Reply #4: Here in Arkansas [View All]

you can apply for a 501C3-R, which is a paper giving you tax exempt status for a religious organization. I was on the board of directors of a Sufi retreat center for a time, and was around when we applied for this. As I recall, all we had to do was to show our affiliation with the particular Sufi Order to which we belonged-it was done merely in a statement, no documentation needed (though we could have gotten a letter from the head of the order if it was needed).

I think that you could start there. Since you aren't affiliating with another established national group, I'd suggest you have a list of tenets and some sort of charter as to the structure of your church ready in case your state asks for it.

Hope this information helps.