Private Needs When we think of faith leaders across all
religions, not just Christianity, we imagine average men and women preaching humbleness
and humility.
Creflo Dollar, as the name suggests, is NOT one of these individuals.
As the leader of World Changers Church International, Dollar relies on the generosity of his 30,000-member
congregation.
Dollar exists in the celebrity pastor realm—preachers who feel called to the ministry while wielding
the personality of Kanye West.
If you sat down with any one of these celebrity pastors, you'd hear sincere belief—belief
that they're helping their communities.
Some rightfully question that sincerity, especially when pastors like Creflo are driving around
in Rolls Royces and trying to buy 65-million dollar jets.
The Gospel of the Dollar Dollar preaches Prosperity Gospel which, in
a nutshell, says God will reward the faithful with earthly riches.
Preachers like Dollar promote the idea that a belief in Jesus comes with good health,
wealth, and prosperity.
They don't believe in living below their means.
They believe doing so boasts a "poverty mentality."
Instead, they teach and practice living a lavish lifestyle.
In recent years, Dollar has made national headlines for a variety of reasons.
Most of which have connections to his multi-million dollar lifestyle.
In fact, in 2015, Dollar created a GoFundMe page asking for donations to buy a $65 million
private jet.
News of Dollar's donation request spread, and several discussions about his lifestyle
ensued.
Was he a con-man using God as his marketing scheme?
We think it's a pretty reasonable question to ask.
After all, anybody with even a little understanding of the Christian faith knows Jesus doesn't
want priests flying around in private jets.
Career Beginnings/Background Dollar is the pastor and founder of World
Changers Church International, a multi-site megachurch.
Its main campus is in College Park, Georgia, with over 30,000 members.
In 1986, World Changers had a humble beginning.
Creflo Dollar held the church's first service in an Elementary School cafeteria.
Only eight people attended.
Now, World Changers has over 15 nationwide campuses that serve thousands of believers.
With a massive following throwing money at him, Dollar seeks to spread his church around
the world.
Dollar is a native of College Park, Georgia, and lives in Atlanta with his wife and five
kids.
Before becoming a well-known pastor, he was an educational therapist.
His commitment to the church led him to become a pastor.
To those who attend World Changers Church International, Dollar's ministry uplifts and
inspires.
But, onlookers and former members tell a different story.
Some claim that Dollar preaches what's called the prosperity gospel.
As we mentioned before, these teachings claim faith in Jesus will equal good health, wealth,
and prosperity.
Depending on who you ask, the prosperity gospel is a source of hope or a scam.
Prosperity Gospel On March 19, 2015, CNN writer Sarah Posner
published a profile piece on World Changers Church International and its connection to
the prosperity gospel.
She wrote the story amid Dollar's campaign to raise money for his private jet.
In it, Posner describes the moving pieces of the prosperity gospel.
In the video introduction to Posner's article, Dollar preaches, "The word of God is the gateway
to the world of wealth."
For Dollar's followers, devotion to Jesus and the church is the key to that world of
wealth.
Dollar encourages his members to "sow a seed" or give donations to his ministry.
These "seeds" will then sprout the fruits of their generosity... you know... wealth
and prosperity.
According to Dollar, if you want to see God's blessings in your life, you must sow that
seed.
That also means sacrificing the last bit of money you had for rent or other expenses.
After all, God will give you more money than you had in the beginning.
Members of Dollar's church willfully donate 10% of their monthly income to benefit the
church.
Those against the teachings of prosperity gospel believe it distorts Jesus' teachings
and scams low-income congregants.
Dollar believes, wholeheartedly, in these teachings.
He even uses it as a way to justify his millionaire lifestyle.
Millionaire Lifestyle What do we mean by a millionaire lifestyle?
Well, Dollar owns custom suits, luxury homes, and other private jets to get him where he
needs to go.
When he's not flying private, Dollar opts to use one of his two Rolls Royces to get
around.
Dollar and his wife, Taffi, have an eye for luxury homes.
Before moving to Atlanta, Creflo and Taffi sold their Manhattan Condo for $3.75 million.
According to Observer writer Kim Velsey, the couple made over a million-dollar profit selling
their condo.
They had bought it for 2.5 million in 2005.
On March 31, 2015, the Daily Mail reported that Dollar owned a 53-acre estate near Atlanta,
Georgia.
With all these expensive purchases, many wonder about the source of Dollar's income.
Some speculate that he's able to live this lifestyle based on his book deals and sales.
Others believe that his congregants' donations cover the bill.
It's hard to say, especially since Dollar has been anything but transparent.
There have been several investigations into Dollar and his ministry.
But getting answers from these investigations has proven difficult.
Churches are tax-exempt, and the government can't interfere with their internal affairs.
However, the government can make sure preachers aren't abusing their congregants' donations.
