For decades, John MacArthur has railed on prosperity preachers, likening them to “greed mongerers” who led First Century cults.
Recently, he’s also taken aim at scandal-plagued evangelical leaders, like the late apologist Ravi Zacharias and former Hillsong Pastor Carl Lentz, saying these celebrities were in ministry only for the money. That’s why “liars and frauds and false teachers” are in business, MacArthur said in a recent sermon. “False teachers always do it for the same reason—filthy lucre, money.”
Yet according to financial statements and tax forms obtained by The Roys Report, John MacArthur and his family preside over a religious media and educational empire that has over $130 million in assets and generates more than $70 million a year in tax-free revenue.
MacArthur and his family and related companies have been paid more than $12.8 million from ministry and donor funds. And MacArthur owns three luxury homes worth millions.
In one year alone, MacArthur made more than $402,000 for part-time work at his broadcast ministry, Grace to You (GTY), and another $103,000 from The Master’s University and Seminary (TMUS). This was in addition to MacArthur’s salary from the megachurch he pastors, Grace Community Church, as well as book royalties and speaking fees.
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Also, in a scenario very similar to Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM), the board of GTY has been stacked for decades with MacArthur family members. Like RZIM, GTY also stopped filing IRS 990 tax forms in 2015, which enabled the ministry to keep executive salaries secret.
Grace Community Church (GCC) refuses to release its financial statements in violation of a core standard of the Evangelical Council on Financial Accountability (ECFA) of which Grace was a member.
When I contacted the ECFA about GCC, Compliance Team Lead Jake Lapp replied that the ECFA requires its members to provide a copy of their current financial statements upon written request. He added, “We have been in communication with the church regarding this requirement and expect you will hear a response soon.”
That was 10 months ago.
To date, I have not heard back from GCC, even after emailing the church again to request financial statements. However, I recently learned that GCC resigned from the ECFA less than two weeks after Lapp contacted the church about complying with ECFA standards.*
I also reached out to Grace Church elder and GTY executive director, Phil Johnson, inquiring about some of these matters. Johnson responded that some of the information I requested is “a matter of public record. A real journalist would know that.” (The composition of GTY’s board is publicly available; the answers to my other questions were not.)
Johnson further stated that his email, dated March 23, 2020, would be “the last correspondence you will receive from me. Nor will anyone who speaks for our ministry ever answer questions for you regarding any story you intend to write.”
MacArthur’s Millions in Homes
MacArthur first came under fire for his money in 2014, when several bloggers published MacArthur’s salaries, calling them “reprehensible” and noting that MacArthur “earns more than the president of the United States.”
In response, Phil Johnson posted a statement at the Sharper Iron website, defending his boss’ salary (see “MacArthur’s Salary” below).
Johnson also argued that “(MacArthur’s) lifestyle, not his income, is what biblically-minded people should look at if they want to evaluate his character.”
He added that MacArthur “has lived in the same house for the past 35+ years” and owns only one car.
“(N)o one who actually sees how John lives has ever accused him of self-indulgence or even thought in their wildest dreams to describe him as a lover of money,” Johnson stated.
While it is true that MacArthur has lived in his home in Santa Clarita, California, since the 1980s, the property is worth 1.5 million, which is more than twice the median value of homes in the area.
The five-bedroom, four-bath house sits on more than two acres and includes a tennis court and a swimming pool. The home also is not John MacArthur’s only residence.
Since 1996, MacArthur has also owned a $700,000 villa about an hour west of Santa Clarita, according to a document The Roys Report obtained from the Ventura County Tax Assessor’s office.
The three-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home is located next to a world class private club with a championship golf course, tennis courts, pool, and fine dining. The home also is just 11 miles from the beach.
MacArthur’s third and largest home—a seven-bedroom, 7.5-bathroom ranch on five acres in Colorado Springs—was built in 2007, according to El Paso County records.
