A filmmaker working on a docuseries about church finances and accountability was arrested Oct. 20 at Ed Young’s Fellowship Church, while seeking answers about Young’s housing allowance and salary.
Nathan Apffel was charged with criminal trespass and spent the night in the Grapevine Detention Center. He was released Oct. 21, after posting a $500 bond.
Dave Clark, a pastor at the megachurch in Grapevine, Texas, stated in an email that Apffel “has a history of disruptive behavior at churches nationwide, making false accusations and attempting to create misleading narratives.”
Clark did not respond to follow-up questions from El Informe Roys (TRR) to clarify which of Apffel’s claims are false or misleading.
Apffel is producing a seven-part docuseries called “The Religion Business,” which includes an interview with TRR Founder Julie Roys. Apffel told TRR he left a message with Fellowship Church CFO Dennis Brewer several days before his arrest, seeking information about housing allowances and indicating he would be on site Oct. 20.
Your tax-deductible gift supports our mission of reporting the truth and restoring the church. Donate $50 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you can elect to receive “Days of Fire and Glory: The Rise and Fall of a Charismatic Community” by Julia Duin, haga clic aquí.
Apffel said he did not receive a response from Brewer or anyone else at Fellowship.
After arriving at the church, Apffel said he went inside to make a purchase from the church shop, which sells items that include a clothing line by Ed Young Designs. He said he was quickly approached by security personnel, who asked him to leave the property.
Apffel said he left the property to regroup and decided to walk back to the church parking lot with large signs reading, “Ed, what’s your housing allowance today?” and “How much is Pastor Ed making?”
As the service continued, he and his camera operator noticed a luxury SUV speeding off of the property.
“(The back) gate was closed, so this Range Rover jumps the actual curb for the parking lot and mobs across this grass planter area, jumps another curb into the road and just pins it,” Apffel said. “As I see this happening, (I realize) it’s Ed Young.”
Apffel said he and his camera operator initially attempted to follow Young, but Young was driving dangerously above the speed limit, so they stopped their pursuit. They then went back to the church parking lot.
Once services ended, Apffel said he displayed his signs and chatted with attendees as they left the church. But soon, a private security team and a contracted law enforcement officer surrounded him and reminded him that they had asked him to leave, he said.
After explaining that he wanted to ask financial questions, Apffel said the security team took his phone and aggressively put him in handcuffs, telling him he was under arrest. He said the contracted law enforcement officer took one of his cameras and threw it to the ground, breaking it.
Apffel said he sat handcuffed on the ground for approximately 40 minutes until officers from the Grapevine Police Department arrived, read him his rights, and arrested him.
Clark described the incident differently to TRR. He said the incident started when Apffel caused a disturbance with video equipment and signage.
“The Grapevine Police Department addressed the situation, issuing a warning to the individual,” Clark stated. “After failing to comply, he was arrested. Both Fellowship Church and the Grapevine Police Department have substantial testimony and video evidence proving that the individual’s claims are inaccurate.”
Apffel said he believes the private security team, which he said did not read him his rights, detained him unconstitutionally.
In working on the docuseries, he said he’s observed that these types of security teams, which he describes as “private militias,” often don’t know or follow the law and often don’t have correct permits or licenses.
“It’s just kind of a wild west of cowboy security,” Apffel said. “They say it’s to protect the institution, but from who(m)? That’s our question. We’ve built these autonomous systems that feed themselves to the point where Ed feels like he has to flee in a Range Rover from a dude holding a sign.”
Apffel said a doctor diagnosed him after the arrest with a strained elbow, bicep, and rotator cuff. Apffel said he is awaiting results from an elbow X-ray. He said he plans to return to Texas for his Nov. 12 court date.
Bringing accountability to system ‘ripe’ for abuse
“The Religion Business,” which is set to be released on Easter 2025, examines the business model built on the teaching of Christ from Bible times to modern day. Apffel said it will explore eight major loopholes in nonprofit law that lead to opportunities for unscrupulous church leaders to abuse the system and build vast sums of wealth without accountability.
The top priority of the docuseries is to build enough momentum to lead to updates in the law, Apffel said.
“The IRS guidelines are archaic,” he added. “They were written in 1913 originally. They just need to be reformed. Systems need to be reformed over time. So, we’re calling for reform.”
By shining a spotlight on what’s wrong in the system, Apffel hopes the docuseries will ultimately benefit transparent and responsible religious institutions.
