Support
Where we actually are, told plainly
Nonprofit Status
Incorporated in Colorado; federal tax-exempt status still pending
Current status
Church in Conversation is incorporated as a Colorado nonprofit corporation. Federal 501(c)(3) tax-exempt determination from the IRS is a separate, later step, still in progress. Until that determination is granted, gifts made directly to Church in Conversation itself are not tax-deductible — though a tax-deductible option exists today; see below.
We'd rather tell you exactly where things stand than let a page imply more than is true. This page will be updated as each further step completes.
On Launching Before External Review
Why we're inviting participants and support now, ahead of outside scholarly review
Every community you can sit down with here is built through a rigorous internal process — but our charter also commits us to independent external scholarly review, by qualified historians and theologians outside the project, before any world is called fully validated. That external review hasn't happened yet. We say so plainly inside the app itself, before anyone begins a conversation.
We're launching now, ahead of that review, deliberately: real participant engagement and real support are part of how we fund the honoraria and process that external review requires. Nothing here is presented as more finished than it is — that commitment doesn't change because we need the resources to reach the next step.
Giving Opportunities
How to support the work right now
There are two ways to give while our own federal determination is still pending, and both are legitimate right now:
Give directly to Church in Conversation
Gifts go straight to the ministry today. They aren't tax-deductible yet on their own — but if the IRS grants our 501(c)(3) determination (we've filed within the required window), recognition is typically applied retroactively back to our date of incorporation. In plain terms: a gift given now would likely become deductible after the fact, once that determination lands. Worth confirming with your own tax advisor for your situation.
Give today with immediate deductibility
A designated-fund arrangement with a partner church lets you give today and receive an immediate tax deduction — the church receipts the gift and the proceeds are passed on to Church in Conversation. We're still finalizing the details of this arrangement; reach out and we'll confirm exactly where things stand before you give this way.
hello@churchinconversation.org
Other ways to support the work that cost nothing: introduce us to a seminary, professor, or scholar who might serve as an external reviewer; tell someone who'd want to sit down at the Table themselves; or simply ask us questions — the sharpest ones make the work better.