The property was given to Circle M Ranch—a limited liability limited partnership (LLLP) owned by John and Patricia MacArthur—by David Wismer Sr.
Wismer is a longtime member of TMUS’ Board of Directors and has also served as TMUS Board secretary.
I spoke with Wismer and he told me that in 2007, MacArthur approached him, expressing that he wanted to build a home in Colorado Springs. Wismer said he owns a 2,600-acre ranch in Colorado Springs and was happy to give five acres to MacArthur as a gift.
Wismer said MacArthur then built a home (valued around $800,000) on the Colorado property using his own funds.
MacArthur’s Salary
From 2005—2015, MacArthur made about $3.4 million in compensation from GTY and TMUS, for an average of about $320,000/year.
On top of that, MacArthur also took a salary from Grace Community Church that was “well within the upper-medium range” for California church employees, according to Johnson’s 2014 statement.
This puts MacArthur’s annual combined salary at an estimated half-million dollars most years. And in 2012, when he was paid an especially high salary and benefits from GTY, MacArthur’s salary likely pushed three-quarters of a million dollars.
In Johnson’s 2014 statement, he explained that MacArthur’s “salary and benefits” topped $400,000 in the fiscal year ending in 2012 because the GTY Board gave MacArthur a “rare 1st-edition KJB” that year. The Bible, Johnson said, was a “one-time gift capping 40 years of faithful ministry.”
In addition, Johnson stated that “Grace to You paid John MacArthur zero salary or benefits for the first 30+ years of our ministry’s existence.”
However, this statement does not match the facts.
According to a GTY 990 from 2002—the earliest 990 The Roys Report was able to obtain—MacArthur made $88,336 that year. This was just 16 years after GTY was founded, not 30.
According ECFA, GTY was founded in 1986. (The GTY website says GTY became a nonprofit in the early 1980s.)
It’s possible that Johnson was dating GTY’s beginning to the first year MacArthur was pastor of Grace Community Church (1969). That’s when a volunteer reportedly began recording MacArthur’s messages and giving them to members of the congregation who were too ill to attend. But the ministry didn’t even have a name back then and likely didn’t require any extra hours of MacArthur.
I reached out to Johnson to explain the apparent contradiction, but he did not respond.
Also, in his 2014 statement, Johnson stated that sometime after 2000, the GTY board “made a deliberate decision to pay (MacArthur) a full salary rather than a diminished wage that was arbitrarily curtailed based on the fact that he has other income.”
While it’s true that MacArthur received a huge increase in his GTY salary in 2003 (72%), MacArthur never worked full-time hours at GTY. MacArthur’s GTY hours varied each year from 10 to 30 hours per week, according to the organization’s own 990s.
Yet the hours MacArthur claimed to work each year seem to bear little relation to the salary he received. For example, in 2007, MacArthur claimed to work 20 hours per week at GTY and received $174,191. In 2008, he reportedly worked 10 hours per week and received nearly as much—$177,083.
Similarly, MacArthur’s hours at TMUS varied from 10 hours to 40 hours per week from 2005—2015 and didn’t necessarily correspond to the amount he was paid.
MacArthur logged a tremendous number of hours for GTY and TMUS, especially considering that he also worked as pastor of GCC. In one year, 2012, MacArthur reportedly worked a combined 60 hours a week at GTY and TMUS. This was in addition to the time he spent pastoring GCC, a church with an average attendance of more than 8,000 people.
Below is a chart compiled by The Roys Report, showing both the hours MacArthur claimed and the salaries he received for the years analyzed.
(Though it is not documented below, Phil Johnson received between $160,000 and $238,927 per year between 2005—2015 for his role at GTY. He also received a no-interest loan of $50,000 from the ministry for the purchase of a home, which was fully forgiven over a five-year period.)
A Family Affair
On its website, the ECFA states, “When a ministry encounters failure—or even worse, scandal—its difficulties can almost always be traced to a breakdown in governance.”
