Joyce Meyer, Former Focus of Senate Probe, Was Paid $250K While Ministry Earned $110.5 Million in 2014

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Joyce Meyer, Former Focus of Senate Probe, Was Paid $250K While Ministry Earned $110.5 Million in 2014

Christian Post Report – Joyce Meyer, popular Bible teacher and preacher, has shared with her supporters the latest financial report detailing her ministry’s assets, expenditures, and the results of its charitable and evangelistic undertakings. The ministry’s production of publicly-available yearly financial reports was just one change Meyer made after being named years ago in a Senate probe of the finances of six notable Christian televangelists.

Dove Awards (Photo: The Christian Post/Scott Liu)

Christian speaker Joyce Meyer at the 44th Dove Awards Nominees Luncheon in Nashville, Tenn., 2013

Meyer, named in 2005 by Time magazine among the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America, is a prolific author, having written more than 70 books, including the bestselling Battlefield of the Mind (1995). The 72-year-old minister is also a powerhouse on social media (totaling about 13 million followers across Twitter and Facebook), perhaps falling second only to Joel Osteen where evangelical Christian preachers are concerned.

The Fenton, Missouri-based Joyce Meyer Ministries, founded in 1985, claims that Meyer “reaches a potential audience of 3 billion people worldwide” through her “Enjoying Everyday Life” broadcasts. Meyer’s 32nd “Love, Life Women’s Conference,” the only conference for which she charges an entry fee, attracted 14,000 women who paid $69 per ticket for the Missouri event last year, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

The ministry’s 2014 annual report reveals that 49,930 people “received Christ” at its free conferences (which reportedly number “close to 15 annually”), 1.1 million copies of Meyer’s books were distributed globally, and 4.5 billion people were potentially reached via the nonprofit’s television program.

The financial report states that 83 percent of the ministry’s total expenditures were “for outreach and program services directed at reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and meeting the physical needs of the less fortunate all over the world.” Some aspects of the ministry’s missions work, done through its Hand of Hope relief wing, is helping to build clean-water wells in seven countries, assisting women and young girls escaping sexual slavery, and providing meals to children around the world and in Missouri via Meyer’s St. Louis Dream Center.

A breakdown of Joyce Meyer Ministries’ statement of activities for 2014 shows that “total unrestricted revenue and other support” yielded $110,528,277, while the ministry’s “total operating expenses” were $114,400,756, leaving it with year-end net assets totaling $48,312,112 ($3,872,479 less than it started the year with). The biggest areas of expense were Meyer’s radio and television ministry ($30,867,736), missions and outreach ($29,837,903) and print media, which includes salaries, printing and production and postage costs ($15,866,419).

Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc.'s Statement of Financial Position presented in the organization's 2014 Annual Report. (Photo: The Christian Post)

Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc.’s “Statement of Financial Position” presented in the organization’s 2014 Annual Report.

Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc.'s Statement of Activities presented in the organization's 2014 Annual Report. (Photo: The Christian Post)

Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc.’s “Statement of Activities” presented in the organization’s 2014 Annual Report.

As a 501(c)3 nonprofit operating as a “church,” Joyce Meyer Ministries, like other public charities, is exempt from federal income tax and is eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions, according to the IRS. A nonprofit ministries classified as a church, specifically if it is a large operation, is not required by the IRS to report its financial dealings, a privilege that some Christian ministers have been accused of abusing to secretly and illegally amass personal wealth.

For basic comparison, here is what other charitable Christian organizations have made publicly available about their recent earnings and assets: multi-campus NewSpring Church based in Anderson, South Carolina, reported $59,340,144 total income in its 2014 financial report; LifeChurch.tv, also a multi-site church and based in Edmonton, Oklahoma, reported closing out 2014 with total assets valued at $154,972,715; Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship church pastor Tony Evans reported that his Urban Alternative ministry’s 2014 income totaled $8,971,167; Franklin Graham’s global relief organization Samaritan’s Purse reported $346,712,522 in total assets.

Joyce Meyer Ministries has nine international offices and 25 field offices, 500 employees at its U.S. headquarters and an additional 184 people working at its international offices. Listed on its board of directors are Meyer, her husband and two sons (Dave and Daniel and David L. Meyer, respectively). Also listed on the board are: pastor Tommy Barnett; John Bevere; pastor Don Clowers; Dru Hammer; Paul Osteen; Paul Schermann; Kurt Warner; and pastor Bob Yandian.

