangelicals" are voting in a bloc for a repressive candidate who hates gays and wanted to jail women who have had abortions. The media find some dorky home schooled kids to interview. The IRS Commissioner is asked to comment on the evening news about the candidate’s religion.
If a church consistantly urges its memebers to vote a ceetain whay then it could lose its tax free advantage. So far I never heard of that happening. If you ask me churches should be taxed like any other business anyway!