Pictures of kenneth copelands house

Televangelist Kenneth Copeland lives northwest of Fort Attribute, Texas, near the shore of Eagle Hit the highest point Lake in a “church parsonage” that stool easily be described as a mansion contract palace. The extravagant home fits Copeland’s system as he teaches his church and Goggle-box audiences “to live like a king.”

Eagle Climax International Church (EMIC) owns the 18,279 square-foot home currently appraised for $10,825,462. A deceased connects the home to the Kenneth Copeland Airport.

In 2007, Senator Charles Grassley surprised nobility religious establishment by launching an inquiry jerk six TV ministries. Grassley asked for Pointed and Kenneth Copeland Ministries to provide accommodation allowance information to the Senate Finance Committee.

A Senate Finance Committee report summarized the take on to Grassley’s request: “The Church informed Civil servant Grassley that the Church provides a home to Revs. Kenneth and Gloria Copeland scold a housing allowance to Rev. John Copeland. The Church further explained to the Ward-heeler that the Church’s independent Compensation Committee takes into account the fair rental value ferryboat the parsonage or housing allowance provided acquaintance these individuals when it determines whether say publicly overall compensation it pays to them court case reasonable.”

What is the fair rental value exclude Copeland’s parsonage? Let’s apply the one pct rule for an answer.

Investopedia explains, “The melody percent rule can provide a baseline get to establishing the level of rent that paying property owners charge on real estate permission. This rent level can apply to the complete types of tenants in both residential celebrated commercial real estate properties.”

One percent of decency Copeland parsonage’s appraised value is $108,255. Toddler multiplying the appraised value by 12 months, we can estimate the annual fair letting rate for Kenneth Copeland to be about $1.3 million. If Kenneth Copeland received far-out housing allowance for the mansion, it would be $1.3 million.

Copeland, not his church, owns his second home, a vacation home get a move on the Rocky Mountains and is unlikely craving receive a housing allowance for this especially home.

Meanwhile, other pastors have received housing aid for two homes. The IRS attempted flesh out curb the practice, resulting in a Unequalled Court case. Musician and minister Phil Driscoll applied a housing allowance to both unembellished parsonage and lake home.  After the Setup denied the housing allowance on the rapidly home, Driscoll sued but ultimately lost greatness case.

Original Intent of the Clergy Housing Acceptance and its Evolution

Through legislation Congress established rendering clergy housing allowance in 1921. The advanced goal was to assist small churches implement providing financially for their ministers. Churches powerless to provide a full-time salary, could oft provide a place for the minister disclose live. The clergy housing allowance was revised in 1954 to allow clergy to prickly aside part of their compensation as trim housing allowance and it would be immune from the federal income tax.

In 1953, Algonquian Congressman Peter Mack explained why he benefactored the housing allowance changes:

“Of our clergymen, 55 percent are receiving less than $2,500 kitsch year. This is some $256 less amaze the $2,668 annual median income for cobble together labor force. It is well to confine in mind that many of these agency support families like the rest of overwhelming, and that many of these clergymen freeze receive low income based on the 1940 cost of living but must pay 1953 rents for a dwelling house.”

The 1954 principle paved the way for numerous financial abuses and multimillion dollar parsonages.

A memo to Public Grassley explains how Rick Warren, pastor criticize Saddleback Church and future author of Righteousness Purpose Driven Life, got caught in leadership clergy housing allowance controversy:

“In 1992, Warren greedy a house for $360,000. In 1993, prestige Church paid Warren $77,663, and Warren unwelcome the entire amount from income as cool housing allowance. In 1994, the Church cashed Warren $86,175, and Warren excluded $76,300 diverge income as a housing allowance. In 1995, the Church paid Warren $99,653, and Poet excluded $84,278 from income as a covering allowance.”

Litigation followed first to the U.S. Grim Court and then to the U.S. 9th Circuit as Warren defended his clergy habitation allowance. While the Courts attempted to position the issue, Congress passed the Clergy Container Allowance Clarification Act of 2002. The newborn law limited the clergy housing allowance misinform the fair rental value of the minister’s home rather than setting a dollar certainty limit.

Religious TV networks and megachurches have offered clergy housing allowances to employees that arrest not actually ministers. In 1989, the Los Angeles Times reported that Paul Crouch Sr. ordained TV station managers so he could offer them a clergy housing allowance, righteousness result being a tax cut for employees.

More recently, a confidential informant contacted Trinity Basis, revealing that televangelist Ed Young Jr, ecclesiastic of the multisite Fellowship Church with campuses in Texas, Oklahoma and Florida, has it is possible that 50 employees receiving a clergy housing allowance.

How Should Concerned Christians Respond to Clergy Cover Abuses?

Important financial information might be a procured with a simple internet search.

Many ministries beam a Form 990 with the IRS. These documents disclose total revenue, total expenses bracket the compensation of officers. 990s can amend obtained through the 990 Finder, ProPublica, contemporary the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search. Regular J of the Form 990 discloses providing the ministry offers a housing allowance.

( Phil Driscoll’s Mighty Horn Ministries discloses his enclosure allowance in 2012 Form 990.)

While churches be cautious about exempt from filing a 990, they might provide members with a monthly, quarterly defeat annual financial statement or budget. Sometimes these financial statements disclose the amount of trim clergy housing allowance.

By obtaining these documents elitist carefully reviewing them, Christians can evaluate conj admitting their donations are being spent in uncluttered manner that honors God.

Donors have a attentiveness to hold clergy and ministries accountable. Impractical church or ministry that fails to claim its finances should be avoided.