Senate Panel Probes 6 Top Televangelists

[Shammu]

Senate Panel Probes 6 Top Televangelists
Sen. Charles Grassley Asks Ministries To Turn Over Financial Records Within One Month
Nov. 6, 2007

CBS News has learned Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, is investigating six prominent televangelist ministries for possible financial misconduct.

Letters were sent Monday to the ministries demanding that financial statements and records be turned over to the committee by December 6th.

According to Grassley's office, the Iowa Republican is trying to determine whether or not these ministries are improperly using their tax-exempt status as churches to shield lavish lifestyles.

The six ministries identified as being under investigation by the committee are led by: Paula White, Joyce Meyer, Creflo Dollar, Eddie Long, Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn. Three of the six - Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland and Creflo Dollar - also sit on the Board of Regents for the Oral Roberts University.

A spokesperson for Joyce Meyer Ministries provided CBS News with an IRS letter to the ministry dated October 10, 2007, that stated: "We determined that you continue to qualify as an organization exempt from Federal income tax." The letter could not be independently verified in time for this story. The ministry also pointed to audited financial statements for the last three years that are posted on the organization's Web site.

In a statement, Benny Hinn's spokesperson, Ronn Torossian, said the ministry is in the process of determining the best course of action in response to the Senate investigation. "World Healing Center Church complies with the laws that govern church and non-profit organizations and will continue to do so," Torossian wrote.

Eddie Long's New Birth Ministries says he has received the request for information from the U.S. Senate and plans to "fully comply. New Birth Ministries has several safeguards put in place to ensure all transactions are in compliance with laws applicable to churches."

In a statement to CBS News, Creflo Dollar called his ministry an "open book" and said he would comply with any "valid request" from Grassley. But he noted that the inquiry raised questions that could "affect the privacy of every community church in America."

Paula White is also expressing concern about precedents that could be set by turning over the requested information.

"We take our financial responsibilities to our partners very seriously and to the best of our knowledge we comply with all tax laws. Our audited financial statements appear on our website," said White, in a statement. "However, we are concerned about the possible precedent and ramifications of this request. We will be reviewing the request and its implications in detail over the coming weeks as we prepare our response."

Because they have tax status as churches, the ministries do not have to file IRS 990 forms like other non-profit organizations - leaving much financial information largely behind closed doors.

The letters sent Monday were the culmination of a long investigation fueled in part by complaints from Ole Anthony, a crusader against religious fraud who operates the Dallas-based Trinity Foundation, which describes itself as a watchdog monitoring religious media, fraud and abuse. "We've been working with them for two years," Anthony told CBS News. "We have furnished them with enough information to fill a small Volkswagen."

Anthony said after twenty years of working with media organizations to expose televangelists, he saw little reform. He says that's why he turned to another tactic, going straight to Grassley. He is confident that Grassley's inquiry will be different, "What we hope is that this will lead to reform in religious nonprofits."

The structure of many televangelist organizations - in which the leadership is often concentrated in one person or one family - has itself been the target of criticism. "Churches like these are ruled as a dictatorship," says Rod Pitzer, who directs research at Ministry Watch in North Carolina, which provides advice for donors to Christian organizations.

Pitzer welcomes the Senate committee investigation. Ministries lacking accountability, he says, "give a black eye to churches and Christians who are trying to do things in the right manner."

Senate Panel Probes 6 Top Televangelists

[Shammu]

Pitzer welcomes the Senate committee investigation. Ministries lacking accountability, he says, "give a black eye to churches and Christians who are trying to do things in the right manner."

That is exactly what is happening here. We, collectively, have failed to police those who misuse the Lord's money so now the government is moving in on these crooks and liars. This, by itself, is not a bad thing. Alas, all ministries will now come under scrutiny. Expect legitimate ministries to have to operate under far more difficult conditions.

[Littleboy]

Some question preacher investigation By ERIC GORSKI, AP Religion Writer
Wed Nov 7, 6:36 PM ET
 


For some, a Senate committee's investigation into six well-known evangelical ministries is long overdue, a needed check on preachers living lavish lifestyles built with their donors' generosity.

