Michael Chitwood, founder of the International Congress of Churches and Ministries, speaks at the group’s annual general assembly meeting Thursday at the Chattanooga Choo Choo conference center.Michael Chitwood says he aims to keep ministers, churches and nonprofits on the right side of the Internal Revenue Service.
“It seems like the IRS has become very aggressive against ministers,” the Chattanooga businessman and author said earlier this week. “When they get the minister, they can also audit the church. So their first point of entry is through that minister.”
Chitwood operates a Chattanooga bookkeeping and payroll business, Chitwood and Chitwood PC, for churches across the United States, a venture he said has grown to 7,000 clients over 75 years.
Its roots go back to his grandfather, he said. His father, in turn, was a certified public accountant in the city for about 60 years, according to Chitwood.
At the same time, Chitwood is founder and on the board of governors of the International Congress of Churches and Ministers, a group that’s holding a four-day annual general assembly at the Chattanooga Choo Choo this week. He said the meeting is slated to draw about 500 people to the organization directed at training and mentoring pastors, would-be ministers and others.