Hillsong Church operated a lucrative speaker’s circuit, or “celebrity preacher’s scam,” that netted as much as a million dollars in extra income for high-profile preachers, according to whistleblower documents recently made public. As previously reported, some of those involved in this “scam,” like joel osteen y joyce meyer, were friends of Hillsong founder Brian Houston and Australian evangelist Christine Caine—the two who allegedly invented the “scam.” But other preachers had to “buy their way into this exclusive, reciprocal speaker’s circuit” by using their church’s money (3% of tithes and offerings) to become members of the Hillsong Family, the whistleblower documents state.
Thanks to these documents, we now know which churches and pastors belonged to the Hillsong Family and participated in this alleged scheme. And we have compiled a list of the Top-10 Hillsong Family Donors below.
In return for their hefty donations, these pastors would reportedly get several perks, the documents state. These included invitations to speak at Hillsong events, garnering large honorariums and profits from merchandise sales the pastors could pocket themselves. Hillsong Family pastors would also be invited to join Brian and Bobbie Houston at “luxurious” Hillsong Family retreats “a couple times a year,” the documents state.
Interestingly, four of the top 10 donors to Hillsong Family have ties to the scandal-ridden Association of Related Churches (ARC). This is perhaps not surprising, given that longtime Hillsong insiders, Nick and Christine Caine, are members of Equipo líder de ARC, as is Church of the Highlands Pastor Chris Hodges. Hodges was a frequent speaker at Hillsong events, regularly receiving $10,000- to $20,000-honorariums, documents show.
One major Hillsong Family donor that’s not listed below is Terry and Judith Crist’s Phoenix megachurch, City of Grace. That’s because the church ceased being a Hillsong Family church in 2016 and became Hillsong Phoenix. (The church since has had an acrimonious split from Hillsong and reverted back to its previous name.)
Your tax-deductible gift helps our journalists report the truth and hold Christian leaders and organizations accountable. Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of “Hurt and Healed by the Church” by Ryan George. To donate, haga clic aquí.
Yet in 2015, City of Grace paid more than $120,000 to be a Hillsong Family church, whistleblower documents show. That same year, Hillsong reportedly paid an honorarium of $20,000 to City of Grace.
TRR reached out to Terry Crist for comment. He responded that City of Grace was initially told the funds it gave to Hillsong would be used for global missions projects and church planting. In return, his church received Hillsong resources “to serve and build our churches more effectively.” Crist added that the 2015 honorarium compensated him for speaking six times (on the same weekend*) at Hillsong Church Sydney and at Hillsong’s global staff retreat.
“I understand how this is viewed as a ‘pay to play,'” Crist said. But he added, “There was never any discussion about financial reciprocity between churches, and most Hillsong Family pastors never spoke in Sydney or elsewhere in our global church. Brian (Houston) spoke for most of them, but it was always at their invitation.”
TRR also reached out to the churches in the list below, inquiring whether they are still Hillsong Family members and how much their pastors received in honorariums from Hillsong. Only one church, City Church Chicago, responded. In an email, the church wrote, “No comment.”
Top 10 Hillsong Family Donors 2014—2022
Christ Fellowship, Pastored by Todd and Julie Mullins: $896,571 to Hillsong Family
This megachurch with 16 campuses in south Florida and attendance around 27,000 is not just a Hillsong Family Church. It’s also an ARC Network Church, and its pastors, Todd and Julie Mullins, serve on Equipo líder de ARC. In 2016, Todd Mullins spoke at Hillsong’s main Hills Campus in Australia. That same year, Brian Houston spoke at a men’s event with Todd Mullins at City Place Church in Orlando, Florida, another ARC Network Church. Whistleblower documents show Houston also spoke at Christ Fellowship in 2016 and received $25,000 (USD), and in 2021 for an undisclosed amount.
iglesia, Pastored by Judah and Chelsea Smith: $858,804 to Hillsong Family
Since assuming the lead pastor role at the West Coast multi-site megachurch Churchome (formerly City Church), Judah Smith has called former Hillsong Global Senior Pastor Brian Houston his pastor and mentor. Smith also paid Houston handsomely to speak at his church with honorariums between $25,000 (AUD)—$50,000 (USD).