The Board of Directors of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. includes: (L-R) Joyce Meyer, President; Dave Meyer, VP; David Meyer, CEO Hand of Hope; (L-R) Daniel Meyer, CEO U.S. Operations; Pastor Don Clowers, Grace Church USA; Pastor Bob Yandian, Grace Fellowsh (Photo: The Christian Post via joycemeyer.org)

The Board of Directors of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc. includes: (L-R) Joyce Meyer, President; Dave Meyer, VP; David Meyer, CEO Hand of Hope; (L-R) Daniel Meyer, CEO U.S. Operations; Pastor Don Clowers, Grace Church USA; Pastor Bob Yandian, Grace Fellowship Church; (L-R) Dru Hammer, Hammered Heart Foundation; John Bevere, Messenger International; Kurt Warner, First Things First; (L-R) Dr. Paul Osteen, Lakewood Church; Paul Schermann, President of FSHS & Associates, Inc.; Tommy Barnett, Phoenix First Assembly of God and Dream Centers: Los Angeles, Phoenix, New York.

A “Management Report to Supporters Regarding Compensation” addresses Meyer’s “salary and fringe benefits,” which the board of directors decided last year was $250,000, in addition to a housing allowance and contributions to retirement plans. The compensation letter, signed by Chief Financial Officer Delanie Trusty, adds that the ministry’s gross profits from Meyer’s books and honorariums received by the ministry from her speaking engagements “exceed her total compensation stated above.”

Joyce Meyer, president of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc., approved compensation was 0,000, according to her organization's 2014 annual report. (Photo: The Christian Post)

Joyce Meyer, president of Joyce Meyer Ministries, Inc., approved compensation was 0,000, according to her organization’s 2014 annual report. It also notes that ministry’s gross profits from Meyer’s books and honorariums received by the ministry from her speaking engagements “exceed her total compensation stated above.”

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Source : Christian Post

Ebola Survivor Dr. Kent Brantly Has No Regrets After Near-Death Experience in Liberia: ‘That’s What God Called Us To’

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Ebola Survivor Dr. Kent Brantly Has No Regrets After Near-Death Experience in Liberia: ‘That’s What God Called Us To’

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  • Brantly(Photo: Gaylon Wampler Courtesy of Roslan & Campion Public Relations)
Dr. Kent Brantly and his wife Amber released their book “Called for Life: How Loving Our Neighbor Led Us Into the Heart of the Ebola Epidemic” on July 2Christian Post Report – 1, 20Christian Post Report – 15.
  • Brantly(Photo: Roslan & Campion Public Relations)
    • Dr. Kent Brantly and his wife Amber released their book “Called for Life: How Loving Our Neighbor Led Us Into the Heart of the Ebola Epidemic” on July 2Christian Post Report – 1, 20Christian Post Report – 15.

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    One year after nearly losing his life in Liberia, American Ebola survivor, Dr. Kent Brantly, is speaking out about why he has no regrets about serving as a medical missionary in the West African nation. He also shares his hopes that his story might inspire others to answer God’s call in their own lives.

    In July 20Christian Post Report – 14, Brantly, who was serving in Monrovia with the medical mission group Samaritan’s Purse, contracted Ebola — also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever — while treating sick patients. He was given the experimental drug ZMapp and flown back to the United States where he underwent three weeks of intensive treatment at Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital.

    Despite his traumatic near-death experience, the married father of two recently told The Christian Post that he has “never” regretted serving abroad as a missionary with his wife Amber.

    “That’s what God called us to,” Brantly told CP. “And in the whole time throughout this ordeal we knew that we were doing the right thing and were in the right place. So no matter what happened, we didn’t have regrets about it.”

    Brantly and his wife, who live in Texas, moved to Liberia with their two young children back in 20Christian Post Report – 13 while answering God’s call on their lives, and at the time they had no idea that a year later they would be forever changed.

    Brantly became ill while treating Ebola patients, and even though he was distraught by the diagnosis, he said, Email me: [email protected]
    Connect with me on Twitter: @MzBenge

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    Kierra Sheard Says She’ll Use New Eleven60 Fashion Line to Share the Gospel, Build Up the Body of Christ (Interview)

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    Kierra Sheard Says She’ll Use New Eleven60 Fashion Line to Share the Gospel, Build Up the Body of Christ (Interview)

    Kierra Sheard (Photo: BET Networks)

    Christian Post Report – Kierra Sheard currently serves as a judge on BET’s “Sunday Best.”

    Kierra Sheard’s dreams of becoming a clothing designer have officially come to fruition, but not without the gospel singer facing her fair share of challenges. Nonetheless, Sheard says she’s holding onto her faith so God can get the glory for her Eleven60 fashion line.