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But even among those who welcome the scrutiny, there was concern Wednesday over government intrusion into religion, more red tape in the name of transparency and undue burdens on preachers and churches who play strictly by the rules.

The top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, faxed letters Monday to a half-dozen evangelical mega-ministries requesting information about compensation, board oversight and perks — from luxury oceanside homes to flights on private jets to opulent spending on office furniture.

The organizations are not legally required to respond. Some have released statements pledging to cooperate, others have hedged and all have emphasized their commitment to following applicable tax laws.

The IRS requires that pastors' compensation be "reasonable," a figure set by collecting comparable salaries and weighing factors such as church size and a pastor's value to the congregation. IRS rules prevent pastors and other insiders from excessive personal gain through their tax-exempt work.

Marvin Olasky, editor of World, an influential conservative Christian magazine, credited Grassley for racheting up the pressure on ministries he believes are far too secretive about how donations are spent.

"These organizations should be pressured to disclose information," Olasky said. "If glasnost worked in the Soviet Union, it can work in relation to these ministries."

Olasky, however, cautioned that "hard cases make bad law." Echoing others, Olasky said governmental action should be a last resort and that the Christian community and media needs to press organizations to be more open.

The six ministries in the inquiry share Pentecostal theology, a strong television presence and a "prosperity gospel" message emphasizing material rewards for the faithful. They are:

• Randy and Paula White of Without Walls International Church and Paula White Ministries of Tampa, Fla.

• Benny Hinn of World Healing Center Church Inc. and Benny Hinn Ministries of Grapevine, Texas;

• David and Joyce Meyer of Joyce Meyer Ministries of Fenton, Mo.;

• Kenneth and Gloria Copeland of Kenneth Copeland Ministries of Newark, Texas;

• Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and Bishop Eddie Long Ministries of Lithonia, Ga.;

• Creflo and Taffi Dollar of World Changers Church International and Creflo Dollar Ministries of College Park, Ga.

These kinds of huge, non-denominational operations are like smaller churches in that they aren't required to publicly disclose their finances.

Scott Thumma, a megachurch expert at the Hartford Institute for Religion Research, said they require even greater scrutiny because they lack denominational oversight and have a penchant for unchecked lavish spending.

"If this attention makes these ministries more accountable to donors, it's probably a positive step forward," Thumma said. "At the same time, it does pose challenges about what is the role of government in how a church spends its money and who is accountable. These are probably legitimate concerns by those pastors watching from outside."

Some pastors, Thumma said, might be hesitant to speak out because "they are looking at that slippery slope and don't want to be seen as advocating for the government getting involved in the roles of church."

Dollar released a statement saying questions raised by Grassley's inquiry "could affect the privacy of every community church in America."

Others question whether the halls of Congress are the appropriate setting for the debate.

"I do wonder why a Senate committee would be doing this when the IRS is perfectly capable of enforcing its own rules — and does so frequently," said James Bopp, a nonprofit and tax lawyer who represents several large evangelical organizations but none of those under investigation.

Tom Minnery, a senior vice president at the evangelical media ministry Focus on the Family, said he was disappointed that Grassley thinks an investigation is necessary. Minnery called existing tax rules "vigorous."

In an interview Wednesday, Grassley said his committee has jurisdiction over nonprofits and oversight over the IRS. He said it's unclear whether the IRS is doing enough to police Christian nonprofits or whether existing guidelines go far enough — questions that are part of the inquiry.

"We're going to let these ministries speak for themselves," he said. "Hopefully, it comes back everything's OK, but the allegations we've heard about raise questions."

Grassley also said the inquiry will not delve into doctrinal issues, and that he understands church-state separation concerns. At the same time, he said religious nonprofit groups should be expected to follow rules governing nonprofits just as secular groups are.

"I'm hoping these organizations clean up their own act if there's something wrong," Grassley said.