The Daily Mail reported that Dollar was even threatened with prison time if he failed to
release documents showing his source of income.
Investigations Starting in 2007, Dollar and five other celebrity
preachers were part of a three-year investigation led by Republican Senator Charles Grassley.
The Senate Finance Committee dug into the dealings of Dollar and the other preachers.
The purpose was to bring clarity to Dollar's source of income.
The committee also wanted audited financial statements for his church.
They wanted to know how much the church executives were getting paid.
They also requested information on World Changers' assets.
It seemed like this was the level of transparency that critics and onlookers wanted.
Yet, Creflo Dollar and his associates didn't offer up these documents.
Instead, they fought back and expressed disappointment in the committee.
Rather than pushing back, the Senate Finance Committee decided to end its investigation.
They opted to let the churches and parishioners handle these financial disputes.
The committee made their decision while acknowledging that Dollar was the "least cooperative."
He was the most unwilling candidate to offer any sort of transparency.
With Dollar's lack of honesty, the committee pieced together a fragmented report.
They found that the Dollars owned two multimillion-dollar homes in Georgia.
Dollar also received over $69 million in donations from his Atlanta campus.
His church also held four private jets at different times.
PJ Uproar With that information in mind, it's no coincidence
that there was an uproar over Dollar's request for more donations to purchase another jet.
Dollar had his eyes set on the GulfStream G650 plane.
At the time, the jet went for $65 million.
Dollar had only requested donations for $60 million.
According to GulfStream, the plane is the biggest, fastest, and most luxurious by far.
Dollar claimed he needed an aircraft like this one to spread the gospel as quickly as
possible.
Some of his followers and high-profile individuals affirmed Dollar's need for this jet.
Dollar claims his other planes suffered from mechanical failures.
With his old planes being a total loss, Dollar set his eyes on a bigger and better prize.
Past Plane In a Christian Post article from 2015, reporter
Leonardo Blair provided more insight into the condition of the church's previous plane.
The old plane was in service for 31 years.
Constructed in 1984 and purchased in 1999, Dollar's primary mode of travel logged four
million miles.
During an overseas trip, the engines of the old plane failed, but the pilot still landed
safely.
From there, Dollar believed that it was time to retire the aircraft he's trusted for so
long.
With Dollar's eyes set on the G650, he asked for 200,000 donors to help him continue his
global ministry.
Who else owns a G650?
Bill Gates, Laurene Jobs, and New England Patriots owner, Robert Kraft.
Pilot's Take Creflo Dollar also claimed he needed the jet
to deliver over 100,000 pounds of food around the world.
But an article by Blair called that claim into question.
He spoke to David Graham, a Global Express aircraft captain.
Graham called Dollar's claim a farce.
In an email sent to Christian Post, Graham stated that the G650 couldn't hold twelve
passengers and 100,000 pounds of food.
Graham accused the reverend of being a crook and scammer.
Graham described himself as having extensive knowledge of the Corporate Aviation Industry.
He's certainly entitled to his opinion.
Either way, it does call into question the reverend's motives for asking for donations.
Dollar in Legal Trouble While Dollar has never faced legal trouble
with his church or ministry, he was arrested in June of 2012 following a physical altercation
with his 15-year-old daughter.
They had gotten into a fight after Dollar wouldn't let her go to a party—poor grades
being the reason.
His 19-year-old daughter was there to witness the entire altercation.
Deputies asked for written statements from Dollar and both of his daughters.
The 19-year-old's written statement was more in line with what her father initially told
police.
It contradicted what she'd said before.
However, police learned the girl's parents were practically breathing down her neck when
she wrote her statement.
In a private room with police, she maintained her original story.
Dollar Today It's unclear if Dollar ever purchased the
G650.
In 2016, The Atlanta Journal reported that his leadership team removed the fundraiser.
But, Dollar still believed that he would get his jet one way or another.
In defending his desire for the G650, Dollar boasted that nobody could stop him if God
wants him to have a 65-million dollar jet.
He'd go on to say, "Now you see why the devil tried so hard to discredit my voice," referring
to those criticizing the G650 campaign.
Dollar even said he'd ask for a billion-dollar spacecraft to spread the gospel on mars should
they ever find life on the red planet.
Now, in 2021, Dollar isn't thinking as much about the G650.
Instead, the reverend has turned his attention to marriage counseling.
Dollar goes in-depth about his thoughts on marriage in a 2015 article he'd written on
the topic.
He invites couples to think about God's role in their marriage.
Marriage counseling has brought calm to the chaos of Dollar's recent years.
He and his wife continue to head World Changers Church International, and you can watch live
sermons on Saturday, Sunday, and Wednesday via their website.
The looming question of whether to support prosperity preachers hasn't diminished.
The lavish lifestyles of these celebrity pastors don't go unnoticed.
This side of American Christianity is an interesting one.
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