“Our goal is not to tear down faith or destroy Christianity or religion,” Apffel said. “Our goal is to encourage faith. It’s to encourage giving, actually, because I believe that Christian donations can radically change the world. We have to bring accountability into a system that is ripe for abuse and fraud.”
Young’s housing allowance & millions in homes & salary
Apffel, who said he has visited and donated to Fellowship Church many times, provided a document outlining the church’s Minister’s Housing Allowance in 2005, which states that Young was allocated $240,000.
The document states that the housing allowance may be used for expenses that include a down payment or mortgage payments on a home; furnishings and appliances; remodeling; yard maintenance and improvements; maintenance items such as household cleansers, light bulbs and pest control; and homeowners association dues.
Como reported previously by TRR, Young sold a 7,027 square-foot home in Dallas in 2023 that had an estimated worth of almost $4.6 million.
In 2010, KENS5, a CBS affiliate, reported that Young owned a 10,000-square-foot, $1.5 million estate on Lake Grapevine. The outlet also reported that Young received a $1 million salary and had bought a personal jet he used to travel to the Bahamas.
According to documents provided by Trinity Foundation, Young currently lives in an 8,100 square-foot home in Tarrant County, Texas, with an estimated worth of $6.2 million. Apffel said he will reveal in his docuseries that Young owns another multi-million-dollar waterfront home in Florida.
Among information Apffel is seeking from Fellowship Church is updated ministers’ housing allowance totals.
Fellowship Church did not provide ministers’ housing allowance totals to TRR, but Clark defended the practice.
“It is important to note that the housing allowance is a well-established tax benefit, recognized by the IRS and used by thousands of clergy and uniformed service members nationwide,” Clark stated. “The allowance is determined by the individual. At Fellowship Church, there have been no concerns or complaints related to this benefit. Additionally, an independent financial institution conducts an external audit of the church’s finances each year to ensure transparency and compliance.”
However, in 2021, former Fellowship business manager, Lara Lynn Ford, received a 10-year prison sentence for stealing $1.4 million from the church’s housing allowance, according to The Christian Post.
Beginning in 2018, Ford reportedly paid herself an extra $200 every two weeks from the housing allowance fund. In 2021, she increased the amount to an extra $500 every two weeks.
TRR asked Fellowship whether the church discloses its audits or ministers’ housing allowances to its congregation, but the church did not respond.
Ann Marie Shambaugh has reported as a print journalist in multiple states, including currently in Carmel, Indiana.
Spanish 
English 
24 Responses
Does Young make totally absurd amounts of money for his job as a pastor? I will take a wild guess and say yes but when you call yourself a journalist and show up on a Sunday morning to ask financial questions you are not looking for answers you are looking for a confrontation to help sell your story.
Nathan is a filmmaker. I don’t think he calls himself a journalist.
julio,
Good point – thanks for the clarification.
The broken system is that churches – despite being in violation of the US constitution establishment clause (everybody else pays for the benefits of tax deductible contributions to prop up a religion) – are NOT required to publicly file the critically important Form 990 in which compensation of executive management is required to be reported.
All other non-profits ARE required to do so….
This special treatment for religious organizations is a massively special privilege for which there is not just the absence of benefit for the public but a tremendous disservice to the public….
Wealthy elite evangelical pastors are able to hide the millions they make using the name and person of Jesus of Nazareth as their own personal cash register.
This is not an establishment clause violation since all religious organizations have equal access. That clause is about government preference for a particular religion not religion in general. I could also make a case that the 990 exemption is in the spirit of the establishment clause – because it can’t be used as a pre-cursor for preference or discrimination. Would it really make a difference? The information is already public knowledge. So this is about the perceived amount of pastoral compensation not accountability. What if there were no federal taxes at all? You couldn’t be calling for use of the federal government to regulate this.
But, he could’ve waited until a normal work day. He certainly was looking for attention, although I do think that the megachurch is enriching men who preach the Gospel. The congregational leadership is responsible for approving this kind of CEO salary. Ed Young has lost credibility because of this and he doesn’t even know it.
He likely did that to call attention to those attending.
On a normal workday, the only people there would be employees (who likely don’t know that information, and wouldn’t be allowed to share it if they did, out of fear of termination – in Texas an employee can be terminated for any reason, no reason, the wrong reason, or even a fabricated one, and churches can even discriminate as to who they hire and fire on bases private businesses cannot).
However, having been a former member, those attending could care less about Ed’s income. They enjoy the atmosphere, and as long as they are happy, they don’t mind handing over 10% of their gross income.