    The 28-year-old singer-turned-entrepreneur debuted pieces from her fall and winter plus-sized collection Eleven60 at www.MyEleven60.com earlier this summer. The singer told The Christian Post that her line combines quality and stylish garments for more than just women in church, but everyday women who wear size 10 and over.

    As a judge on the BET reality TV gospel singing competition “Sunday Best,” fans of the singer and the show will see her wear pieces from her new clothing line. But Sheard explains to CP that the road to premiering her Eleven60 pieces was fraught with hardships.

    The daughter of Grammy award-winning singer Karen Clark Sheard of the gospel music group The Clark Sisters, and Bishop J. Drew Sheard, has had to support her passion project with her own finances. Still, she insists that God has been showing her His divine provision in the process.

    “Honestly, I haven’t had every dollar that I needed to make this happen, but I’m learning the providing side of God,” says Sheard to CP. “I’m not at my parents’ house anymore, so He is providing everything. Every bill that has been due, I’ve been able to cover it because God has given me money out of nowhere.”

    Although the gospel singer and fashionista acknowledges that her clothing line has the potential to provide her with another stream of income, she insists she’s not invested in it because of its earning potential.

    “A lot of people think that I’m taking the clothing line and just want every dollar. Yes, I want the dollars that come with it, but I believe that this clothing line is going to allow me to walk into doors where I’ll be able to meet people that never would have listened to my music,” Sheard explains. “I’ll be able to introduce or re-present Christ to them. So I look at all of my purpose in life as a way to assist Jesus Christ in building the body.”

    The singer first dreamed of creating her own plus-sized clothing line over a decade after seeing the demand for it as a full figured young woman who was previously bullied about her weight.

    “This clothing line has been a dream for me and it’s been something personal for me, too, because I’ve been a big girl, a plus-sized woman who has always wanted to look good,” Sheard says. “Big women run in my family and I’ve always been picked on about my weight, My mama always told me, ‘Baby, always be healthy, but wear your thick well.’ That’s where the clothing line comes in.”

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    ‘God Hears Us,’ Says Roma Downey, Host of New TLC Series ‘Answered Prayers’ on Miraculous Stories of Divine Intervention (Interview)

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    ‘God Hears Us,’ Says Roma Downey, Host of New TLC Series ‘Answered Prayers’ on Miraculous Stories of Divine Intervention (Interview)
    • Roma Downey
      (Photo: Courtesy of LightWorkers Media)
      Roma Downey, host of the TLC series “Answered Prayers.”

    Christian Post Report – Miracles happen — and not just in the movies. That’s what actress/producer Roma Downey wants to share in her new TLC series “Answered Prayers,” where she’ll invite viewers to follow the miraculous stories of real people who experience divine intervention.

    “I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to make this,” says Downey to The Christian Post about the new series, which she executive produces with her husband Mark Burnett. “People of faith will be drawn to this. It’s a breath of fresh air.”

    “Answered Prayers” is a six-part series that features the gripping stories of real people, told through emotional interviews which are interwoven with real footage as well as reenactments. Audiences will be introduced to “brave families willing to share their darkest moments,” Downey says.

    In the series premiere this Sunday, viewers will meet an Indiana family who get caught in the crosshairs of a Category 5 tornado that rips through their town, snapping trees and tossing homes like Monopoly game pieces. But just before tragedy strikes, the mother is led by an inner voice that provides specific instructions on how to protect her family.

    But you don’t need to be a believer to watch the new TLC miracle series. Skeptics may find interest in the story of a paramedic who is involved in the rescue attempt of a boy who has become submerged in a sand dune. The operation has gone from rescue to recovery when emergency responders finally unearth the boy’s body. As they’re taking him away, they discover that the boy is bleeding and make a surprising conclusion.

    These miraculous accounts are what motivated Downey to visit churches across the country to collect stories. “We could probably run for 20 years with the amazing stories that we have,” says Downey, who shares the story of a young Florida boy who suffers a tragic lawnmower accident. When the boy and his parents are faced with the life-altering choice to amputate his leg, a chance encounter on the way to the hospital for surgery gives them the clarity they seek.

    “Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous. ‘Answered Prayers’ is a reminder of the power of prayer. It reminds us that we’re not alone. God hears us,” Downey offers.

    Years ago, God heard Downey after her mother died when the actress was only 10 years old, a trauma which she says left a hole in her heart. “I was a girl looking for a mother, I ached for that. I often prayed for that.” Years later, Downey’s prayers were answered when she starred in the CBS drama “Touched By An Angel.”

    “The first day, Della Reese took me in her arms — she didn’t shake my hand. She just took me in her arms and rocked me,” Downey shares. “She’s my mama. She was a gift to me. She’s been a mom to me all these years.”

