Busted: Utah man sets up church where everyone is a minister, no one pays income tax

At the time of the proceedings below, the church had approximately fifty active ministers¹. To become a minister, an individual is required to take a vow of obedience and a vow of poverty. Upon taking the vow of poverty, ministers transfer title to all of their property to the church. They also assign to the church all income that is earned as part of their normal employment, either endorsing their employment checks in favor of the church or directing their employers to deposit their earnings directly into various church accounts. The ministers’ homes, now owned by the church, are designated as parsonages, and their mortgages and other expenses are paid for with church funds.