A key characteristic of good governance, according to the ECFA, is maintaining “the reality, not just the appearance of independent board governance.” The ECFA considers board members to be independent if they are not related by blood or employees of the organization.
For decades, though, two of MacArthur’s sons have served on GTY’s board along with their father. Phil Johnson, a key GTY employee, has also served on the board for many years.
Since 2002, the GTY board has ranged in size from eight to 12 members. So at times, as many as half of the board was either a MacArthur or an employee under John MacArthur.
One of MacArthur’s sons, Matthew MacArthur, remains on the board and has been listed on every 990 since 2002 as the treasurer of GTY.
MacArthur’s other son, Mark MacArthur, is also listed on every 990 since 2002 as a GTY board member.
In February 2020, Mark MacArthur was charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission with defrauding clients in a $16 million investment scheme. As late as August 2020, Mark MacArthur was still listed on GTY’s website as a board member. Mark MacArthur is not listed as a board member today.
In his 2014 statement, Johnson stated that board members “with blood relationships or employment connections to John MacArthur recuse themselves from salary decisions.”
However, it’s not just John MacArthur who is potentially benefitting from his sons’ and Johnson’s presence on the board. GTY has also paid MacArthur’s son-in-law, Kory Welch, and companies Welch owns, millions over the years, as has TMUS.
Millions to Kory Welch
In 2008, Welch was an employee of GTY, making $83,677 as director of television broadcasting. Welch, who’s married to MacArthur’s daughter, Melinda Welch, also was enjoying a $20,000 no-interest home loan with total debt forgiveness from GTY.
In 2008, there were no other contractors providing video production services for GTY, according to the organization’s 990s.
The next year, however, Welch began working for GTY as a video production contractor through a company Welch had formed two years earlier, called The Welch Group. In 2009, GTY paid The Welch Group $741,000 for “post-production services”—nearly 10 times what GTY had paid Welch the year before.
Since then, GTY has paid either The Welch Group or Dorma Productions (another small company Welch owns) between $659,000—$790,000 per year for a combined $8.3 million between 2009—2019.
Another company owned by Welch, called WeKreative, has also received more than $1 million in contract work from TMUS. From 2016 through 2019, TMUS paid WeKreative nearly $1.1 million for “marketing, public relations, and video production services,” according to TMUS audit reports and 990s.
During this time (in 2018 and 2019), TMUS also employed Welch as its COO, and for a time as its chief marketing officer, for which Welch received more than $138,000 in salary and benefits.
TMUS did not respond to requests for comment about Welch’s contract work or the potential conflict of interest concerning his positions at TMUS.
In addition to these jobs and positions, Welch is the CEO of The John MacArthur Charitable Trust (formerly The Master’s Grace Fund). This is a California nonprofit created “to support various ministries of John MacArthur, according to GTY’s 2019 financial statement.”
The sole member of The John MacArthur Charitable Trust is GTY and GTY elects a majority of the trust’s board. The trust does not file 990s, so it is not known if it pays Welch a salary for his services.
Money & Ministry
“You show me a person who preaches the money gospel, the money message, the wealth message—I’ll show you a person who has been corrupted by the love of money.”
So said John MacArthur in a 1987 sermon.
MacArthur added that he “never ever wanted to be in a position to look at ministry with a price tag.” That’s why, MacArthur said, he never asks for money when he preaches at other churches. “That is just too overwhelming a problem for my flesh to deal with.”
Yet clearly, MacArthur takes plenty of money from his own ministries. And though MacArthur may have never preached the prosperity gospel—a gospel that promises health and wealth—his income and portfolio looks an awful lot like those who do.
MacArthur may be America’s anti-prosperity gospel preacher, but his life, and the life of his family members, appears to be quite prosperous—and he seemingly has his ministries to thank.
*UPDATE: The original version of this story did not report that GCC had resigned from ECFA. Also, the aerial picture of MacArthur’s Colorado home has been changed. The original photo was of a nearby property, but not MacArthur’s.