An IRS spokeswoman declined comment on the Grassley investigation, which could lead in several directions: public hearings, more ministries being drawn in, and potential penalties ranging from back taxes to loss of tax-exempt status.

The evangelical nonprofit world already polices itself through the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, which requires members to annually submit audited financial statements and answer other transparency questions. But membership is voluntary, and none of the groups under investigation belong.

IRS audits and inquiries into nonprofits, meanwhile, are confidential. Even if a Christian ministry is punished, donors don't learn about it unless the organization under scrutiny makes it public.

"I see this as a kind of a tug of war of interests," said Rodney Pitzer, managing director of research with MinistryWatch.org, which grades Christian groups on financial accountability.

"On one side you have a ton of good ministries out there who want to be unshackled from red tape and government bureaucracy. In that midst unfortunately are wolves in sheeps' clothing."

[nChrist]

That is exactly what is happening here. We, collectively, have failed to police those who misuse the Lord's money so now the government is moving in on these crooks and liars. This, by itself, is not a bad thing. Alas, all ministries will now come under scrutiny. Expect legitimate ministries to have to operate under far more difficult conditions.

Hello Dreamweaver,

Brother Bob, I know of almost countless ministries that are completely legitimate, and they sincerely try to be good stewards of what belongs to GOD. In fact, I know many faithful laborers who either live in near poverty or have second jobs to provide for their needs. You won't see their names in the news associated with lavish and outlandish living.

Many in the news do make money their GOD, and they abuse the poor by taking their offerings and misusing them. It makes me sick to know that many poor people sacrifice necessities so that rich preachers can maintain their outrageous lifestyles. Nobody can convince me that multi-million dollar mansions and other lavish trimmings are the LORD'S WORK. That money should have been used for food, medical care, shelter, and GODLY materials used in the LORD'S Real Work. I'm not hinting that laborers in GOD'S Work should live in poverty - just reasonably as a good steward. Let's also remember that many of the people in the news aren't laborers, rather playboys and jet-setters who are stars a couple of times each week.

[Littleboy]

Sounds like Prophesy to me...
They've made merchandise & have broaden the borders of their Garments off the Children of God...
It's to bad the good ones have to deal with this...
One more thing "they'll" use as a excuse for a one world church! HUH?

[nChrist]

Hello Brother Duane,

YES - we do see the moves to that one-world so-called church. I'm praying that the worst of it is after JESUS Raptures us Home. Many things are hard to watch when people are starving to death and dying with minor medical problems. If these are the last days of this Age of Grace, MUCH worse is yet to come.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Revelation 19:11-21 NASB
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, "Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great." And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

[Brother Jerry]

Now one thing that I am trying to figure out also is where in the laws does it state that CEO, leader of a non-profit has to live in abject poverty?
And please do not take some of what I am saying as the wrong way...I do feel that there are many out there taking advantage of the people and have moved from non-profit to profit to me sort of businesses.

However I look at things like this.  We pay our humble pastor $40K per year.  Plus cover insurance.  We have an average attendance right now of 80 on Sunday morning.  Now I would hope that if we move up and start getting an average attendance of 160 that we start paying our pastor more as well, maybe 50-60K per year.  And if we were in the ranges of 1000 people or more in service then I would expect that we are paying him alot more, maybe in the range of 100K per year.  And I can quite honestly say that if just about anyone making 100K a year is living what most people would call lavish.

And you also have to figure that many of them, have also put out books and things of that nature, which they get residuals off of that as well.  Even if it were published through the ministry. 

So I guess technically I do not think it wrong for a pastor to get alot of money doing thier job.  We expect that from where we work if we are there along time, show lots of growth, are a positive influence in the workforce. 

