Grammy-winning pastor Marvin Winans is disputing a six-figure compensation figure attributed to him in his nonprofit's tax records, setting up a pointed question about financial accountability: how will the organization reconcile its filings with his categorical denial? The Detroit church leader says he received no money from Perfecting Community Development Corporation and blames an accounting error. His accounting firm supports that denial, according to an October 2 report by The Christian Post.
The disputed amount is substantial. According to the publication's review, the nonprofit's 2025 filing lists $538,955 in base compensation and $6,781 in other reportable compensation for Winans, totaling $545,736, alongside an average working commitment of 20 hours per week. The organization reportedly recorded $893,898 in revenue that year. Those are amounts attributed to him in the filing; whether they accurately reflect payments he received is the central dispute.
Winans addressed the allegations during a Tuesday evening Bible study at Perfecting Church. "I have never received a dime from Perfecting Community Development Corporation," he told congregants, according to the report. He said the organization's longtime accountants, Chitwood & Chitwood, acknowledged an error and would amend and refile the returns.
The accounting firm's response offers support for Winans but leaves questions about the records. A representative confirmed to The Christian Post that he had not received compensation from the nonprofit and disputed the publication's interpretation of the filings. The representative also said supporting records would be provided and suggested that amounts identified by the reporter concerned compensation for the organization's employees collectively.
That explanation became another point of contention. The Christian Post reported that the nonprofit's filings listed zero employees and 15 volunteers in each year from 2018 through 2025, figures the publication said were inconsistent with the representative's reference to 15 employees. The firm did not respond to further questions before the report appeared.
The dispute also extends beyond one return. The publication said its review of filings over 25 years identified at least $5.5 million in compensation attributed to Winans. That figure remains contested by his assertion that he never received payment from the organization, making the scope of any proposed corrections particularly consequential.
Perfecting CDC's stated work includes a free summer camp, a community care center and a shelter for women and children. With that mission comes a practical need for donors and community members to understand how its money is recorded and spent. Clear financial records would help protect both the organization's credibility and the people whose work depends on it.
The next questions are specific: which returns will be amended, what entries were incorrect, and what records substantiate the explanation? If compensation was mistakenly assigned to Winans, corrected filings could clarify who actually received it and how the error occurred. If the disagreement concerns how the forms should be read, a documented reconciliation could explain that distinction.
For now, the pastor's denial and the publication's account of the filings remain unresolved. The decisive development will be whether the promised corrections and supporting records explain the discrepancy fully enough for the public to assess it.