Smith likewise was paid well to speak at Hillsong events. He received between $19,000 (AUD) and $33,771.15 (AUD) for each speaking engagement mentioned in the whistleblower documents.
In addition, Smith received tens of thousands for sales of books and merchandise. A receipt from the 2010 Hillsong Conference shows Smith receiving more than $21,000 in net sales, minus “venue commission” and “merchant facility fee.”
Smith also was featured on Hillsong’s TV channel, and Houston promoted Smith using his massive social media platform. Churchome reportedly told The Christian Post that it ceased being a part of the Hillsong family when Brian Houston resigned amid scandal in March. As reported by TRR, Churchome recently was sued for requiring staff to tithe 10% of their wages to the church.
Jakarta Praise Community Church, Pastored by Jeff and Angela Rachmat: $774,820 to Hillsong Family
The Jakarta Praise Community Church (JPCC) has three campuses in Indonesia, where the average annual salary is just over $10,000 (USD) compared to Australia’s $61,000 (USD). The honorarium the church paid for Houston in 2011 was only $3,000 (AUD), but by 2013, the Jakarta church was paying Houston $20,000 (USD).
Similarly, Pastor Jeff Rachmat received $10,000 when he spoke at Hillsong in 2012. That same year, JPCC’s worship band also produced an album with Hillsong, called Hillsong Global Project Indonesia. By 2015, Pastor Rachmat was commanding an impressive $25,000 in honorarium.
Rivers Church, Pastored by André and Wilma Olivier: $639,056 to Hillsong Family
Since 1992, André and Wilma Olivier have pastored Rivers Church—a church in South Africa with five campuses and a congregation of about 15,000 people. When Rivers Church became a Hillsong Family church in 2014, Pastor André Olivier said in a video that Brian and Bobbie Houston had been friends for almost two decades and “have spoken at our church and into our lives.”
Whistleblower documents naming Rivers Church were scant, though one reciept showed that Houston received $5,000 for speaking at Rivers Church’s 20el anniversary in 2012. Three years ago, Brian Houston also spoke at the Heroes Men’s Conference at Rivers Church. And next March, Pastor Rachmat of JPCC is scheduled to speak at Rivers’ Men’s Conference.
Grace City Church, Pastored by Andrew & Christina Gard: $314,948 to Hillsong Family
In 2015, Andrew and Christina Gard, now ARC Lead Team members, planted Grace City Church—a multi-site ARC Network Church based in Lakeland, Florida. In 2016, Grace City made its first payment to Hillsong Family, which continued through 2022. However, following Brian Houston’s resignation, the church voted to drop the affiliation, saying, “Hillsong Family is about relationship. When the leadership changed, then the nature of the relationship with Hillsong changed.”
Oslo Christian Center: Pastored by Thomas and Katrine Aleskjaer: $288,336 to Hillsong Family
The Oslo Christian Center is an independent megachurch with six locations in Norway. The church was founded in 1985 but reportedly became part of the Hillsong family in 2014. A former congregant of the Oslo church claims the congregation didn’t have a say in the decision but were simply informed of the new association after the fact. In 2018, Brian Houston was paid $4,456 (USD) to speak at the Oslo church, a whistleblower document shows.
A YouTube video shows Oslo Christian Center Pastor Thomas Aleskjaer spoke at Hillsong Church Sweden en 2021.
Zoe Church Europe/A21, Pastored by Nick and Christine Caine $223,851 to Hillsong Family
Christine Caine is arguably the most prolific speaker to come out of the Hillsong movement, speaking regularly at Hillsong churches and conferences. She and her husband, Nick, who also serve on Equipo líder de ARC, oversee Zoe Church Europe—a Hillsong Family church with locations in Bulgaria, Poland, and Greece.
Nick Caine has also served on the board of Hillsong Church and manages Brian Houston’s property holding LLC in the U.S., Auxilium Properties LLC. Nick also served on the board of Brian Houston’s former personal charity, Leadership Ministries Inc.—something the whistleblower names as a conflict of interest. The documents note that LMI bought two properties owned by the Houstons with proceeds of the sale going to the Houstons personally.