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508 Responses
The World, the Church and Laodiceanism
https://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/library/booklet/id/452/world-church-laodiceanism.htm
How much do you make Roys? Where is your prayers for this man if (and a big if) he is using money unwisley. Where is the Bible verse that proves this? You attack without the Word of God. Do you hate Macarthur? If you say yes that is not biblical. If it is no, your actions do not speak this way. Even your words are not proving it. Which is your answer. Macarthur; has he not taught acording to the Word of God. You are saying someone is sinning without proving it acording yo the Word of God. What is sin without the Word of God to tell us. Do you not use money unwisley. Have you not lied, stolen, lusted, dishonored your parents, worship carved images (T.V, phones, anything put ahead of God). Last I checked every man and women sin even Macarthur and even you. Last I checked also having money is not a sin. You have sinned, I have sinned. Can you say I am wrong? Do you not have money? do you not spend a lot on things? Say Macarthurs sin in context with the Word of God. You have proven nothing acording to the word of God.
You’re asking me to provide commentary, which I do not do in my news pieces. I present the facts and you can discern for yourself. However, I will say that your line of questioning is concerning. Are you suggesting that because all of us sin, pastors should not be expected to meet the qualifications outlined in Scripture? (“An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not dependent on wine, not violent but gentle, peaceable, and free of the love of money.” 1 Tim. 3:2-3)
As for how much I make… Unlike MacArthur, I fully disclose what my ministry pays me. It is published in a document posted to our donate page. Here’s the link: https://julieroys.com/2019-2020-financial-statement/
I think you misunderstand the purpose of news stories. They are not to provide commentary or to prove that someone has sinned. They are to report the facts and allow the reader to draw his/her own conclusions. As for charge against me, that I love money, do you have any evidence to support that? If not, you should retract that statement.
Great ministry. Thank you for your pursuit of truth.
Hi Ms. Roys,
You don’t have an easy job. I couldn’t do it. I care too much what others think. You have a ministry holding con-artists accountable. It is an enormous and burgeoning field and what you are doing is desperately needed. This stuffed shirt should be elated that he hasn’t dropped over dead in one heart beat like his role models Ananias and Sapphira.
Mac is a classic fraud. He is above rules and regs now. He’s too powerful now, he knows, to worry that he’ll be disgraced. A love for money truly is a root of all kinds of evil.
Thanks for lighting a fire under his shorts. To be restored, all he must do is LOVE GOD WITH ALL HE IS.
Dear Heavenly Father, save this sinner from himself
Winner, nothing in this comment actually addresses the allegations being made. You’re deflecting back onto the author of this article instead. You seem defensive. I personally have learned from John MacArthur, but these financial dealings are not transparent or ethical. He needs to respond to this material and rectify the situation.
What is wrong with John MacArthur being wealthy?
I do not attend GTY, nor have I attended TMUS, and I do not financially support these ministries. While I disagree with John on a number of teachings, I hold him in very high regard, and believe this piece is unfair and does not provide as much context as it should to be a true work of journalism.
The bible is clear that we are to doubly honor those that bring us the word of God, and in the Greek, honor spoken of hear is where we get honorarium. Add doubly to it, and we can clearly see that if is a generosity we provide our pastors, or are supposed to. A workman is worthy of his hire. Do not muzzle the ox while he is threshing the floor.
Having said that, money is never to be the reason to be in ministry, and I am 100% certain that McArthur is not motivated by money. Making an issue out of a home he bought 33 years ago that has gone up in value in a part of the country where home prices are well above the national average is only intended to emote anger at him. What is your real agenda here?
Without laboring much more here, the author provided no scripture to make her points, which is disturbing especially since it has a “ministry” slant to it, and decided that a man who works insane hours, especially for his age, brings in many more millions for the thousands he receives from 3 separate entities, and leads ministries that change lives globally, is the same as the charlatans whose sole purpose is to get people to give them their money, is cruel, dishonest, agenda-driven, and demonstrates a really shallow heart.
