Here’s an interesting interview with ministrywatch.com about Kenneth Copeland (there might be an advertisement that plays first, sorry):
[HT: Achievable ends]
All this is interesting considering what Senator Grassley has been up to.
And just for fun, here’s some information on Joyce Meyer: her salary plus fringe benefits for 2006 was $250,000, plus access to a parsonage—which, it would seem to me, could mean anything owned by the ministry—and she receives any royalties from non-Joyce Meyer Ministries-related books. Part of me thinks that the books might be helped a smidge by her ministry work.
It’s also good to note that her ministry spends heaps of money on ministry activities. They do evangelism and world relief. So it’s not all bad, right?
I’m sure we all have our opinions on televangelists (any guesses as to how I feel about them?), but to take this to a more practical level: how does your church maintain financial transparency? Do your leaders work at this? How have you seen churches/ministries deal poorly with money?
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February 1, 2008 at 08:12
I do not see a problem with ministers reaping financially. I believe that it is not an easy call on their life to be in the public ministry.
At the end of the day, if there are any ‘under handed’ things that are going on by any of them…God is their judge, not us.
At our church we are very transparent with regard to how the finances are handled.
I think it is important that we continually inspect ourselves and allow others to live their lives. God does love us but if any of us in the public eye or not, need to be exposed…it will happen in His time.
February 1, 2008 at 09:58
This is the reason my wife and I are looking for another church right now. Its not that we don’t approve of how much the pastors (plural) get paid. Its the fact that they get paid so much, and a large portion of our missionaries go without any aid whatsoever just because we have to pay “the light bill”.
I understand if the money is just not there, but we have a media team spending excessively (plus adding staff) just to get some new gadgets in a back room, while our missionaries starve.
Priorities just don’t seem right when a lot of money gets involved sometimes.
February 1, 2008 at 10:22
my first reaction is to feel sick to my stomach when I see this sort of thing. But then I am convicted of my own struggle with love of money, and so I have to refrain from condemning.
That being said, we are supposed to chastise our brothers and sisters in the Lord when they are not living in a manner consistent with the Gospel out of love for them and love for the Lord. And we shouldn’t just sit back and let people potentially get swindled.
With regard to my own church – all church members have access to the budget and finances if we desire. Every week it is disclosed how much of our income is going to other missionaries and ministries we support.
February 4, 2008 at 11:48
There is no sin in having money. The sin is in the use of deception to get it, especially fake healings and fake words of knowledge.
Televangelists have turned prayer and healing into a means for profit and they have a license to lie and to cheat and to steal and claim that God has blessed them. It makes me sick to know that so many faithful and trusting souls are being exploited in this way.