Nick and Christine also founded the anti-human trafficking organization, the A21 Campaign. Kylie de Mauro, sisterhood pastor at Hillsong Hills Campus in Sydney, Australia, serves on the A21 Australia Board, the whistleblower documents state. They also note that A21 is one of a few select charities to receive annual six-figure donations from the Hillsong Foundation. “There is no competitive application process for grants from the Hillsong Foundation,” the documents state.
The Caines also founded Equip and Empower—a nonprofit without a website to which most Hillsong payments were made. Whistleblower documents show Equip and Empower received honorariums of anywhere in between $7,000 (AUD) and $31,147 (AUD) for Caine’s Hillsong speaking engagements.
Caine also received tens of thousands from sales of books and merchandise at Hillsong events. A receipt from the 2005 Hillsong Colour Conference shows Caine receiving more than $41,000 in sales from that event.
Caine continues to be listed as a contributor at Hillsong’s website and has been featured on Hillsong TV and YouTube Channel. The Caines and Houstons are lifelong friends, which is reflected on the Houstons’ social media.
Abundant Living Faith Center, Pastored by Charles Nieman: $194,223 to Hillsong Family
Charles Nieman, pastor of Abundant Living Faith Center—a Word of Faith megachurch of about 20,000 in El Paso, TX—has long been associated with Hillsong and is a frequent speaker at Hillsong events. Nieman spoke at a Hillsong Conference in 2014 and preached at Hillsong’s Hills Campus in 2017 and at least dos veces en 2019. Whistleblower documents show Hillsong paying honorariums in 2019 of more than $44,000 and $12,000 to Abundant Living Faith Center.
A receipt also shows Nieman receiving more than $4,000 in book sales from a Hillsong conference.
Nieman also preached at the Hillsong Conference in New York City in 2018 and has also spoken at other Hillsong Family Churches, like Iglesia del Calvario in Miami, Florida.
Likewise, Brian Houston has spoken at Neiman’s church. A receipt shows Abundant Faith Living Center paid Houston $12,000 to speak in 2017 and another $12,500 to speak in 2020.
Soul Church: Pastored by Jon and Chantel Norman: $183,723 to Hillsong Family
In 2014, Jon and Chantel Norman took over leadership at a high-profile church in Norwich, UK, called Norwich Family Life, and changed the name to Soul Church. The church immediately became part of the Hillsong Family, which is not surprising, given that the Normans had attended Hillsong College and served at Hillsong Cape Town in South Africa.
The whistleblower documents show Hillsong donated more than $12,000 to Soul Church in 2019.
Jon Norman also appears with Bobbie Houston and other Hillsong Family pastors in a picture Bobbie posted to social media from a Hillsong Family event.
-
Chicago City Church: Pastors Kent and Alli Munsey: $157,249 to Hillsong Family
Chicago City Church in downtown Chicago began in 2007 as a new location of the Family Christian Center—a church of 30,000 in Munster, Indiana, pastored by Kent Munsey’s father, Steve Munsey. The church became a Hillsong Family Church in 2014.
Pastor Kent Munsey reportedly told The Christian Post two weeks ago that he “was just learning of the alleged honorarium scheme” and was “not yet ready to speak on the record.” Yet whistleblower documents show that Brian Houston has spoken at Chicago City Church at least three times—in 2011, 2012, and 2017—and paid between $7,500 and $20,000 (USD) for each engagement.
Hillsong also gave Kent Munsey a gift worth $4,306.01 (AUD) in 2020.
Munsey also has reportedly worked with Christine Caine. In a bio posted online, Munsey states he led the initiative at the American English Academy in Bulgaria to partner with Caine’s A21 Campaign. And last year, Caine spoke at a Mother’s Day event at City Church Chicago.
Chicago City Church also has ties to ARC and last year hosted an ARC Regional One Day Conference. Kent Musey’s wife, Alli Munsey, graduated from a college at a former ARC Network Church—Champions Centre in Yakima, Washington.
*This fact was added after this article originally published.