Couldn’t have said it better.
I would rather listen to JM than some of the nonsense I hear and I’m happy to pay because I believe a man who clearly studied the word deserves his income, I’m sure if you asked him to give it away and God told him to he would I’m sure if you asked him to work for a year and God told him to he would and finally I never heard him once ask for money unlike this posting the first thing I saw was ‘Donate’ the kettle calling the pot black as we say in the U.K. Oh for some good men to spring up in our hungry country Thanks JM I learn so much from you
Nothing in what I’ve written indicates that I think taking donations is wrong. However, being transparent about how those donations are being spent is critically important. Unlike GTY & GCC, The Roys Report discloses everything, including how much I am paid: https://julieroys.com/2019-2020-financial-statement/
Julie Roys
I firmly disagree with your written perspective towards John MacArthur. Especially where you spoke on his home’s value nearly double the median of the area. I think you owe an apology, and have thrown shade where the man has literally given his entire life to ministry and preaching the gospel. So what if he makes 500k a year? Phil even told you he drives one car and anyone that knows him would not at all label him a lover of money. To group him with other pastors who have had sexual fallouts from ministry is hard to read.
I’ve liked your other articles but with respect I am really disappointed in this one.
God bless you,
brad
Do you have information indicating his home isn’t worth nearly double the median value of homes in the area? Phil’s statement was deceptive, as you surely can see. Does that not concern you?
I did not call MacArthur a lover of money. I reported what he’s taking from his ministries and the facts concerning his lifestyle. You can decide. You also can evaluate his decision to give millions to his son-in-law and stacking the board with family members and a key employee. If you don’t have a problem with that, that’s your prerogative. But I think those who donate have a right to know how MacArthur’s ministries operate.
Thank you for this! Others are not ready to deal with the reality of who J-Mac’s wealthy lifestyle. I’ve seen several comments about referencing your lack of scripture in this article, but any true believer should know what the Word says about men like MacArthur, Zacahrias, and Furtick, men who turn JESUS’S HOUSE (NOT John MacArthur’s) into a den of robbers.
It is startling to see interest free loans of $50K and multiple $750+ homes belonging to J-Mac. I am disgusted by the hypocrisy in his message and his lifestyle. Has he never heard of the rich young ruler. What is more disturbing though, is the several hundreds of individuals saying we shouldn’t scrutinize J-Mac because he is a man of God. This is absurd. For the very reason that he purports to be a man of God is the reason that we SHOULD scrutinize him! By his own word, we are to call out one another when we sin. This lavish lifestyle of his is just that, GLUTTONY! He is guilty of IMPARTIALITY also with the hiring of his own son’s and their lofty salaries.
I’ve always felt something was off about MacArthur. When he speaks, I hear a knowledge of God, but his heart just doesn’t seem like he loves the Jesus. I’ve heard him dismissive of Beth Moore, dismissive of the plight of other “ethnic” groups (since he and Voddie Baucham think “race” is unbiblical), and wholly dismissive of Donald Trump’s outright arrogance and lack of repentance for sexual sin. And yet, so many pack his pews week after week, thinking that he, along with his crony Phil Johnson (who loves the staunch racist R.L. Dabney’s writings), are the sole arbiters of truth and that their way of exegeting scripture is the only way. Well, please Dr. MacArthur, tell me where it says that you are to store up several homes for yourself in the Scriptures??? WHERE?!?! Also, please look into his statements about knowing Medgar Evers brother, because I read an article from Medgar Evers’s brother that this simply is not true! He didn’t even know who Johnny Mac was!
