Popular TV preachers

Popular TV preachersJoyce Meyer is one of America's best-known prosperity-gospel TV ministers - preachers who teach that personal wealth can be attained through a strong faith in God and a strict adherence to the Bible. Following is an alphabetical list of a new wave of popular word-faith ministers who have used television to build large followings: Juanita Bynum Headquarters: Waycross, Ga. Reach: Her program, "Weapons of Power," is seen worldwide on TBN; she holds conferences throughout the United States. Wealth: No information available. In the news: In April, Bynum married Thomas Wesley Weeks III in the palatial Regent Wall Street Hotel in New York City. The ceremony featured a wedding party of 80, a platinum-colored satin bridal gown with a bodice covered in Swarovski crystals and a 7.76-carat diamond ring. Kenneth and Gloria Copeland Headquarters: Fort Worth, Texas Reach: Ministry Web site says its TV show, "Believer's Voice of Victory," is seen by more than 76 million households on nearly 700 U.S. stations. Show also airs on about 135 international stations. Wealth: A ministry official estimates the ministry's annual revenue at $70 million. In the news: In June, the Copelands joined four other TV preachers who gathered around Oral Roberts, 85, considered the grandfather of the prosperity gospel, to pray for healing the failing founder of the university that bears his name. Jan and Paul Crouch Headquarters: Costa Mesa, Calif. Reach: The Crouches are owners of Trinity Broadcast Network, the world's largest Christian TV network. TBN reaches millions of viewers on more than 5,000 TV stations and 33 international satellites around the world. Wealth: The Crouches and their son Paul Crouch Jr. said they earned a total of $855,000 last year. TBN's annual income exceeds $100 million a year, according to the Los Angeles Times. The ministry provides the Crouches a $10 million, 80-acre, eight-home ranch near Dallas and two Land Rovers that the Crouches drive. In 2001, the couple bought a $5 million oceanfront estate in Newport Beach, Calif. In the news: The ministry recently purchased the Nashville, Tenn., home and estate of the late country music performer Conway Twitty and opened Trinity Music City USA as a tourist attraction there. Creflo Dollar Headquarters: College Park, Ga. Reach: Dollar's "Changing Your World" TV program on TBN reaches 150 countries. Wealth: The ministry's income is unavailable, but newspaper accounts say the ministry paid $18 million in cash for his new 8,000-seat World Changers Church International on the southern edge of Atlanta. He drives a black Rolls-Royce and travels in a $5 million private jet. In the news: Dollar's ministry became a focus of a court case involving boxer Evander Holyfield in 1999. The lawyer for Holyfield's ex-wife estimated that the fighter gave Dollar's ministry $7 million. Dollar refused to testify in the case. Marilyn Hickey Headquarters: Denver Reach: Her TV show, "Today with Marilyn," on the TBN and Black Entertainment Television networks can be seen around the world. She has offices in England, South Africa and Australia, and is on the board of Oral Roberts University. Wealth: Her ministry occupies a 260,000-square-foot former shopping mall in Denver. No information on ministry or her personal wealth is available. In the news: She has been dubbed the "fairy godmother of the word-faith movement" and "the mistress of mail-order madness," by the Texas-based Christian Sentinel, a ministry that monitors what it calls "religious deception." Hickey got the "mistress" name for her use of trinkets - blessed cornmeal, cloths, seeds and coins - sent out to followers to urge them to send in money. Benny Hinn Headquarters: Grapevine, Texas Reach: Hinn's "This is Your Day" program is seen throughout the United States and in nearly 200 foreign countries. Wealth: The ministry took in $60 million in 2001. A news story earlier this year in the Colorado Springs Gazette said annual income now exceeds $90 million. Hinn told CNN in 1997 that he drew an annual salary of $500,000 to $1 million a year. He has a $3.5 million home in the Los Angeles area and drives an $80,000 Mercedes-Benz G500. In the news: A "Dateline" segment on NBC examined five of Hinn's faith-healing "miracles," showing that none of the people was cured and that one woman with lung cancer died nine months later. Rodney Howard-Browne Headquarters: The River at Tampa Bay, Tampa, Fla. Reach: His live broadcasts from his River at Tampa Bay Church stream online on his Internet site www.revival.com and can be seen worldwide. Wealth: He and his wife, Adonica, oversee his $16 million church, which they founded in 1996. The couple live in a six-bedroom, four-bath lakefront home on Cory Lake in northwest Tampa. The home includes a dock, spa, pool and gazebo. In the news: Howard-Browne has called himself the "bartender of holy laughter." Holy laughter was a controversial movement that swept evangelical circles in the mid-1990s. He would walk on stage laughing uncontrollably. The congregation would begin laughing. Howard-Browne would sweep his arm toward the crowd. People would appear "drunk on the Holy Spirit" and slide out of their chairs or dance in the aisles. T.D. Jakes Headquarters: Dallas Reach: Jakes' "The Potter's House" TV program is seen throughout the world on TBN and Black Entertainment Television. His ministry boasts more than 26,000 members. A rally at the Georgia Dome in 1999 drew more than 100,000 people. Wealth: He has mansions in Charleston, W.Va., and Dallas. In the news: Called the best preacher in America by Time magazine in 2001. Robert Tilton Headquarters: Miami Reach: He once ran his Farmers Branch Church in Dallas before scandal toppled it in the early 1990s. His show now airs on Black Entertainment Television and has a potential audience of 74 million homes. Wealth: He is building a two-story home on a $1.39 million oceanfront lot on an island in Biscayne Bay off Miami Beach, and his ministry owns a 50-foot yacht. His ministry takes in about $24 million a year. In the news: Tilton is rebounding after his ministry collapsed in scandal a decade ago amid news reports that prayer requests he said he personally prayed over were found in a trash bin after the money, food stamps and rings had been removed. Randy and Paula White Headquarters: The Without Walls International Church, Tampa, Fla. Reach: The "Paula White Today" TV show can be seen worldwide on TBN and Black Entertainment Television. The ministry's Operation Explosion travels into public housing complexes with "rolling theatre-style pink trucks" to share Christianity in a Nickelodeon-type program for underprivileged children. Wealth: The Whites live in a $2.1 million, 8,000-square-foot home facing Tampa Bay. Their ministry owns a jet airplane, a Cadillac Escalade and a Mercedes-Benz sedan. In the news: Paula White calls Joyce Meyer her mentor; Meyer visited their church in September.