Julie Roys es una reportera de investigación veterana y fundadora de The Roys Report. Anteriormente, también presentó un programa de entrevistas nacional en Moody Radio Network, llamado Up for Debate, y ha trabajado como reportera de televisión para una filial de CBS. Sus artículos han aparecido en numerosas publicaciones periódicas.
Spanish 
English
43 Respuestas
Thanks, Julie, for your extensive research on this topic.
Love to see the day when leadership takes up offerings for the people who need help buying groceries, putting gas in their car, paying rent and medical bills etc. What possible good can money do for those whose treasure is laid up in heaven?
Many churches care for the poor. You need to find them and support them. ICCM in minneapolis is a good example.
This is nothing new. Denominational churches have been doing this for decades.
Serious question: which “denominational” churches have been doing this for decades?
The United Methodist Church requires a certain amount of giving go directly to the denomination in order to be in good standing with the UMC. The DOC and the UCC also want part of the tithe. When I read this article, I too thought of this as sort of a denominational tie not as a “scam” per say. However, I would gather when you give to any ministry you’d like to have faith that the ministry is stewarding the funds well. The onus is on us to dig deeper if we are uncertain.
This is painting with a very broad brush. I’m a pastor in a smaller denomination, and for my last speaking engagement I received a $200 honorarium and $41 for mileage. I receive no honorarium for my many hours of work for the denomination, though sometimes my airfare is covered to destinations like Chicago in the winter or Grand Rapids in the summer. Wouldn’t trade it for anything!
And 2Peter and Jude both warned and profiled these ravenous wolves long long long ago ..
And they will make merchandise of you( Fleece you, eat you, butcher you )
They are sensuous , full of adultery !
They are wells without water clouds without rain
They bring in Damnable Doctrines of Devils!
Paul said in Roman’s , I grieve that when I die that ravenous (rabid) wolves will come and destroy the flock !
Judgment !
2 Tim because the love of the truth is cold God will send teachers to tickle their ears !
2 Thes Because the love of the truth will wax cold God will send a strong delusion so that they will believe a LIE!
Yes , the Bible has warned of the wolves beginnng in Genesis thru Revelation
There will be no revival but a counterfeit revival with a counterfeit Jesus with a counterfeit spirit with a counterfeit gospel that the masses will be drawn to
As kindling is stored up in enormous barns for a great fire so are blind sheep sent to blind mega church shepherds
that both will be burned in a great fire !
“As Shepherd so go the sheep”
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24
It seems I’ve seen some of this at the medium level churches although not the large price tag sent back to the larger church.
These guys sleep at night?
When are you going to go after that mega church in downtown Brooklyn where the covert narcissistic pastor is swindling money out of the congregation?
For me to investigate, I need either documentation or people with first-hand knowledge of misconduct willing to go on the record. To date, I’ve heard lots about the church I believe you’re referring to. But so far, most everyone is afraid to go on the record.
“For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,”
2 Timothy 3:6 KJV
Great work, Julie. A real rogue’s gallery of great dental work.
Thanks for exposing this. Those who give offerings deserve to know where the money is actually going. This should have been transparent by Hillsong and ARC churches releasing this instead of a whistleblower having to do so. This is also why when abuse allegations come up about a megachurch pastor, their network covers for them because they are often all getting lots of money together in an interconnected web. It’s about the money. Follow the money.
The Churches where the Pastors are authentic Men of God are the kind of Pastors that People don’t appreciate, and they oftentimes hold back on financially supporting the Ministry, but isn’t it interesting that when Wolves comes along, the same People will forfeit their very own mortgage payments to fund a Scam….in the name of the Lord!
Sincere Pastors and their Ministry suffer but the Charlatans do not have a struggle because they’re fleecing the Sheep for their hard earned money. It’s going to take an act of God to do something about it because the People lack discernment, are Biblically illiterate, and don’t want to believe the truth about the Leaders they look up to!
“…when Wolves comes along, the same People will forfeit their very own mortgage payments to fund a Scam….in the name of the Lord!”