I hope Dr. MacArthur repents, sales his properties for a modest home within the community, and gives the money away to a non-GTY, gospel center charitable organization like John and Noel Piper have always done! In fact, John Piper doesn’t even touch his book royalties! They go directly to his non-profit, which doesn’t belong to him, but to Desiring God. Right now, if you go to Desiring God, you can find a PDF version of just about every book Piper has written and download it for FREE! I am praying for Dr. MacArthur’s swift, structured repentance in the arena of money.
Again, thank you Julie for holding men like J-Mac and RZ accountable. Using God’s Word for self gain is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!
I just now became aware of this ministry of truth.
It makes me wonder if I cam get my story out there.
I have long noticed there is no grace left for anyone at Grace Church. It’s a shame.
Know those who labour among us and are over us in The Lord.
esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake.
Be at peace among ourselves.
1st Thessalonians 5:12-13.
Things are very different here in the UK and I don’t pretend to have a dog in the fight. However there are many things to consider because brother John is a prominent minister of The Gospel. Personally my instinct is to pray for him and also for the producer of this article. In both instances, motive makes all the difference. If not with us, certainly with The Lord. God bless.
Amen Brother
I think that some ought to remember that The Lord reads the comments :-)
JohnnyMac attacks so-called prosperity preachers, saying that we need to “deny ourselves.” while using the same moneymaking mechanisms.
He also refuses to come under ECFA financial accountability, while “prosperity preacher” Joyce Meyer DOES submit accounts to ECFA.
Jmac better do a hypocrisy check. Best to clean up your own house first if you want to attack others on financial prosperity.
John McArthur is a great man of God and a great teacher of the word of God. His motive is undoubtedly and clearly the word of God and the gospel and not money.
He has served the cause dilligently for decades, so he deserves to live a comfortable life. It is no sin and does not reflect poorly on him. It is easily trumped by his deeds and his preaching.
There is no doubt of his motives, and the fact that he has a prosperous and powerful church organisation is just proof of his hard work for the Lord.
He is a hypocrite to say the least. You cant compare him with John piper, a true man of God.
Our Pastor makes 5k a month while everyone in the church makes under 3k or less than $1k a month – why do you think people want to become a Pastor: the money is pretty sweet and it’s just the way it goes.
24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep
Faithful or false teachers, if you love the finer things in life, comfort and money then you are no different than the charlatans during Paul’s time profiting from the gospel that is not even yours, have no part in it and certainly didn’t die for it. It was and is Jesus’ gospel who even in his birth denied himself only to be borne in a lowly manger. shame on you for considering yourself entitled !!! Paul wouldn’t even dare.. he denied his right to support and ultimately died for the gospel, and you said you wanted to be like Paul. You will hardly hear JM and his elders do an exposition on Paul’s self-denial. JM was a faithful preacher and a very different man during the 70-80s. I noticed the change beginning in the 90’s to today. There is truly an absence of grace at Grace church for those who didn’t fully agree with JM and carefully isolated, even bullied, intimidated and jettisoned. In many ways, I believe he is a victim of the institutions and people around him who stood to gain much financially or even politically from his popularity. Oh ! how the mighty have fallen. “This world is not my home, Im just a passing thru…” well I guess if you need three homes, then this world IS your home. Thank you Julie for this article. More expose please !!!
Shame on you for even mentioning the word entitled. No one is is entitled to profit from the gospel. Paul would come close to it and YET he denied himself. my last check its not even yours, cost you nothing and very likely you wouldn’t die for. Shame shame shame !!! thank you JR
I believe some “Christian’s” exhibit in inherent desire to be a stumbling block to the church through writings such as these. It is my belief that Ms. Roys has found her calling and had firmly established her purpose in that concrete.
James, Julie is a journalist interested in exposing the truth. That is her calling. By the way, Jesus was also a stumbling block to people because of the truth He proclaimed.