    In recent years, Downey and Burnett have been delivering faith-based entertainment for the masses, producing hits like “The Bible” and “A.D. The Bible Continues.” Now “Answered Prayers” will be added to their faith-based portfolio.

    The series is already resonating with faith leaders around the country. Victoria Osteen, wife of pastor Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, says, “This is not just a television series. It’s a message of hope to a world in need. ‘Answered Prayers’ will inspire you.”

    President and CEO of the National Religious Broadcasters Jerry A. Johnson adds, “Roma Downey has put together some amazing stories to remind us to trust the Lord and call out to Him in urgent need. Watch this series to be inspired and reminded of God’s love and care for you.”

    Downey says she knows she’s created something very special. “It’s a privilege to be able to bring this kind of project to television.”

    “Answered Prayers” debuts on TLC at 10 p.m. ET Sunday, July 26.

    Source : Christian Post

    Pleading with God

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    Pleading with God

    Christian Post Report – So the LORD changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.
    — Exodus 32:14

    I find it amazing that Moses negotiated with God and got away with it. But he wasn’t the only one. Another man who negotiated with God was Abraham, and he was called the friend of God.

    • Greg Laurie
      (Photo: rever Hoehne for Harvest Ministries)
      Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California and Harvest Orange County in Irvine, California, shares the Gospel with a sold-out crowd of 19,000 for Harvest America at the American Airlines Center and Victory Park in Dallas, Texas, Oct. 5, 2014.

    When God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham started praying. He said, “Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? . . . Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” (Genesis 18:24–25). He was actually telling God about His own nature.

    God said, “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city” (verse 26).

    Then Abraham said, “Even though I am but dust and ashes. Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” (verses 27–28).

    Next Abraham threw out the prospect of forty people, then twenty people, and finally ten. Even then, God said He wouldn’t destroy the city if He could find only ten righteous people. But God couldn’t find ten people, and ultimately He judged Sodom.

    Abraham could talk to God that way because he was His friend. It might seem irreverent, but it speaks of the closeness of his friendship with God.

    In the same way, Moses negotiated with God to spare the Israelites after they worshiped the golden calf, and God spared them. Moses had changed from an impulsive prince of Egypt into a seasoned man of God who put it all on the line for his people.

    Does this mean that we should argue with God? Not really. But it does mean that we should plead with God. We should intercede for people whom we care about.

    Copyright © 2015 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.

    Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000

    Used with Permission

    Source : Christian Post

    ‘Life Has Stopped:’ 70 Niger Churches Struggle to Rebuild After Islamist Revenge Rampage for Charlie Hebdo Cartoons

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    ‘Life Has Stopped:’ 70 Niger Churches Struggle to Rebuild After Islamist Revenge Rampage for Charlie Hebdo Cartoons

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    • Niger(Photo: Reuters/Joe Penney)
    Churchgoer Romain Oke poses for a picture inside an evangelical church that was destroyed in riots demonstrating against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, in Niamey, Niger, January 23, 20Christian Post Report – 15. At least five people were killed last Saturday in protests in Niger against Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, authorities said, bringing the death toll from two days of violence in the country to Christian Post Report – 10.
  • Niger(Photo: Reuters/Joe Penney)
    • Men start reconstruction works on an evangelical church that was destroyed in riots demonstrating against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, in Niamey, Niger, January 23, 20Christian Post Report – 15. At least five people were killed last Saturday in protests in Niger against Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, authorities said, bringing the death toll from two days of violence in the country to Christian Post Report – 10.
  • Niger(Photo: Reuters/Joe Penney)
    • The burnt entrance of an evangelical church that was destroyed in riots demonstrating against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, is pictured in Niamey, Niger, January 23, 20Christian Post Report – 15. At least five people were killed last Saturday in protests in Niger against Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, authorities said, bringing the death toll from two days of violence in the country to Christian Post Report – 10.
  • Niger(Photo: Reuters/Tagaza Djibo)
    • A man (2nd L) holds a sign reading “Charlie and his allies are damned” during a protest against Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou’s attendance last week at a Paris rally in support of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, which featured a cartoon of the Islamic prophet Muhammad as the cover of its first edition since an attack by Islamist gunmen, in Niamey, January Christian Post Report – 17, 20Christian Post Report – 15.
  • Niger(Photo: Reuters/Tagaza Djibo)
    • A man holds a copy of the Quran during a protest against Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou’s attendance last week at a Paris rally in support of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, which featured a cartoon of the Muslim prophet Muhammad as the cover of its first edition since an attack by Islamist gunmen in Niamey, January Christian Post Report – 17, 20Christian Post Report – 15.

    Christian Post