From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Creflo Augustus Dollar, Jr. (born January 28,
1962 in College Park, Georgia) is an African-American Word of Faith teacher, pastor, and the
founder of the non-denominational World Changers Church
International based in unincorporated Fulton County, Georgia,[1] Creflo
Dollar Ministerial Association (formerly called International
Covenant Ministries), Creflo Dollar Ministries, and Arrow Records.
Each of these enterprises is overseen by Dollar and his wife, Taffi
Dollar.
Biography
In 1984, Dollar received a Bachelor of Science degree in
education from West Georgia
College in Carrollton, Georgia. He also
continued his education by receiving a master's and doctorate
degree in counseling. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity from Oral Roberts University in
1998.
Dollar received the vision for World Changers Ministries Christian
Center in 1986. He reputedly held the church's first worship
service in the cafeteria of Kathleen Mitchell Elementary School in
College Park, Georgia, with only
eight people in attendance, and successfully soliciting over $100
in contributions from those present. Over the years the ministry is
said to have grown rapidly and was renamed World Changers Church
International and as of 2007, was said to grown to a congregation
of 30,000 with $69 million in revenue (gross cash collections) for
2006.[2] . The
congregation moved from its original cafeteria location to a
modest-sized chapel, adding a weekly radio broadcast and four
services each Sunday. On December 24, 1995, WCCI moved into its
present location, the 8,500-seat sanctuary known as the World Dome.
At a cost of nearly $18 million, it is claimed the World Dome was
built without any bank financing.
Dollar's ministry features several endeavors. In television his
Changing Your World program is aired both in the United
States and internationally.[3] In
2004, a satellite church was started in New York which has a membership of over
7,000.[4]
Dollar also is the publisher of CHANGE magazine, a
quarterly international publication with nearly 100,000 subscribers
and The Max, a bimonthly resource newsletter for ministers
and ministry leaders.
He also frequently speaks at conferences and best-selling
author[4][5][6]
Dollar and his wife, Taffi, have five children and live in
Atlanta.
Controversy
Dollar is known for his controversial teachings of Prosperity
theology.[7] He has
been criticized for his lavish lifestyle as he owns two
Rolls-Royces, a private jet, a million dollar home in Atlanta, and
a 2.5 million dollar home in Manhattan.[8] Dollar
has refused to disclose his salary and Creflo Dollar Ministries
received a grade of "F" for financial transparency by the
MinistryWatch organization.[9][10]
Senate
investigation
On 6 November 2007, United States Senator Chuck Grassley of
Iowa announced an investigation of
several ministries by the United States Senate Committee on
Finance. Grassley asked for financial information (Grassley's
letter) to the committee to determine whether Dollar made any
personal profit from financial donations and requested that
Dollar's ministry make the information available by December 6,
2007. The investigation also asked for information from five other
televangelists: Benny
Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Eddie L. Long, Joyce Meyer, and Paula White.[11]
On Mar 16, 2009, Grassley, now only an individual Senator on the
committee, stated "My staff and I continue to review the
information we’ve received from the ministries that cooperated, and
we continue to weigh our options for the ministries that have not
cooperated," noting that two of the ministries gave full financial
disclosure. Dollar has contested the probe, arguing that the proper
governmental entity to examine religious groups is the IRS, not the
Committee on Finance. [12]
References
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