—————–
charisma and God are a strong drink that erode critical thinking skills & turn off common sense.
sometimes on command from said charismatic leader.
There are so many Christians who go to these churches and absolutely do not care about this stuff going on. All they care about is God doing them a solid and having the ability to put a sticker on thier car window letting everybody know they go to the coolest church in town.
I agree with what Dave Copeland said. This is nothing new. Celebrity preachers who travel the globe doing speaking engagements and conferences have been getting huge fees for decades.
I wish Julie had offered explanations on what laws she feels were being broken by this arrangement .
I suppose it could be seen as unseemly and kind of slimy that these churches were all booking each other’s pastors for huge fees. But that’s not illegal.
It seems to me the shadiest part of the arrangement is that a pastor used his church funds to make donations to become part of the network and then pocketed huge fees for himself for speaking at the events. In a way, his or her own church was paying him to speak at other venues.
Someone in the comments mentioned transparency. The rank and file members of these churches probably have the biggest complaints to make because the arrangement was not transparent.
Julie, in the future, instead of bombarding with “shock and awe” figures, take the time to explain what makes something “a scam” and why we, as Christians, should be upset about it .
@Bill Gilman – you refer to this kind of thing being “shady.” I think another thing is called “ethics” but “not a lover of money” which is a requirement for an Overseer/Pastor (1 Timothy 3:3) also seems to fit. Everything in this arrangement is about money from what I see. Also why can’t we do the hard work of discernment and thoughtful reflection rather than Julie having to do it for us? The Bereans in Acts went home to reflect on what Paul had taught them and evaluate his teaching according to Scripture. I think we need to exercise our own discernment. Just because something isn’t “illegal” doesn’t make it right before the Lord. Hebrews 5:14 “solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” That’s our job to train our consciences.
Hi Bill,
As a journalist, I try to present the facts, but leave the drawing of conclusions to the reader. I don’t want to think for people; I want to give them the tools to think for themselves.
That said, it appears that you got it. This is not illegal; but to most, I would think, it is unethical. And it’s probably a surprise to those tithing at the church that their donations are being used to buy their pastor’s entrance into an exclusive club, which in some cases, enriches the pastor.
I for one, appreciate your conscientious, diligent work to expose the dark side of Christendom. Shoot the messenger is unfortunately, the response of many people who don’t want to face the reality of their church’s corrupt leadership.
I think the fact that this is tax free money taken from church funds poses certain ethical issues, such as fraud.
And this is one reason why non- believers look at Christians and scream “ hypocrites “. This is one reason why so many are “ deconstructing “ their faith.
“Julie, in the future, instead of bombarding with “shock and awe” figures, take the time to explain what makes something “a scam” and why we, as Christians, should be upset about it .”
————————
legal does not mean ethical. ‘biblical’ does not necessarily mean ethical, for that matter.
that this arrangement is unethical is plain to see.
“it’s perfectly legal,” said a pastor to me about something.
so what? it’s dishonest, manipulative, self-serving, and exploits people who donate in good faith sacrificially at great personal sacrifice.
the pastor was hiding behind “legal”. just as the pastor sometimes hid behind “biblical”.
I see no reason Julie needs to “take the time to explain what makes something “a scam” and why we, as Christians, should be upset about it.”
Christians should already know this! It’s pretty much a no-brainer!
Someone should put a similar list like this for churches associated with Mark Driscoll’s Trinity Church in AZ. I know of at least one prominent church in Keller, Tx led by Brandon & Susan Thomas (Keystone Church) that Brandon sits on Driscoll’s current board of directors, and Driscoll sits on the board of directors for Keystone Church.
I am missing something here. Why is Terry Crist being dragged? His church paid $120k to their network. Terry got paid $20k for 6 different speaking gigs. Where is the scandal? Why lead with that? I am just a small church pastor so this is not my world but I don’t see the dots connecting to equal a pay to play system here. There are so many churches in this network and most folks don’t get anything more than the ability to put a logo on their website. Some of the big names in the network get invited to speak at events. What am I missing?
