Why Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Asked for IRS Status Change

The Internal Revenue Service has reclassified the non-profit status of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

BGEA recently received the IRS approval for its tax status change from nonprofit to an "association of churches." It made the request last November.

It means BGEA no longer has to file what the IRS calls Form 990, a public statement of its financial information, including salaries for top officials. It will continue to publish an annual financial report, available to the public on its website.

The reason for the change is primarily to avoid the intense work required to file a 990, which Graham spokesperson Mark DeMoss described as "onerous."

"It takes a full-time person a big part of a year just to prepare the 990 and when you are also having to prepare audited financial statements anyway, it is a bit of an extra burden," he said.

Samaritan's Purse, headed by Rev. Franklin Graham, also requested reclassification for the same reasons but has not received a response, according to a spokesman.

The shift will not affect who the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association may hire or what kind of health care it must provide employees.