Welcome To ICCM Worldwide
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
-Matthew 28: 19-20 (KJV)
ICCM Worldwide Headquarters
About ICCM Worldwide
We offer you the opportunity to obtain 501(c)(3) status under ICCM’s group exemption approved by the Internal Revenue Service. The incorporation and tax-exempt status is required and is crucial to your ministry’s success. IRS regulations are complex and mistakes can easily end up costing your organization a year or more in delays.
ICCM believes firmly that God can and will use any faithful individual to preach or teach the Gospel. ICCM believes that ministerial credentials should always be granted with the highest level and standard of qualification. ICCM is certified to issue ordination credentials and licenses to Pastors, Evangelists, Missionaries, Chaplains, Christian Workers, Ministers Of Music, and Praise & Worship Leaders.
ICCM helps its members fulfill their Christian purpose. Individuals accepted as a member through Ordination or Licensed Credentials as a Pastor, Evangelist, Missionary, Praise & Worship Leader, Minister of Music, or Christian Worker have credibility in the communities they serve and with other churches and Christian ministries.
A – Access
ICCM membership can make available to eligible individuals, churches, and ministries access to third-party providers of benefits often otherwise unavailable to them such as: (1) Group Health, Life, Disability, and Other Insurance, including catastrophic insurance for terminal illness such as cancer and heart disease, short-term and long-term disability, group life insurance, long-term care, and impaired risk life insurance; (2) Retirement and Estate Planning; and (3) Legal, Accounting, and Tax Services.
I – Influence
ICCM membership expands its members’ sphere of influence.
T – Training
ICCM membership makes available Christian training through specialized workshops and conferences designed to thoroughly equip individuals, churches, and ministries to do their good work.
H – Help
ICCM helps its members by providing access to a confidential website and private 800# Help Line in which Godly experts are available to answer a huge array of questions arising in its members’ daily walk with God.
The IRS has estimated that many independent churches and most small religious associations are operating illegally concerning their tax-exempt status. Even though the IRS feels most violations are committed through ignorance, this does not excuse them from the consequences.
The Bible states, “For a lack of knowledge you will be destroyed.” Most mistakes are made because most pastors and evangelists don’t understand the laws governing IRS status. Many well meaning ministers and church leaders are under the assumption that “church and state” are separate. This is not true. Church and state have never been separate and we should pray that it does not happen if we want to have freedom of religion.
Many churches are operating under a state charter but this alone does not give you IRS tax-exemption status. After you have received your state charter, then you must apply for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service. This can be very expensive and it can take several years to get your exemption.
What Other Requirement Should Be Met To apply For Group Exemption Status?
You must have the following:
Board Of Directors – The IRS requires all chartered ministries to have a Board of Directors. Although each ministry is autonomous and sovereign, a minimum of five board members is required before approval is granted. Only two of these five members may be related by blood or marriage, and the President and Treasurer must not be related by blood or marriage. (A ministry may begin with three board members and add two more within the first year. The first three are required to be the President, Secretary and Treasurer).
Employer Identification Number (EIN) – ICCM can apply for your number if you do not already have one.
Written Bylaws – ICCM can assist you with obtaining your bylaws if you don’t have them.
Declaration Page.
Financial Report.
State Incorporation Or Articles Of Incorporation – ICCM can prepare your state incorporation.
Understand & Adhere To Our Fundamental Truths.
Note: Having a charter with ICCM does not mean that the association claims right to ownership of the property of a chartered church or ministry. Our charters remain totally independent. The object and purpose of all subordinate churches or ministries shall be “to preach and teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ as set forth in the Old and New Testament Scriptures, to practice and promote the Christian religion according to the Gospel of the New Testament Scriptures, and to convert persons to the Christian Religion,” as stated in the Articles of Incorporation of ICCM. Our affiliated churches and ministries must take care not to use their subordinate status for unrelated business or engage their ministry in activities that are not in accordance with their exempt status. Neither can they, as a chartered church-related organization, become involved in activities to influence legislation.
Who Is Qualified To Receive Tax-Exempt Status Under ICCM?
The Board of Governors of the International Congress Of Churches & Ministers will provide 501(c)(3) group exemption status for the following:
- Planting New Churches
- Evangelistic Associations
- Existing Churches
- Other Qualified Nonprofit Organizations
- New Churches
- Ministries
- Christian Counseling Centers
ICCM Offers Group Exemption Status As A 501 (c)(3) To The Following Organizations:
1. Local Churches
A local church charter protects the church by helping to eliminate interference and conflicts that may arise from the community, the state, and the IRS.
2. Evangelistic Associations
This charter is granted, but not limited to traveling ministries such as evangelists, preachers, Bible teachers and music ministries. Having an evangelistic charter allows a ministry to receive donations while on the road or traveling anywhere internationally. If tapes, books, or other items are to be sold or given away, this information must be stated in the charter application.
3. Missionaries
This charter is granted to ministers who teach or preach abroad as well as the United States of America. Having a charter for missionary work allows the minister to receive donations.
