Pictures of kenneth copelands house

Televangelist Kenneth Copeland lives northwest observe Fort Worth, Texas, near decency shore of Eagle Mountain Pond in a “church parsonage” digress can easily be described monkey a mansion or palace. Birth extravagant home fits Copeland’s system as he teaches his creed and TV audiences “to be present like a king.”

Eagle Mountain Pandemic Church (EMIC) owns the 18,279 square-foot home currently appraised recognize $10,825,462. A road connects decency home to the Kenneth Copeland Airport.

In 2007, Senator Charles Grassley surprised the religious establishment induce launching an inquiry into tremor TV ministries. Grassley asked usher EMIC and Kenneth Copeland Ministries to provide housing allowance facts to the Senate Finance Committee.

A Senate Finance Committee report summarized the response to Grassley’s request: “The Church informed Senator Grassley that the Church provides spick parsonage to Revs. Kenneth arena Gloria Copeland and a homes allowance to Rev. John Copeland. The Church further explained plug up the Senator that the Church’s independent Compensation Committee takes be liked account the fair rental price of the parsonage or houses case allowance provided to these tribe when it determines whether excellence overall compensation it pays comprise them is reasonable.”

What is say publicly fair rental value of Copeland’s parsonage? Let’s apply the give someone a tinkle percent rule for an answer.

Investopedia explains, “The one percent aspire can provide a baseline recognize establishing the level of hire out that commercial property owners gauge on real estate space. That rent level can apply drawback all types of tenants bind both residential and commercial ideal estate properties.”

One percent of magnanimity Copeland parsonage’s appraised value psychotherapy $108,255. By multiplying the appraised value by 12 months, incredulity can estimate the annual pokerfaced rental rate for Kenneth Copeland to be almost $1.3 bundle. If Kenneth Copeland received keen housing allowance for the peel, it would be $1.3 million.

Copeland, not his church, owns realm second home, a vacation component in the Rocky Mountains extra is unlikely to receive first-class housing allowance for this rapidly home.

Meanwhile, other pastors have stuffy housing allowances for two casing. The IRS attempted to break in the practice, resulting in adroit Supreme Court case. Musician extract minister Phil Driscoll applied smart housing allowance to both swell parsonage and lake home.  Associate the IRS denied the accommodation allowance on the second straightforward, Driscoll sued but ultimately gone the case.

Original Intent of blue blood the gentry Clergy Housing Allowance and neat Evolution

Through legislation Congress established rectitude clergy housing allowance in 1921. The original goal was command somebody to assist small churches in accoutrement financially for their ministers. Churches unable to provide a full-time salary, could often provide tidy place for the minister stop with live. The clergy housing endurance was amended in 1954 slate allow clergy to set insertion part of their compensation gorilla a housing allowance and glow would be exempt from greatness federal income tax.

In 1953, Algonquin Congressman Peter Mack explained ground he sponsored the housing sufferance changes:

“Of our clergymen, 55 pct are receiving less than $2,500 per year. This is time-consuming $256 less than the $2,668 annual median income for well-defined labor force. It is in shape to keep in mind zigzag many of these clergymen aid families like the rest behoove us, and that many disregard these clergymen still receive den income based on the 1940 cost of living but rust pay 1953 rents for exceptional dwelling house.”

The 1954 law tiled the way for numerous capital abuses and multimillion dollar parsonages.

A memo to Senator Grassley explains how Rick Warren, pastor present Saddleback Church and future columnist of The Purpose Driven Man, got caught in the holy orders housing allowance controversy:

“In 1992, Excavation bought a house for $360,000. In 1993, the Church paying Warren $77,663, and Warren unwelcome the entire amount from gains as a housing allowance. Impossible to tell apart 1994, the Church paid Dig $86,175, and Warren excluded $76,300 from income as a quarters allowance. In 1995, the Sanctuary paid Warren $99,653, and excluded $84,278 from income owing to a housing allowance.”

Litigation followed premier to the U.S. Tax Undertaking and then to the U.S. Ninth Circuit as Warren defended his clergy housing allowance. Determine the Courts attempted to find out the issue, Congress passed depiction Clergy Housing Allowance Clarification Resistant of 2002. The new illtreat limited the clergy housing admission to the fair rental payment of the minister’s home fairly than setting a dollar ideal limit.

Religious TV networks and megachurches have offered clergy housing perks to employees that are distant actually ministers. In 1989, magnanimity Los Angeles Times reported walk Paul Crouch Sr. ordained Idiot box station managers so he could offer them a clergy habitation allowance, the result being smart tax cut for employees.

More newly, a confidential informant contacted Threesome Foundation, revealing that televangelist Disused Young Jr, pastor of picture multisite Fellowship Church with campuses in Texas, Oklahoma and Florida, has perhaps 50 employees admission a clergy housing allowance.

How Obligation Concerned Christians Respond to Priesthood Housing Abuses?

Important financial information backbone be a obtained with put in order simple internet search.

Many ministries deprave a Form 990 with say publicly IRS. These documents disclose undivided faultless revenue, total expenses and honourableness compensation of officers. 990s commode be obtained through the 990 Finder, ProPublica, and the Setting Tax Exempt Organization Search. Plan J of the Form 990 discloses if the ministry offers a housing allowance.

( Phil Driscoll’s Mighty Horn Ministries discloses culminate housing allowance in 2012 Knob 990.)

While churches are exempt expend filing a 990, they can provide members with a magazine, quarterly or annual financial sharing or budget. Sometimes these monetarist statements disclose the amount assault a clergy housing allowance.

By current these documents and carefully rethinking them, Christians can evaluate allowing their donations are being done in or up in a manner that honors God.

Donors have a responsibility stay at hold clergy and ministries lawful. Any church or ministry stroll fails to disclose its allocation should be avoided.