I included his church simply because the amount of money it paid to be a part of Hillsong Family places it in the Top 10. I report the facts; I allow readers to draw conclusions. That said, I’ve received additional information about the six times Crist spoke. Those six times were apparently in one weekend–so the same message preached at multiple services.
I find it almost amusing but sad that people are questioning why this article is wrong in its context.
The very fact that these 10 churches paid to have any association with Hillsong and The Houston’s says it all.
Pay to play: the evangelical way.
If the apostle Paul came to preach at the conference he would not ask for a dime.
If any funds were to be given to Paul he would take the money to the poorer churches who needed it.
You would have to put him up for the night though and provide a good breakfast.
Now appearing at a church near you: Highly (over) compensated, Napoleon-esque syndrome-ridden and DSM-5 classified narcissistic male surrounding himself with the breathlessly vulnerable and/or those actually exhibiting the Fruits of the Spirit, sporting a tight shirt (especially when physically holding high God’s Word from the pulpit), who skewers anyone that dare question his authority or behavior while proclaiming, “Toucheth not the Lord’s anointed.”
Surely. Heaven. Weeps.
What “celebrity preacher’s scam”? What’s the scam?
Thanks for your opinion. Your guide dog no doubt agrees with you.
I’m pretty sure Jesus got around $35,000 (adjusted for inflation) for the Sermon on the Mount and that was just a one time deal (okay, Biblical scholars – he probably repeated this sermon many times). But he was smart enough to reinvest that in the circuit and ultimately get $30 million up front AND back end points on “Passion of the Christ” (plus its sequel and merchandizing) and an exclusive advertising deal with “The Chosen”. Just those three media deals puts him in RDJ territory. Add tithes for anyone who came to church because of the “He Gets Us” campaign, and Jesus really showed these small fry how its done. ????
Huh. 9 of 10 are egalitarian and spouse co-pastored, just like Willow Creek and Saddleback. Ain’t that a strange coincidence?
To the extent a denomination or local church reimagines a very clear set of scriptures on pastoral qualifications, allowing God’s Word to be subverted by a new teaching, it will be rendered ineffective.
‘New’ here means the last ~150 years, when Christian Perfectionism became a thing and provided the soil for a slew of 19th century cults to emerge from this demonic doctrine. The vast majority of initial Mormons were converts from Methodism — which introduced “Perfectionism” and tent revivalism to Protestantism — even though it was not yet one of the big sects in America. Some Mormon sources say upwards of 40% were Methodists. The Word-Faith movement and later the Emergent Church trace back here as well. Why? “You can be like gods” whispers the serpent.
Likewise, the egalitarian view of women pastors/bishops/overseers is unbiblical, nouveau and dangerous. While not the direct cause of the danger, it is symptomatic of a body with fatally compromised doctrine.
My stomach hurt the entire time reading this. As a Pastor for 23 years, most of the time when I am a guest speaker at a church, I get paid between $100 to $200, (if a larger church, maybe upwards of $400) which barely covered my fees to get there. Let alone the entire weekend away from my family.
I, for one, could sense something has been amiss among some of these celebrity preachers; how their connections and instant rise to fame, book sales, etc just fell in place.
My biggest sadness is for the many people who don’t realize that about 98% of preachers of churches are not doing stuff like this… aren’t perfect churches of course… but trying their best to lead people in a growing relationship with Jesus. And most of the time, those preachers have struggled their entire life to make ends meet. Yet they keep on ministering.
Yes, some of you got it – they are taking their own congregations offerings to basically pay themselves huge speaking fees.
I’ve never in my life loved Jesus more than I do now. I’ve also never in my life loved the church (His Bride) more than I do now. I have also never in my life been more turned off by the celebrity Christian culture as I am right now.
A post should be written about all the churches that removed the logo Hillsong Family from their website including City Church Chicago
Reminds me of the Charlie Brown Christmas Special and the sign on Snoopy’s doghouse that says, find the true spirit of Christmas! Make money money money!!
Don’t forget that the Munsey’s are also the nephew and niece of Sheila and Kevin Gerald – Champions Centre. Kent’s father, Steve, and Aunt Sheila are brother and sister.
this kind of preaching and irresponsible accounting to the church is a curse to Christianity