(Opinion) About a week has passed since El Informe Roys (TRR) published an article, revealing that disgraced G3 Founder Josh Buice used a fake account to email allegations about Voddie Baucham to TRR. And despite Buice issuing a statement recanting his allegations, the Buice scandal—and the questions Buice raised about Baucham’s 2021 GoFundMe—are not going away.
The main reason for the lingering questions is that the two men who could refute the allegations—Baucham and Founders Ministries President Tom Ascol—have failed to produce any documentation showing how the funds were spent. Instead, they and their allies have tried to shame those of us asking questions, which is incredibly hypocritical, given that Founders Ministries claims to support reform in the church.
Ascol organized the 2021 GoFundMe campaign for “Voddie Baucham’s Medical Expense Fund” that raised more than $1.4 million. In his email to TRR, Buice claimed that Baucham’s operation would have cost a cash patient “no more than $300,000,” calling into question what happened with the remaining $1.1 million.
TRR has repeatedly reached out to both Ascol and Baucham, requesting documentation on how the $1.4 million was spent, but neither has replied.
However, the day after our article published, G3 posted a statement by Buice recanting his allegations.
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Yet, in his statement, Buice claimed to have exculpatory evidence he apparently did not have. Buice said he met privately with Baucham and that his previous accusations “proved to be unfounded.”
However, according to Southern Baptist pastor and G3 board member Tom Buck, Buice’s meeting with Baucham preceded TRR’s publication of the email containing Buice’s allegations. And prior to publication, only TRR had possession of the email, and Buice apparently had not yet admitted what he’d done.
“When Josh met with Voddie, the email below was not yet discovered,” Buck posted on X. “So, Josh has not yet repented to Voddie for going to Roys to get her to investigate him. In fact, he never told Voddie that he had done this wicked act.”
This begs the question: If Buice and Baucham didn’t discuss the allegations concerning Baucham’s GoFundMe, which it appears they did not, how can Buice claim the allegations “proved to be unfounded”?
It seems in its rush to extricate itself from an embarrassing situation, G3 published a very misleading statement, further undermining the credibility of an organization already in crisis.
Making matters worse, Daily Wire reporter Megan Basham launched a campaign to defend Baucham with the stunning claim that donors have no right to know how their GoFundMe donations were spent.
“(H)ow @VoddieBaucham used funds donated in love when he was facing heart failure and had to have quadruple bypass . . . is nobody’s business, provided they weren’t used in an immoral way (and there’s been zero evidence of that),” Basham posted on X.
This is a shocking claim from a member of the Fourth Estate, whose purpose is to act as a watchdog holding public figures and institutions accountable. It’s also ironic, given Basham’s controversial book, “Shepherds for Sale,” aims to show that financial incentives have corrupted certain Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) leaders.
The irony was not lost on former Christian talk radio host and journalist Janet Mefferd, who posted on X: “Josh Buice brought up info in his tip that Voddie hasn’t refuted. Now you and your friends demand people stop asking questions about whether Josh’s concerns have any merit? Rather weird take from the self-appointed prophetess on ‘SBC financial subversion.’”
Josh Buice brought up info in his tip that Voddie hasn’t refuted. Now you and your friends demand people stop asking questions about whether Josh’s concerns have any merit?
Rather weird take from the self-appointed prophetess on “SBC financial subversion.” https://t.co/SnfY0QH3Fp pic.twitter.com/gZuUckPItW— Janet Mefferd (@Janet_Mefferd) May 17, 2025
Another G3 author, Owen Strachan, took Basham’s position a bit further, stating that the funds given to Baucham were his to use however he wished.
“I don’t know any details (none),” Strachan stated, “but if he did end up with a little left over to care for his health and huge family, praise God for that. God’s people gave to him. They didn’t do so with strings attached. They did so in love and trust . . .”
However, this is an untenable position that contradicts GoFundMe’s policy.
Under a section for organizers, GoFundMe’s website states, “You are responsible for describing on your Fundraiser how funds will be used, and ensuring the funds raised are only used for that specific purpose.”
After I posted to X what I believe to be an indisputable maxim—that anyone who solicits funds from the public should be willing to produce receipts for how the money was spent—Basham attacked me personally.
“There’s a reason 1 Tim 5:13 warns of idle women going from house to house stiffing up gossip,” Basham posted on X. “Today, some do this under the guise of journalism.
“But being a reporter does not give you a right to go around demanding individuals open their personal records to you any time you feel like bothering them when there’s been no hint of impropriety.
“That’s not reporting, it’s just being a busybody.”
However, no one is asking Baucham to open his personal records. We’re simply asking for an accounting of how the funds raised from the public were spent.
And the repeated attempts to attack those asking questions have only made Baucham’s failure to produce documentation more suspicious.