BRETHRENi'be been reading this book called "pagan Christianty" and it's been very interesting. one of the things that is discussed is that there is no scriptural basis for anyone who preaches the word of God to do it for pay. Paul himself said that we are unlike so many others who peddle God's word for money. as i was led through the Acts of the Holy Spirit i read about Paul's stay in Rome and how he worked as a tentmaker to pay his own way. When he left there he told the people that he didn't ask for anyone's gold or silver but worked instead. all these people whom the Lord called to work for Him never wanted for anything as the Lord made every provision for them. Christ wouldn't have horded money for Himself and i know for sure that He didn't hang on a cross and die so that you and i could like like pashas while others about us starve to death. as surely as the Lord lives those who have been poor stewards of God's wealth will suffer whatever wrath He has for them. let us fall on our faces and repent before a Holy God.AMEN

Dear friends, I'm personnally weary of these kinds of posts. Are we called upon or even qualified to expose servants of the Lord publicly? Should we not be nervous to judge others less the wrath of God fall on us? I was a Benny Hinn partner for many years. I have received many blessings from this man of God. Recently, after some praying, I sent them a letter asking to be removed from their mailing list. I explained the reasons, but I dared not judge them. I don't understand everything they do and why. But shouldn't we let the Lord deal with His servants? Martin

Well, We must remember that there can be excess on both sides. As a Minister I do not preach "for money". However, the bible clearly teaches that the workman is worthy of his hire, and I absolutely despise those whose goal is to keep the pastor poor! Even Paul taught that those who minister of the gospel should live of the gospel, and explained that there were extenuating circumstances around why he did not take support. The reason I am saying this is because there is a strong temptation in many minds to "throw out the baby with the bathwater." That means that we tend to over react to abuses or errors.How do we balance? We adjust a minister's salary to that which is just above middle of those in the Church. In other words the Church should determine the average wage of those who are members and pay the Pastor equal to just above the middle range.Also, any ministry that is of God will make sure that Jesus Christ receives all the glory for any good done. I believe a pastor should get enough money to live and pay bills just like everyone else, and if God gives extra blessings, GREAT! However, I don't believe any minister of God should be flashing gold rings, fancy cars and expensive clothes to show off their income.