Now with that in mind let me also state that I believe that leader of the church, no matter how large, is more than just a Sunday preacher.  There is more to the job than just preaching on Sunday Morning.  There is more to the job than writing a spiritual book.  The body of the church still has other functions that the leader should be involved in.  The leader should still be involved in the building committees, deacons meetings, visitation, prayer groups, and every function of the church.  The leader should also be going out and visiting those in the hospital, those on the prayer lists, and quite simply put, they should be pastor and not just a preacher.  Then and only then do they earn the big bucks in my mind.  If you are just a preacher then you are only working for 2-3 hours a week and should be paid accordingly. 

[Littleboy]

Feed me & give me a dry place to lay my head, IS all i would except!
Theirs a fine line there, that i/we dare not cross....
Or were no better then them...
Freely i have recieved the Word of God, Freely i would Give it!
I'M NOT Preacher or Pastor Material though!

[Eva]

YES - we do see the moves to that one-world so-called church. I'm praying that the worst of it is after JESUS Raptures us Home. Many things are hard to watch when people are starving to death and dying with minor medical problems. If these are the last days of this Age of Grace, MUCH worse is yet to come.

You are right on it.  Love in Christ, Eva

[nChrist]

Hello Brother Jerry,

I know that one of the people on that list being investigated has a list of things so outrageous that it wouldn't come anywhere near what you are talking about. $10,000 per night hotel rooms, $500 meals, numerous multi-million dollar mansions in various parts of the country, and the list goes on and on.

I'm sure there are various opinions on this issue. I wouldn't give a penny to any ministry that considered the LORD'S WORK a business. I have no problem with reasonable salaries and benefits, but I would have a big problem with someone getting huge sums of money and not being accountable to anyone except a bunch of yes men. It shouldn't be a secret how much money the preacher is getting, but it is in many cases. Several watchdog type organizations rate ministries for how transparent they are with the money being given in offerings. They get a grade from "A" to "F", and the one I'm thinking about has gotten an "F" for a long time. I'll guess that his personal bank account and assets would be way over 50 million dollars. It is my opinion that something like this is sinful and represents a love of money - NOT the LORD'S WORK. They ask for money for all kinds of things, and they take it for themselves for their own personal use. There would be cases where things like this would be criminal offenses, and they should be. It would be fraud - taking money under false pretenses.

If the pastor at your church was making 5 million dollars or more every year, would you keep putting money in the offering plate? I would NOT. Just one night in a $10,000 hotel room, and I would be done with giving them a penny. I would find a more worthy ministry to support, one where the LORD'S WORK was being done. If someone thinks I'm harsh for feeling this way, I wouldn't care. If someone wants to keep giving to a fat cat multi-millionaire, that's their business unless the fat cat is breaking the law. The subject of this thread isn't about people making a reasonable income, and I doubt that anyone wants their pastor to be living in poverty. This thread is about wild and outlandish abuse.

Love In Christ,
Tom

   

[HisDaughter]

Senate Panel Probes 6 Top Televangelists

In a statement, Benny Hinn's spokesperson, Ronn Torossian, said the ministry is in the process of determining the best course of action in response to the Senate investigation.

Yeah like: Cut and Run!  After shredding all his documents........

[Littleboy]

Hello Brother Jerry,

I know that one of the people on that list being investigated has a list of things so outrageous that it wouldn't come anywhere near what you are talking about. $10,000 per night hotel rooms, $500 meals, numerous multi-million dollar mansions in various parts of the country, and the list goes on and on.

I'm sure there are various opinions on this issue. I wouldn't give a penny to any ministry that considered the LORD'S WORK a business. I have no problem with reasonable salaries and benefits, but I would have a big problem with someone getting huge sums of money and not being accountable to anyone except a bunch of yes men. It shouldn't be a secret how much money the preacher is getting, but it is in many cases. Several watchdog type organizations rate ministries for how transparent they are with the money being given in offerings. They get a grade from "A" to "F", and the one I'm thinking about has gotten an "F" for a long time. I'll guess that his personal bank account and assets would be way over 50 million dollars. It is my opinion that something like this is sinful and represents a love of money - NOT the LORD'S WORK. They ask for money for all kinds of things, and they take it for themselves for their own personal use. There would be cases where things like this would be criminal offenses, and they should be. It would be fraud - taking money under false pretenses.