It is difficult for a pastor to live in wealth above the rest of the hoi poloi and not be targeted by critical judgments. I am not judging him because he has been materially prosperous, But his position calls him to be “beyond reproach”. Its is fine to have wealth and do much good works by it, but he has to prove his love for God above all else by living modestly in a more modest home that he may be a shining example of a man who has wealth but live modestly and use his wealth only to do more good in God’s kingdom. Money , power and influence can corrupt anybody, preacher or not, he as a pastor must live circumspectly so as not to bring doubts and controversy to the body of Christ.
John MacArthur is not an anti prosperity preacher. He is against preachers who preach only health and wealth gospel, and deceive people into giving money to their ministries. A pastor or a minister is to preach the whole counsel of God and prosperity message is a part of it not heart of it. I have been blessed by God due to my giving to the work of God thru my church and various ministries.
This article really saddens me, because I have listened to MacArthur regularly and respected him as a man of God. However, I cannot deny the unmistakable fact that he seems to be living the very lifestyle that he has denounced over the years. The criticism of the usual list of prosperity preachers – Duplantis, Copeland, Meyer, etc.- seems rather hollow now. And I find some of his supporters here sound just like the defenders of those same notorious preachers. There is nothing wrong with a minister of the Lord having a nice home and possessions, but, in my opinion, your credibility takes a nose dive when the very lifestyle you rail against is the same one you are living. I’m not sure I will ever look at MacArthur again the way I did before I read this article. The love of money is, indeed, the root of all evil.
Sarah, did it say that JM loved money? He has written lots of books and gets royalties from them. He is in his 80’s and still works full time. Making money is not a sin and California is not like the rest of the US. I for one do not take everything Ms Roy’s says here as being without a bit of some bias she has against John MacArthur, though she denies it. Journalists do not always tell the truth, take a look around and we see lies all over the mainstream media. Do your own research into what JM preaches and rank him based on his life work not on how JR perceives his homes and wealth to be. Biblically, what wrong did she find?
I am astonished by the number of disingenuous arguments being used to defend MacArthur’s financial practice here. Wealth acquired honestly is not sinful, and nobody with any knowledge of the Bible claims this. So why all the straw men about David, Solomon, and “How much do YOU earn?”
Deal with the points of contention.
Is it ethical for GCC to refuse to disclose the salaries of board members? Is it ethical for MacArthur to prefer his own family and employees to be board members, rather than independent persons? Is it ethical for MacArthur to pay his son-in-law a staggering salary for video production work, and then send over $1 million worth of contracts in his direction while he also works at TMUS?
Is it ethical for MacArthur to claim 6 figure salaries for as little as 10 hours of work per week, in addition to other salaries claimed? Is it ethical for MacArthur to offer his executive director and his son interest-free loans which then get fully forgiven? Is it ethical for a minister to own 3 luxury homes, particularly when he preaches against pastors for loving money?
If you want to defend MacArthur, at least answer the *real* questions, not the ones you have invented.
The question is not whether he is making too much but rather, are they paying him ENOUGH? He is a renowned pastor of a large church, founder of a world class seminary and a large international media ministry. He lives in a high cost area with extremely high taxes. He has three homes but he has been working for 60+ years. The 1.5 million value of his primary home is based on the MARKET VALUE, not what he paid for it. If the reporting were honest, they would tell you what he paid for it originally. Real estate in CA goes nothing but up. Even in the financial crisis, real estate in CA stayed flat. Basically, he has made $250k-$500k for the last 20 years which is nothing in Los Angeles. To put it into perspective, the former middle-aged president of Liberty University has a net worth of $100 million and he lives in Virginia. Huge difference. Basically, this is a hit piece done by someone with no knowledge of finance whatsoever. Just because someone is smart, fortunate, or otherwise, doesn’t make them corrupt. Anyone with the slightest knowledge of finance would know this ain’t no Jim and Tammy Faye. Grow up, guys.
I disagree, any former or present business owner understands the games MacArthur is playing. It is obvious many of the people commenting did not read what Ms.Roy’s wrote or they did not understand what they read.