My last chruch literally tried to starve me out. I was preaching righteousness and they wanted to glorify their flesh -- I want to know where the book is that talks about bad congregations or lists the top 10 worst congragations in Ameica and Canada. Listen I make enoguh money to get by and have a roof over my head and I am content, but I simply do not think that the idea that pastors should be a free ride for the church is Biblical either. Paul said that he had a right to take money for what he did -- BUT CHOSE NOT TO. Ironman,1 Timothy 5:17 The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. I am curious what the writer of the book you read makes of this verse. The phrase 'double honor' is a clear reference to both respect and monitary remuniration for services. that's Greek scholarship not me talking. Now thoughout 1 Timothy is a constant emphasis on leaders not being greedy -- why? If the early leaders didn't recieve anything for their services -- greedy people would never be attracted to the ministry. The fact is there was money in the ministry even in the 1st century and some were taking advantage of it and Paul was telling Timothy a way of dealing with it.Many of the men on this list I have doctrinal difference with and I don't like some of their character issues either. Many also violate modesty in the sense of being flashy. False preachers and prophets -- yep there on this list too. How to deal with them -- ignore them and turn them off -- that is their lifeblood. As long as people watch them they stay in business.Blessings.

martymill wrote:Dear friends, I'm personnally weary of these kinds of posts. Are we called upon or even qualified to expose servants of the Lord publicly? Should we not be nervous to judge others less the wrath of God fall on us? I totally agree with you there Brother! Personally I feel if were going to Judge them we should not have "any" sin in our life is this any different than the scripture, John 8:7 But when they continued asking him, he looked up and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her."

bro Sir Edwardi thank the Lord for your response. yesterday i had been reading in the letter to the corinthians and it touched on this very topic in chapter 9. Paul talks about being entintled to food and drink for such work and material benefits from the preaching of the gospel. the Lord reminded me of this as i read your reply rather than a couple of hours ago when i posted my first response :-? the Lord has a way of letting me go off half-cock sometimes so i can be corrected and i do thank Him for that. the writer didn't make any mention of the verse in timothy you mentioned.at any rate it is clear that whoever is sent of God has a right to be provided for in some way by those whom he is sent to. if one doesn't make use of this though then one has to work as Paul did in rome. i feel though that in this case Paul was content to work as a tentmaker (and receive the reward of the priviledge of preaching the gospel) rather than draw from that right to be provided for as a preacher of the word and i feel that when the Lord sends me out to do so then He'd have me do that. as i read through the scripture you mentioned i saw clearly that the Lord makes provision for His workers either by providing them with a job so bills can be paid but also by softening the hearts of those who receive the word to give so that God's man can be maintained. i'm with you on the flashiness aspect. the workers of the Lord should receive some benefit though 2 rolls royces and multi-million dollar homes makes no sense...especially when there are many out there who are in need......smacks os empire building rather than kingdom building to mei stand corrected brethren. it's good to be on s.i. the Lord can teach one so much...God bless

Ironman I like what you have been addressing here. Remember that Paul earned his own keep by tentmaking. While it is scripturally correct to help those who are in need as they spread the gospel, the fact is that all believers are supposed to be in full time ministry. This it the call of the Lord on every follower of Christ, not just a few. If indeed some are called to pastor does this indicate that some should earn their living from the gospel. All are equal in the body of Christ. Paul speaks about that in 1 Cor. 9:16 onward. So while I don't think it is wrong to help a fellow believer out as they are spreading the gospel whichever way they feel called, I don't see the need for some in the body of Christ to earn a living off of the Gospel while others work earning their own living and spreading the Gospel.I think about it this way. Christ gives us salvation freely to those who believe ~> yet we sell His Gospel message and earn a living from it, and raise money on behalf of it.

