As the Televangelist Kenneth Copeland continues to defy a Senate Finance investigation, internal ministry documents shed new light on how Copeland runs his $100 million church.
Church bylaws obtained exclusively by CBS News say Copeland is “empowered to veto any resolution of the Board” concentrating all key decision-making power in the televangelist.
The bylaws indicate the president of the board is Copeland but Copeland’s family members also play a critical role. His wife is the vice president. The senior pastor, secretary and treasurer roles are filled by Copeland’s son-in-law. The operations vice president and CEO slots are both filled by Kenneth Copeland’s son, John. Other documents previously obtained by CBS indicate in addition to family members there are ten other members of the church’s board.
“My first reaction was that Kenneth Copeland was a control freak,” says William Josephson, the former head of New York State’s Charities Bureau after reviewing the Kenneth Copeland Ministries bylaws.
“Because control is vested in him and his family to the exclusion of any alternative source of authority and it is very unusual,” Josephson tells CBS News.
And the many donors to Copeland’s ministry have no say in how the ministry functions. According to the bylaws the church “shall have no class of membership entitled to vote.” Josephson says that with the exception of Catholic parishes, this is also unusual. “Most churches are congregational and the authority comes from the congregation. They are the ones who approve who becomes the pastor and who succeeds the pastorate.”
Another ministry document filed with officials in Tarrant County, Texas, indicates the church spent $28 million on salaries in 2006. $13.3 million went to administrative staff. Former employees tell CBS News the Copelands have about 500 employees on staff at their sprawling Ft. Worth, Texas, compound. In a prior broadcast Copeland said his ministry takes in about $100 million a year in revenue, leaving the unanswered question of what the church does with the remaining cash flow.
Copeland has refused to provide Senate investigators with any of these financial details.
Kenneth Copeland Ministries CEO John Copeland recently went to the local IRS office to offer cooperation should the IRS conduct a church-tax inquiry. Copeland has said repeatedly that it is the responsibility of the IRS to police church-tax issues and not the business of Congress.
Copeland has every right to defend his beliefs in the Constitution and the processes set up therein. The IRS is indeed the agency that was created to handle these type of situations, not individual Senators. If the Senator is given this kind of power, then what could come next. The Senator has no place to ask for the particulars of the organizations that he has requested either. He can obtain information he needs from the IRS as the investigation can be conducted legally.
Dreamer,
You are using American Constitutional language as your reference point for saying that Mr. Copeland has the “right” to what he is doing.
But sadly you are not using Biblical Language, because no where in God’s Word does it say that Mr. Copeland can act as he is doing.
On the contrary it states that we are to conduct ourselves in such a way as to avoid even the hint or perception of impropriety! We are to allow ourselves to be fully examined!
We are to submit ourselves fully to the governing authorities placed over us!
Futher this article highlights an even greater failing on the part of Mr. Copeland. He uses fleshly power to run his “ministry” if you can call it that!
As a True Minister of Christ, you are to set aside any and all fleshly “props” to support your beliefs or to keep you in a position of influence.
Show me even a single New Testament example of a Minister of Christ conducting himself as Mr Copeland does!
John:
As you know, Kenneth Copeland is a Word-Faith hyper-heretic, who believes he is a “god,” that Adam was “God” in the flesh, and that Jesus Christ had to be “born again” in hell, among other atrocities.
Kenneth Copeland isn’t accountable first to God, then the body of Christ. So, it should come as no surprise that he isn’t accountable to Senator Grassley’s investigation.
We each have our own beliefs and I do not feel it is my place to pass judgement on anyone. My concern is for the implications that come from the Senator being given this kind of authority. To me it is not about the way Copeland runs his ministry. And John, we are all human and will sin. I have been born again and believe in Christ as my Saviour, but that does not mean that I will not act out in my flesh at times. God has already forgiven me, and I try to live my life as I believe I should. However, again I do not believe it is my place to pass judgement on another.
Dreamer,
Again you are using a post-modern Humanist reasoning of what you believe “judging” is.
And that is not what Biblical Judging is. As Christians, as Good “Bereans” we are expected to use Biblical Wisdom to discern whether what people who claim to be Christian Shepherds are doing is according to how God says they should be conducting themselves as Shepherds.
And what they do determines whether they are True Shepherds or not. And if they are doing things that clearly contradict God’s Word then we are responsible for warning others, to separate themselves from him:
Ezekiel 33:6:
“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand.”
dreamer what you may think is minor sin on Kenneth Copeland’s part that should be ignored is actually major apostasy and deception that is carrying people away to destruction.
So on the contrary if we do not speak up, we will be held accountable for remaining silent while people were being deceived.
Thirty years ago, as a rededicated believer, I was brainwashed and deceived by these teachers.
I praise our MOST HIGH JEHOVAH GOD that he opened my eyes about their false teaching 12 years ago. It was difficult for me to “re-think” the truth after being brainwashed. It was like being delievered from a cult. I still have times where trust is an issue with all pastors and teachers, and I now question everyone, even myself (which I think is good).
I was spared in a sense that I never gave copious money to them, but I did buy their products (tapes/books) which supported their mega-business.
Think about their teaching – if God wants us all as billionaires, then why don’t they give away their billions to those in need, so they can have trillions? It’s a pyramid scheme; they are on top and others feed their pockets. The little guy gets nothing. Charlatans! Jesus warned us of them. He told us DO NOT BE DECEIVED; there will be many that teach for their own gain!
It is sad that they know the Word, but can’t see the truth about money and other things.
I don’t believe pastors and teachers have to be poor, BUT they do need to be accountable! The money for the 18,000 sq ft “Copeland home” and his “four 20 million dollar jets” could have flooded the world with bibles, helped the widows and orphans, the hungry, the poor, the sick, etc.
I pray that these teachers repent and wake up, so God will spare them. Not everyone that says “Lord, Lord” will be in the kingdom…
Needless to say, I agree with John’s comments 100%!
SJ