It’s also revealed the gross tribalism in evangelicalism, where people like Basham betray their duty as a journalist and go to extreme lengths to protect those in their own tribe.
This public campaign has only enabled Baucham and Ascol to evade transparency and accountability and to paint me as the villain. This is something Baucham and Ascol’s Reformed tribe is all too eager to do, given my damning investigations, showing that their hero, John MacArthur, repeatedly protected pedophiles y punished their victims.
But this is incredibly sad, especially given the crises in the evangelical church. Rather than trying to intimidate people into silence, true reformers should be demanding accountability.
This is something “Jay the Baptist,” an X account for someone who describes himself as “always reforming but not Reformed,” noted.
“Still somewhat amused that the ‘reform the SBC / we demand transparency in spending / audit the Cooperative Program’ crowd has absolutely locked arms together (Hi Owen S!) to insist that there is absolutely nothing suspicious about the misuse of 1.4 million of THEIR dollars,” he wrote.
Still somewhat amused that the “reform the SBC / we demand transparency in spending / audit the Cooperative Program” crowd has absolutely locked arms together (Hi Owen S!) to insist that there is absolutely nothing suspicious about the misuse of 1.4 million of THEIR dollars. https://t.co/KB9pGs2a9E
— Jay the Baptist (@geekyguyjay) May 19, 2025
Yet, just today I received an email Baucham sent to his supporters. And once again, instead of producing evidence showing how he spent the $1.4 million given to him, he attacked me.
“Julie Roys decided to publish (Buice’s) most slanderous accusations, which she knew were sent to her through one of Josh’s fake email accounts,” Baucham wrote. “She published them with zero evidence and no independent verification, confirmation, or corroboration.”
Baucham’s email is deceptive. Though it’s true I published Buice’s email containing the allegations, our article made it clear that Buice’s elders had put him on leave for using fake accounts to spread allegations they deemed slanderous. So, it was in that context that we revealed Buice’s email.
Baucham also doesn’t mention that we received the allegations against Baucham in December but didn’t do anything with them for five months because they came from an anonymous account. It was only after Buice’s elders confirmed the email account belonged to Buice that we published the allegations because now the email was part of the scandal involving Buice’s use of fake accounts.
Still, before we published, we reached out to Buice, Baucham, and Ascol—repeatedly. They were given ample opportunity to respond but did not. And now, after a week, they still have not responded—other than to impugn me.
This behavior is not typical of people who have nothing to hide. I would still like to believe that’s the case. But the longer this drags out—and the more Baucham’s allies say Baucham was free to spend the money however he wanted—the more suspicious this entire situation looks.
So, I am publicly asking both Ascol and Baucham to disclose what happened to the more than $1.4 million they raised. This is basic accountability. And it’s something every honest minister of the gospel should welcome.
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.
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68 Responses
Years ago when General Flynn was being attacked by the deep state and experiencing ‘law-fare’, Mark Levin asked his listeners to send $$ to help this honorable, decorated veteran pay for those legal expenses. Its MY responsibility to research whom I send my money to, given that it belongs to the Lord in the first place. If I send it to a person of bad character the fault is mine for not doing proper (spiritual) vetting. Once it leaves my hands, it is no longer mine. You people who love this kind of digital gossip about Voddie are no better than the verbal kind and as such, are due your just rewards (and no, I am NOT a Calvinist, I left that cult years ago.)
Steven, Voddie’s own people (i.e. Buice) were the first to ask about how the money was spent. The fact that Voddie can’t satisfy his own people on this issue is the crux of the issue, making things appear suspicious. I get your point, but if someone is truly a servant of the Lord, they should be willing to be transparent about a large amount of donated money. It wasn’t given to him because he personally is so wonderful, it’s because he serves a wonderful Lord. Does that make sense? When he delivers an amazing sermon, it’s because God gave him that content, because God is amazing. He’s leveraging God’s person and truth and it shouldn’t be leveraged for himself, more than his actual needs. If a Board says, “We reviewed Voddie’s needs and agree that this money was appropriated well” then everything is ok. They should just address the issue so he is above reproach.
This is funny, you mean the Flynn who regularly uses the lords name in vain? The one who had to be pardoned for his crimes?
Crazy. I worked for a Christian charity in the UK – it’s standard charity commission practice for donors to ask and have the right to know how any giving/donating was used and how it was spent. It should legally be spent on what the donor understood they gave it for, and as a Christian I’d assume that providing that information was fair and normal and a way to honour God with accountability, honesty and transparency. Only people who have something to hide would hide it.
I don’t know what Pastor Baucham’s costs were, or what was leftover. I do know that when I gave recently to a musician I enjoy who lost everything in the Altadena-Pasadena fires, his daughter, who set up the account, repeatedly gave updates on exactly how the money was being used. She also described how once the goal was met, the extra $$ went to other’s in that community who needed assistance. I know I felt very grateful for that information, and considered it a sign of integirty. I hope I would do the same.