brethrenwhat has happened here is that gross error on the part of the servants of God (or who purport themselves to be) has been pointed out. their lavish lifestyles are not the way Christ lived nor the apostles nor should we ourselves strive to live as such. this can be a big obstacle to winning souls for Christ because even an unbeliever can see that here is something fishy there...judging involves not just pointing out error but then PUNISHING it also. if you see how the word judge is used in scripture you'll find that the Lord points out the error and then administers the fitting punishment, that is judgement. let's not hide behind the scripture in John 8:7 by twisting it and using it as an excuse to shy from pointing out error in eachother when the Holy Spirit led to. Paul said that even he didn't do the things which were good that he wanted to but did the evil which he didnt want to do and yet he railed against sin as the Lord led him to. let's not punk out of calling out sin when the Holy Spirit leads. if we follow that logic then noone would be able to say anything at all about sin,where would we be then? :-? that scripture is an exhortation to remind us not to punish others rashly because we don't have all the facts. i did a little digging on that scripture and the law of moses did say that the woman should be put to death but not that she be stoned so unless she was either married, about to be or a priest's daughter,the people here were not applying this law correctly in the first place. the woman here was guilty without doubt but i'm convinced she was convicted of her sin and repented and received forgiveness from Christ. brethren when the Lord leads we should expose error wherever it may be found, first in ourselves and then also in others so that we may come to the place where the Lord would have us.

bro Onfirein light of what Paul wrote in Corinthians about the worker being worth his keep perhaps we should also take into consideration how well one is working for the Lord? also i don't think that those who did receive aid from the people they were sent to were given a free ticket, did they not find work elsewhere also? can someone shed some light on that?you brought up a good point in that we all should be working actively in the body of Christ.this has been hindered by the current church setup. we tend to let the pastor do most of the work when we should really be fully participating in the meeting when we come together and fellowhship. when the church met in the early days, they allowed Holy Spirit to come in and move as God would have Him move so that all could participate hence the exhortations about prophesying in tongues and order in the meetings.bro Paul says though that one who preaches is entitled some some kinda reward from that and reap some material benefits (though not hording millions of dollars) though i think he's saying this from the standpoint of one who labours for the church as tirelessly as the Lord led him to, maybe the reward goes with how much work the servant has done?i pray we seek the Lord's counsel on this...my head is beginning to hurt :-?

IRONMAN wrote:let's not hide behind the scripture in John 8:7 by twisting it and using it as an excuse to shy from pointing out error in eachother when the Holy Spirit led to. Yea lets not twist any scripture no one does that here :-P Also we each have the Holy Spirit within us if were saved and the one in me is not pointing anything out to me personally to point out any error, sometimes folks think the Holy Spirit speaks to one speaks to all the same but I don't think the Holy Spirit I know of works like that, I think the Holy Spirit talks to each one as individuals, and until I personally hear the Holy Spirit within me tell me to point out any error to anyone I will keep my mouth shut been working good for me for the past 25 years so I will continue to have this attitude. :-)