Until recently I had no idea of the degree of pastor and prophet worship in this country. Many of them are living like sultans and their followers bow down in worship. Read the comments on their YouTube videos. All praise and thanks for men and very little mention of God.
Paul denied himself the support that he was entitled to simply because he doesn’t want to be associated with the charlatans profiting from the gospel during his days. JM chose to profit from the gospel in the same way. The amount of wealth here is of no consequence, what matters is whether Paul’s teachings sank deep into him. Lets deal with the WHY and not the HOW MUCH. Now, whether you like it or not he has chosen to be in the same club. It was and his choice. More power JR.
The real story here is Kory. He is a gifted con artist who has positioned himself next to his mark and successfully siphoned millions from these ministries. It’s an open secret, and at least one GTY administrator was “sent out” because he raised questions about it. Keep digging, Julie. There’s much more. Ask the people who attended Wayside Chapel in Rosamond when Kory was the treasurer and his dad Leroy was the pastor.
John will make this about himself and say that Kory is coming under fire only because they’re really after him. He’ll label it “persecution” because that’s what accountability looks like to him after so many years of having none. Meanwhile Kory will continue to skim off the top. As one who has sat under John’s teaching for years it breaks my heart to see how he’s finishing. A cautionary tale for us all.
Check out the TMAI missionaries fund raising activities without caps that no one here in America will pay them such salaries. Why do you think they became missionaries in the first place instead of working at Walmart. TMAI missionaries are notoriously disruptive, arrogant and have caused many church splits wherever they go. You’ll find there’s NO financial accountability nor audits being done as to the truthfulness of their missionary reports. Most live very comfortable lives doing very little submitting field reports published in the TMAI newsletter that are over stated mostly stolen work. If you give to them, check out how they spend your sacrificially given hard earned dollars. Dig some more Julie. You need not go very far.
whatever happened to the rape case of a TMS student of a TMU student that JM and chaplain then Rick Holland harassed and pressured not to report and even forgive the attacker ?
I did not know about this & I am sorry to hear about this. This is awful, hideous & awful. I hope the student is doing better in their recovery.
Sorry … I don’t get it. Nice headline …. but there is nothing behind it. Am I supposed to denounce MacArthur because he made a great Cali home choice in the 1980’s that has seen tremendous appreciation? ‘Prosperity guy’ or a person with wisdom. Good for him. If his income streams from pastoring, media and authoring permit him to have additional home(s) … I hope he enjoys the fruits of his labor as he wraps up his career. Credit to the Roys Report for the tantalizing headline that got me here … but to me this was only ‘clickbait’ … You’ve lost credibility with me.
The amount of comments supporting JM’s extravagant lifestyle supports the reason why we will continue to have “wolves in sheep’s clothing” in the church; no accountability, no boundaries, no transparency-only permission and adoration. Dear God, please be merciful to your sheep.
When Paul said the worker is due is wages, he did’nt mean that one can enrich himself from ministry even if its teaching the truth. Profiting from the gospel was never allowed and was vehemently condemned by Paul and IS A SIN. The gospel is just an enterprise to many, a livelihood that is far more lucrative than the alternative and/or a means to an end (gain). Its contemptible to see pastors stealing the gospel of Jesus and charging people royalties, stipends for repeating it as if it was theirs. I love JM and sat under his teaching for many years but this has just gone too far.
I once heard JM argue that pastors are no different and should be paid equitably with CEO of big corporations. I guess he sees himself as a CEO and expects to be paid a CEO compensation package. His followers and fellow pastors who believe the same are in the end just after the money.
Why all the secrecy behind the salaries and houses when they are legitimately earned and lovingly given by donors and the church ? Why the crude and crass response from the board and Phil when there’s nothing wrong with the compensation ? Integrity by John’s own definition is “what one does when no one is watching”. Where is the integrity when you hide all these accumulation of wealth from GCC members ? Time and truth John….