Pastors job description…
1. Asking for money
2. Being creative when asking for
money
3. Asking for money while also
rationising wants as opposed to
genuine needs.
Just to be clear:
1. Give with NO strings attached or its already corrupted, upon the giver.
2. Due to the generosity of ‘saints’ my “cup runneth over.”
i.e. Voddies cup?
3. To a gray-hair, much of those criticisms of Voddie actually sound like jealousy. Just sayin…
Corporate Christianity has huge problems. One being that what suits secular corporations also suits church heavy hitters. The Scripture’s ordinance about avoiding all appearance of evil can be ignored. Contracting with Go Fund Me has stipulations about honesty and transparency which should have been adhered to.
“…taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift; for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.”
– 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 NASB
Since the funds were raised thru GoFundMe, they need to follow GoFundMe’s rules and disclose how the funds were used.
If they had just asked for donations outright, I don’t think they are required to disclose that information.
Julie Roys. I don’t understand. You put in so much work on your investigations of John MacArthur. You listed his real estate holdings, when his supporters said that he lived simply in the same house for decades. When Eileen Gray came forward, you interviewed her in depth and published her supporting documents, as well as gave links of Mac Arthur chastising and then disfellowshipping her on YouTube. You published other documentations in another case when he minimized the molestation of a girl by her father. You did follow up on an elder in MacArthur’s church who was also a lawyer who looked into the Gray case and told the elder board and MacArthur that MacArthur had been wrong in the original support of her husband, who went to prison for his crimes.
Yet, when it comes to Voddie Baucham, you have allegations and no investigation. If he misused the money, where is your investigation that reflects this? What did he buy instead of paying for his surgery and recovery and support of his family while ill?
Because it’s an ongoing investigation. It’s kept in the dark until it comes out. If it goes public, then the perpetrator will hide as much as possible.
Excellent article Julie,
Unfortunately nothing about this surprises me. The evangelical industrial complex is going to take any chance it can to make a buck and it feels absolutely no responsibility to inform the sheep it’s fleecing.
I do think however that you’re incorrect in one respect. Megan Basham is not a journalist. She’s a pundit on a very specific team.
If any of the people she attached in her most recent book had accepted 1.4 million dollars for a $300k operation, she’d be dragging them over the coals in as many conservative outlets as her schedule could accommodate.
The same goes for the rest of the crew defending Voddie’s actions and lack of accountability.
The questions won’t go away and they shouldn’t.
Keep on asking.
According to Voddie Baucham on the GoFundMe site, the heart problem was arrhythmias at 2 sites. These are treated by ablation, not open heart surgery. This is not what was originally thought to be the problem. Ablation is done via catheter through a peripheral artery, like an angiogram or a stent placement. Much less invasive, much simpler, less hospitalisation, quicker recovery, and $1.4 million is an excessive cost for this. God’s money donated by God’s people requires good stewardship and transparency over use. Keep asking questions!
Susan Keam, Baucham did have a procedure in February to treat the arrhythmias and afterward Mayo Clinic was hopeful that this would fix his problem with heart failure. However, by April it became evident that the procedure was not enough. They ended up performing a quadruple bypass surgery.
Voddie Bauchman is said to have a net worth of around 2.1 million dollars. Why do Christian Pastors need to be millionaires? I just don’t get it, Jesus had no place to rest his head. These millionaire pastors are a joke. Modern day Christianity has taken the broad road. I won’t follow any of these celebrity pastors thank you very much, I’ll readmy Bible and pray for the LORD’s soon return.
$300K seems like an inflated estimated amount in my personal opinion. Someone I know had the same surgery (CABG coronary bypass) as Baucham a few years ago and the cash cost without discount was $50K. Your article on Baucham’s fundraising incident reminded me of your email reply to my email (4/11/2021) – in the days when you used to reply to emails.
Hola julio,
Thank you for your thoughtful article and for the opportunity to engage in a discussion in the comments section. I noticed a donation request at the end of the piece, inviting support for your ministry.
In the spirit of fairness and transparency, may I kindly ask whether you or your Board would be open to sharing how much has been received in donations and how those funds have been used to support the ministry?
Thank you in advance for your time and consideration
Yes, you will find our IRS 990 tax forms posted at the bottom of our donate page with details on our financials, as well as a financial review by a 3rd party auditing firm. https://julieroys.com/donate/
Many years back in my neck of the woods, a specific ministry and community service was proposed and initial funds were provided by a number of faithful people. This was officially recorded.
The community service however terminated in a short period of time due to issues that were not related to ethical failure or competency.
As a result, ALL Money was officially reimbursed to the original contributors that gave money for a specfic service that did not eventuate, full stop.
Not rocket science. 🤔