If the pastor at your church was making 5 million dollars or more every year, would you keep putting money in the offering plate? I would NOT. Just one night in a $10,000 hotel room, and I would be done with giving them a penny. I would find a more worthy ministry to support, one where the LORD'S WORK was being done. If someone thinks I'm harsh for feeling this way, I wouldn't care. If someone wants to keep giving to a fat cat multi-millionaire, that's their business unless the fat cat is breaking the law. The subject of this thread isn't about people making a reasonable income, and I doubt that anyone wants their pastor to be living in poverty. This thread is about wild and outlandish abuse.

Love In Christ,
Tom

  

AMEN!
NOT one PENNY!

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

If you haven't guessed, it was Benny Hinn that I was talking about with all of the money and the lavish lifestyle.

I'm one of those people with very little money, and I try to know how my money is spent. Example:  If the money is being raised to feed starving children, I want to know what percentage of every dollar is doing just that. I expect administrative costs because of many years of volunteering for various charities. As a general rule of thumb, spending 15% or less on administrative costs is good and reasonable. Believe it or not, I've seen so-called charitable organizations with administrative costs of 90% and more. What's WORSE? - this is completely legal if it's accurately reported on the appropriate forms and IRS documents. If anyone asks who is considering giving - they must tell them in most states - and they must tell the truth. So, if someone was raising money to feed starving children and you found out that 90% of the money was going to huge salaries, would you give? I would NOT because I know of some organizations that can get the opposite results - 90% in food and 10% for salaries and administrative costs. The administrative costs would include things like postage, literature, office expenses, etc.

By the way, I highly recommend you spending some personal effort to help some worthy local charities. It will change the way you look at everything, especially if you volunteer for an underfunded organization that's doing the best they can on a shoe string budget. My favorite is our local children's shelter where abused and neglected children are taken. They usually manage to function because all kinds of people in the community volunteer to do whatever they need done (i.e. painting, plumbing, electrical, repair, construction, food, clothes, etc., etc.). If you ever see something like that up close, it will be something that becomes addictive. Take a look at the children with so many needs and feel the joy of being able to do anything to help them. Many of these agencies are so poorly funded that they literally need everything, and they have all kinds of volunteers to keep the costs down and use the money for the greatest needs. Sadly, some of it is used for medical treatment for what's been done to them, and we have quite a few doctors who donate most of their services and supplies. This isn't a state agency, and it's a beautiful thing to see everyone working together to help the children. You don't have to be rich to help in a big way.

Love In Christ,
Tom

   

[Littleboy]

Hi everyone,
I heard that B. Hinn just bought a air plane(727 airliner),
And that he wanted @ least a 1000.00 and you could get your name put on a plaque on the back of the seats so everyone could see who contributed to his Airplane, that would be used to spread the Gospel...
I truely doubt that theirs a nation on Earth that has'nt heard the Gospel of Jesus yet!
If there is let me know what one, SO we can concentrate on them?
Your Loving Brother Duane
 

[Brother Jerry]

And that is exactly my point.  Many who have that large sum of money at their disposal have lost their way.  Billy Graham is one that I can think of that has a huge amount of money at his disposal, however accountability is in there in that organization and I personally believe he keeps his faith about him and fights off that temptation.  I am sure he is paid very well for all that he does and did.  And I bet he still tithes on it...whereas I wonder about Hinn.

My primary point is that we need to not cast judgement on the lot of evangelists, preachers, etc. that are paid well above the middle income brackets.  If they earn it in their ministries then they deserve it.  Too often we hear from the un-saved about how all preachers are just crooks why look at Oral Roberts or any of the ones convicted of crimes.  It is a sad reality that the world sees two primary "faces" when it comes to Christianity, these TV evangelists and the Catholic church.  And neither one of them have done a great job of doing their job.  But that does not mean that there are not some evangelists out there that are on TV that are doing what the Lord has led them to do and keeping their faith about the Lord.