Though there is a multitude of threads in this regard it is difficult to keep silent here.Having come out from underneath many of the aforementioned names and the whole of this brand of 'theology' I don't find any sympathy whatsoever in any of this. There a few others around here who have come out of similar constructs.It is a rather painful matter to go back and retread all this here, would recommend doing a search on some of these names and reading the thoughts expressed.Not only do these things need to be exposed and judged with right judgment, to turn away from it would be just as great a sin. There are lives being affected by all this, attempting to dislodge one from something of this sort is very difficult ...The audacity and flippancy alone ought to be telling enough. The money being bilked out of the unsuspecting, the vulnerable, and yes even the ignorant (would class myself in the latter) is the height of audacity. There is no middle ground here, to try and make scriptural precepts for this kind of nonsense is beyond reason and it is weary to hear it.I'm personally weary of these kinds of posts. Are we called upon or even qualified to expose servants of the Lord publicly? Should we not be nervous to judge others less the wrath of God fall on us? Again, read through some of the horror story's on Benny Hinn for starters. Hiding behind the scriptures is no warrant for not calling these purporters on the carpet. Have been on both extremes of this, from sucked into it all to the opposite, raging, bitter and while deeply grieved over it all, still it was an unhealthy and sinful anger at times.This is a case where both the baby and the bathwater need to go. The very people being led astray are the ones that will and do foot the bill for this, in many, many different ways. Yes we are called to bring justice and expose that which is misleading those the Lord died to save. This is a false gospel and a false Christ that they are selling, note that, selling.

crsschk wrote:Not only do these things need to be exposed and judged with right judgment, to turn away from it would be just as great a sin. And I totally agree with you on this statement, but I also truly believe that the Lord has some called to do this that can express this in a Godly manner and get the message across to the folks in Love that need to know and on the other hand I also believe "not all" are called to do so that is why we all need to listen to the Holy Spirit within us and I hope all would agree that we all need to listen to what the Holy Spirit within us is leading us to do, I sure would not want to suggest to anyone that I think that the Spirit within you is leading you to do something, unless of course I was God. :-)

bro billYea lets not twist any scripture no one does that here Also we each have the Holy Spirit within us if were saved and the one in me is not pointing anything out to me personally to point out any error, sometimes folks think the Holy Spirit speaks to one speaks to all the same but I don't think the Holy Spirit I know of works like that, I think the Holy Spirit talks to each one as individuals, and until I personally hear the Holy Spirit within me tell me to point out any error to anyone I will keep my mouth shut been working good for me for the past 25 years so I will continue to have this attitude. if you feel that the Lord hasn't led you to expose error very well, do as the Lord has instructed you to do in all dilligence but we should all be weary that our reluctance to do things is not because our hearts have been hardened due to disobedience, i've had some situations in which the Lord told me to do something and i didn't and later on was rebuked for it.

I hope all would agree that we all need to listen to what the Holy Spirit within us is leading us to doConcur wholeheartedly brother. This whole matter has become one perhaps of a settled 'sternness' if I might press it that way. It was most certainly the more passionate and even if on the verge of a anger, righteous indignation, however it might be recognized. It was those voices that ultimately got my attention and I believe what was back of it was truly love and concern borne out of it.

IRONMAN wrote: i've had some situations in which the Lord told me to do something and i didn't and later on was rebuked for it. I bet everyone here has been there done that, so did I miss the something here? :-P

Ironman ~> You're correct that the current church system has a hierarchy in it that I do not believe that Christ established for His Church. If you look at the example that Christ gave us. He took a dozen + men and women and taught them to be His followers. Today we have one person with the job title of Pastor who takes on many more all at once. This was also a good point that you made concerning those who were assisted. They weren't given a free ride where they went. Bottom line; are we not to trust God for providing our needs both financially and spiritually? It seems that many who have taken on a carreer in ministry trust man for their provisions more so than God. In regards to my own life. God provides me with a carreer and in turn I devote my life daily to spreading the truth of what He teaches me and how His Spirit guides me. I don't have to pass the offering plate to spread the Gospel message. In regards to prosperity T.V. preachers, they have unfortunately the right to do what they do. Besides the money that they are receiving we need to be very concerned about the twisting of truth. We have to return to the way that Christ established things to be in His Church. Christ is the Shepherd not man. That means He is the only Pastor we need. Any pastoring comes directly through Him and He anoints people to pastor our spiritual needs. We have to question ourselves and our circumstances. How is it that someone who only sees us from the front of a building once a week or someone who mildly knows of our concerns or someone preaching over T.V. can possibly know what our spiritual needs are? Jesus Christ built relationships with the people that He pastored. He still wants to. Pastoring comes from those who are spiritually mature and from those in whom we have built up a relationship with in the body of Christ.