As a member of the “Church” I see the attention he is drawing as critical to bring into question the practices of this type of behavior in the institutions like this that call themselves a church. I pray that the “Church” learn from sound Bible teachers what we should really be doing with what God blesses us with, and that is glorifying God.
Aren’t the financial statements of every 501c3 required to be made public, and available upon request?
Hi, from my understanding and research, form 990s are public information.
*Churches and religious organizations** are generally exempt from filing Form 990, but they may still need to file other forms with the IRS.
* **Other 501(c)(3) organizations** are generally required to file Form 990
*Salaries** are not required to be disclosed on Form 990 unless they are for an employee who receives compensation of $100,000 or more
Churches are specifically exempt from having to disclose financial information to anyone, members or non-members. They also do not have to file Forms 990 (this is how Benny Hinn got around disclosure, he claimed his ministry was a “church”).
Let’s hope people question why this “church” and “pastor” will not be transparent about what they are really doing with the money.
I was a member there from 1996-2002. It is nowhere near what it was then in terms of attendance; the only people who attend there have swallowed the Flavor-Aid big time and care not one bit about sound doctrine or anything else.
If any organization or company is not 100% transparent in its financial affairs, it is a red flag. When it regards DONATIONS and it refuses to be 100% transparent it is an even bigger red flag.
Satan loves everything about darkness including LACK OF TRANSPARENCY which by definition means COVERING UP and HIDING.
Well done to this film maker for trying to shine a LIGHT and EXPOSE darkness.
I think he is really looking for attention. Don’t know this pastor or church, but the congregants should be aware of salaries and housing. Lots of judging going on here.
“But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?” Phillip, looks like you are literally playing Devil’s advocate here.
I am in favor of ending the 501(c)(3) status for all churches. Additionally, several years ago para-church organizations were able to claim church status and not have to file a 990 form thereby keeping the public from knowing how much money they take in and what they pay their top employees.
Also, during the COVID years the Federal government gave out PPP “loans” that were actually handouts of taxpayer dollars which were forgiven if the recipient met a few requirements. Chances are your evangelical church gladly took the cash. Ed Young’s church took $3,040,690.00. The money was received on 3-12-2021 and was totally forgiven.
My thanks to Nathan Apffel and anyone else working to expose financial corruption within the Evangelical Industrial Complex.
I used to be a member of that church from 1996 until 2002. When they were meeting in Irving, they disclosed some budget information, but nothing in terms of how much any pastor (Ed or anyone else) was paid. Once they moved to Grapevine, they stopped providing ANY financial or budget data.
While the average person pays 7.5% to Social Security, a pastor, in most cases is considered self-employed and pays 15%. Therefore, there are some perks that ministers get. As far as his lavish lifestyle? Who do you think gives him his “exorbitant” salary? His church members, especially the Finance Committee, and the Personnel Committee. The membership has allowed him to enrich himself off of preaching the Gospel. Blame them, too. “I have found the enemy, and he is me.”
Keep up the good work Nathan.
I’m sure his series will cover this, but it’s worth noting the increasing number of christian para-church organizations that are attempting to be classified as “Churches” in order to avoid having to file a 990.
The tax rules for churches in the USA are a joke. Unlike most other countries Churches can pay no taxes and are required to supply virtually no evidence that they are a “public good” all while being legally allowed to hide most of their financial information. It’s the best game in town for entertainers who want to start a tax-free business.
The Bible does have something to say about rich men like this Mr. Young. Jesus brother James,
“Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?”
It was not Young who was arrested now, was it? Was it not he running from legitimate questions? And he who had the one asking those questions arrested, and now pressing charges? Nothing at all has changed in 2 millennia. It was the rich and powerful “men of God” that were so jealous of the Son of God that they too had Him arrested and even killed. Prophets still exist and the rich and powerful despise them just like they despise Jesus while loving Mammon.
I’m so grateful to you for covering this. This is so important. Great article.
Let’s not give a filmmaker so much credit. He is a sensationalist. If he showed up at my church for any reason on a Sunday with equipment, he would be asked to leave and I would be glad of it. There are better ways to expose corruption. I disagree with his approach, especially if he is indeed a believer.
“TRR asked Fellowship whether the church discloses its audits or ministers’ housing allowances to its congregation, but the church did not respond.” Anymore, asking to see a church’s financial statement is met with blank stares or that look of shock (how dare you!). When I worked for a county agency, everybody’s salary was posted in a local newspaper every year. They may have given a salary range for each job, but it was enough information to see what was going on.