I am surprised not to find more about Texas-based televangelist Kenneth Copeland and his proteges on this forum.

Copeland has been very successful in franchising his name and corporate format, building an empire for his personal benefit and helping his friends do the same. This is achieved, in part, by placing friends and fellow word-faith proponents on his board of directors, such as Jerry Savelle, Jesse Duplantis, and James "Mac" Hammond of Minnesota.

In turn, Jerry Savelle, Jesse Duplantis, Copeland's son John and Mac Hammond himself served on the board of Living Word Christian Center (LWCC--Hammond's church). That's how these guys are able to extract personal gain from their so-called ministries.

For example, Hammond was able to get LWCC board approval for $1.9 million in favorable loans to him personally over a 5-year period. He also got LWCC to lease two planes from him at a cost of more than $74,000 per month, plus gas, maintenance and hangar rental. The hangar space was rented, by the way, from Mac Hammond himself. All of these transactions are detailed here: [www.citizensforethics.org]

When some raised questions about these dealings, Hammond defended the practice saying, "God doesn't expect preachers to be poor." That seemed to be good enough for many of his supporters, but it was a dishonest response. No one was saying Hammond or any minister should be poor; the question was whether he should be diverting church and ministry funds to make himself rich.

Hammond also complained that the IRS was trying to dictate what pastors' compensation should be, playing on people's dislike for taxes and big government. Trouble was, the IRS wasn't saying anything of the kind. The IRS was looking at possible insider deals. Tax-exempt resources can't be used for an individual's personal gain, and when an insider (such as a board member) is party to big financial transactions with an organization, the IRS has an obligation to investigate.

The blog Across the Great Divide did a series a couple of years ago that explained how these prosperity evangelists' empires work. Three very helpful posts are linked below. I encourage everyone involved with one of the ministries named above, plus that of Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, or Paula White, to start asking questions such as:

1. Who is on the board? Who chooses the board members? Are they other evangelists who don't regularly attend our church, or are they openly elected by and from the congregation? Are the board members and their contact information listed on our website or in our newsletters, so they are easily approached with questions and concerns? Are board meetings publicized within the church, and are members free to sit in?

2. Who sets the pastor's compensation? Does the senior pastor him/herself participate in this committee or does he recuse himself?

3. Besides his/her salary, what other financial dealings are there between the organization and the senior pastor? Who determined that these dealings were in the best interests of the church?

4. Is there an outside audit done annually by an experienced, licensed CPA firm, as is standard for well-run nonprofit organizations? Is this audit made easily available to members of the congregation?

If you feel yourself being shamed for even asking these questions, or your faith doubted, I say run! Find yourself a church that is lead democratically, where financial information is openly shared, and where questions are welcome.

[greatdivide.typepad.com]. Shows the structure of televangelist empires co-mingling profit and non-profit endeavors.

[greatdivide.typepad.com] Shows the amazingly close, interlocking relationships between the "ministries" of Kenneth Copeland, Jesse Duplantis, Oral Roberts University Board of Regents, Mac Hammond and Living Word Christian Center, Jerry Savelle, and Dennis Burke.

[greatdivide.typepad.com] "Kenneth Copeland Ministries (KCM) calls its affiliated churches "partners," but the business model would be familiar to any motorcycle dealership or fast food franchise."