4. Local Missions
A local mission is similar to a local church but different in purpose. A local mission must have regular services and may begin in a home or building but ministers primarily to the poor, orphans, homeless, abused women and children, etc. Because a local mission is a nonprofit tax-exempt organization, it is allowed to charge a reasonable fee for its services, yet it cannot enforce any payment on a person who is unable to pay. When a person is forced to pay for a service rendered by a local mission, that mission is in danger of losing its charter if such an act is reported to the IRS.
5. Christian Schools & Bible Colleges
Churches and ministries who wish to have an opportunity to begin their own academy, Bible college, or seminary can now receive an educational charter. Any institution that applies for a charter must not be racially discriminatory and must clearly outline its purpose, curriculum, etc. This category must be within the covering of your church.
6. Christian Counseling Centers
With marital and family problems continuing to escalate in the nation and within the church, more and more ministries are specializing in counseling. This charter is becoming the most in demand. To obtain a charter as a Christian counseling center, you must be part of an established church or operate independently from an outside office. Without question, it is necessary to charter a Christian counseling center. Some state officials have attempted to interfere with such centers because of their competition with local licensed professionals in the fields of psychology and counseling.
A Christian counseling center is considered by the IRS to be a religious and charitable organization. Therefore, a counseling center may charge a reasonable fee for services rendered. Some centers prefer to use a sliding scale fee system. However, the Christian counseling center, like other nonprofit organizations, is not legally permitted to enforce payment or sue clients when they cannot pay. Any such enforcement by a Christian counseling center to force a client to pay may result in the loss of its charter if the IRS learns of such an act.
Note: Counselors must have a license and degree as required by their state and carry counseling liability insurance. All churches that are chartered by ICCM are required to adhere to the association’s Articles of Faith & Doctrine.
What is a State Charter?
A state incorporation charter is an official document recognizing that organization to carry on religious activities described within the Articles of Incorporation which is certified by the Office of Secretary of State.
What Conditions Must Be Met To Apply For A Charter?
You must have ministerial credentials to apply for a charter under ICCM. If you are the president of the ministry, you are required to hold credentials with ICCM, which means you must be licensed or ordained by ICCM. This policy is primarily for accountability and liability purposes, thereby providing benefits for the credentialed minister as well.
How Do We Apply For A Charter with ICCM?
Complete the ICCM Charter Application & Agreement forms. When we receive your application our Board of Governors will review and process your application. Once approved, your ministry charter is sent to you within 30 days.
Under ICCM’s Group Each Charter Is Autonomous & Sovereign:
ICCM is not for teaching denominational tenets, nor do we desire to create a denominational structure. ICCM believes in the full autonomy of the local church, ministries, and Christian nonprofit organizations. Furthermore, ICCM believes that all property and assets of the local church and your Christian organization should always be recorded in the name of your organization.
We do not presume to say that these fundamental truths represent the final word on Biblical truth, and we shall probably have occasion to refine, revise, and enlarge parts of it as we pursue our way in God. We are persuaded, however, that it is consistent with truth and right purpose to “Set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us” (Luke 1:1). The following constitutes the ICCM Fundamental Truths!
1. The One True God
We believe that the one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent I AM, the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit or the tri-unity of the Godhead (Deut. 6:4, Isa. 43:10-11, Matt. 28:19, Luke 3:22).
2. The Bible Inspired
We believe that the Bible, the accepted Canon of the Sacred Scriptures, is a supreme revelation verbally inspired by God to man, superior to conscience and reason, though not contrary to reason, and is therefore our infallible, authoritative rule of faith and practice (John 17:17, Rom. 12:1-2, 1 Thes. 2:13, 2 Tim. 3:15-17, 2 Pet. 1:19-21).
3. The Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ
We therefore believe that Jesus Christ came into the world to reveal the Father and was the brightness of His Glory and the express image of His Person, that Jesus Christ was the Creator of all things, for by Him the worlds were made. The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. The Scriptures declare: His virgin birth (Isa. 9:6, 7, Matt. 1:23, Luke 1:30-35), His sinless life (Heb. 7:26, 1 Pet. 2:22), His miracles (Acts 2:22, 10:38), His substitutionary work on the cross (1 Cor. 15:3, 2 Cor. 5:21), His bodily resurrection from the dead (Matt. 28:6, Luke 24:39, 1 Cor. 15:4), and His exaltation to the right hand of God (Acts 1:9, 11, 2:33, Phil. 2:9-11, Heb. 1:3).
4. The Lordship of Christ
Wherefore, we acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ over all things in heaven, and in the earth and under the earth (Matt. 28:18, Acts 2:36, Rom. 10: 1-13, 1 Cor. 12:3, Phil. 2:9-10).
5. The Fall of Man
We believe that man, by voluntary transgression, fell from a state of righteousness and holiness in which he was first rested, into a state of death in trespasses and sins, and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual depravity and death or separation from God in which he is held as a slave of sin and an enemy of God, until he is delivered by the power of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God (Gen. 1:26-27, 2:17, 3:6, Psa. 51:5, John 8:32-36, Rom. 5:21, 6:23).
6. The New Birth
We believe the words of Jesus that “Ye must be born again,” that being born again signifies the partaking in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (John 3:3-7, 1 Cor. 15:1-4), that “By grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God – not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). We further believe that the emphasis for a continual walk in grace should be of heart righteousness and purity. We hold that all believers must live a pure life, being an example to both the believing and the unbelieving (Rom. 4:1-5, 2 Cor. 7:1, Col. 4:5, 1 Thes. 4:12).
7. The Work of Repentance and Faith in God
We believe that repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ produces the work of justification in the believer. Through faith in the shed blood of Christ, the believer is brought onto the grounds of the New Covenant and made a partaker of the death of Christ.
8. The Church is the Body of Christ
We believe that the true Church is the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:12-27), not intended to be the edifice or institution, but the habitation of God through the Holy Spirit.
9. The Mission of the Church
To be an agency for evangelizing the world (Matt. 28:19-20, Mark 16:15-16, Acts 1:8). To be a corporate body in which man may worship God (1 Cor. 12:13). To be a channel of Gods purpose to build a body of saints being perfected in the image of His son (1 Cor. 12:28, 14:12, Eph. 4:11-16).
10. The Ordinances of the Church
Baptism in water
Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper
11. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an important and necessary experience in the life of every believer, which is not dependent upon a believer’s worthiness, but is a free gift of God. (John 3:3-7, Acts 2:38, Eph. 1:13). We therefore believe that all believers are entitled to, and should ardently expect to receive the promise of the Father, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was the normal experience of all believers in the early Christian Church (Luke 24:29, Acts 1:4, 8, 11:14-16). With the Baptism in the Holy Spirit come such experiences as an overflowing fullness of the Spirit (John 7:37-39, Acts 4:8), a deepened reverence for God (Acts 2:43, Heb. 12:28), an intensified consecration to God and dedication to His work (Acts 2:42).
12. The Physical Sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
We hold that God has provided glossolalia as a prayer language for the purpose of intercession, praise and communication with God, and that all believers may speak with other tongues. The full consummation of the Baptism of believers in the Holy Spirit is the initial physical sign of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance, and afterwards has a continual twofold aspect, as speaking to God and speaking to men (Isa. 28:11-12, Eze. 36:26, Acts 2:4, 10:44-48, 19:6, 1 Cor. 14).
13. The Sacrament of Holy Communion
The Lord’s Supper, consisting of bread and the fruit of the vine, is an expression of faith in our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 10:16-17), and is enjoined on all believers until He comes (1 Cor. 11:16).
14. The Healing of the Body
We believe divine healing is an integral part of the Gospel. Deliverance from sickness is provided for in the atonement, and is the privilege of all believers (Isa. 53:4-5, Matt. 8:16- 17, Acts 4:30, 1 Cor. 12:9, Jas. 5:14-16).
15. The Unity of the Body
We believe that we are one Body being members one of another, and that the basis of our fellowship is in Christ in the power of the Spirit (Psa. 133, Rom. 12:3-8, 1 Cor. 12, Eph. 2:13-22, 4:3-6, Col. 3:15).
16 The Local Church
We believe in the autonomy of the local church expression, and adherence to the Scriptural revelation of its life, ministry, and worship (Matt. 18:20, Eph. 4-6, 5:18-20, Phil. 3:3, Col. 3:16, 1 Tim. 3, Tit. 1:5-9, Heb. 10:25, Heb. 13:15, 17).
17. Sanctification
We believe that sanctification is a definite yet progressive work of grace, as taught in the Scriptures, which leads to holiness (Rom. 6:22) and that God by the Holy Spirit, definitely calls who He desires, both male and female, to serve in their calling. God qualifies the ones called with power, talent, wisdom, and gifts (2 Pet. 1:10).
18. The Tithe is Holy
We believe that the tithe (10% of one’s individual gross earnings) is Holy unto God. We believe that “bringing all the tithes into the storehouse” of the local Church and giving freewill offerings is to be practiced continually by all believers and is an outward expression of the Lordship of Christ in the believer and the unity of the Church, the Body of Christ, as it joins together in support of the work of the Lord (Gen. 14:18-20, 28:20-22, Lev. 27:30-32, Prov. 3:9-10, Mal. 3:6-18, Matt. 23:23, 1 Cor. 16:1-2, Heb. 6:20, 7:1-10).
19. The Blessed Hope
We believe in the resurrection of those who are dead in Christ and their translation together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord is the imminent and blessed hope of the church (John 5:28-29, Rom. 8:23, 1 Cor. 15:51-52, 16:22, 1 Thes. 4:16-17, Tit. 2:13).
20. The Personal Return of Our Lord
We believe in the personal return of our Lord and the restitution of all things spoken by the mouth of all the prophets since the world began (Matt. 23:39, 25:31, 24:42-44, Mark 14:62, Acts 1:11, 3:19-21, 1 Thes. 4:14-18).
21. The Final Judgment
We believe that the fearful, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death (Matt. 24:36-51, 25:46, Rom. 6:23, 2 Thes. 1:5-9, Rev. 20:11-15, 21:8).
22. The New Heaven and New Earth
We believe that there shall be a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness (Isa. 65:17, 66:22, 2 Pet. 3:13, Rev. 21:1).