Creflo Dollar

Creflo Dollar
Born (1962-01-28) January 28, 1962
Residence College Park, Georgia
Occupation Pastor
Spouse(s) Taffi Dollar
Website worldchangers.org

Creflo Augustus Dollar, Jr. (born January 28, 1962), is an American televangelist, pastor, and the founder of the non-denominational World Changers Church International based in College Park, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta.[1] Dollar also heads the Creflo Dollar Ministerial Association (formerly called International Covenant Ministries), Creflo Dollar Ministries, and Arrow Records.[2][3]

Biography

He was born to Creflo Dollar, Sr. (1936-1993) and Mrs. Dollar. The younger Creflo attended local schools and was reared in the Baptist Church.

In 1984, Dollar received a Bachelor of Science degree in education from West Georgia College in Carrollton.[4]

Dollar began developing World Changers Ministries Christian Center in 1986.[5] He held the church's first worship service in the cafeteria of an elementary school in College Park, with eight people in attendance. He later renamed the ministry as World Changers Church International (WCCI), and the congregation moved from the cafeteria to a dedicated chapel. Four services were held each Sunday, and Creflo added a weekly radio broadcast. On December 24, 1995, WCCI moved into its present location, the 8,500-seat facility known as the World Dome. The church has said that the nearly $18 million World Dome was built without any bank financing.[6] As of 2007, the congregation reported having around 30,000 members, and $69 million in revenue (gross cash collections) for 2006.[7]

In June 2012 Dollar was arrested in an alleged attack on his daughter, in accordance with the Fayette County, Georgia, Sheriff's Office. [8] The charges were dropped in January 2013 after he attended anger management classes.[9] Fayette County Police Department released details of a 911 call.[10]

In October 2012, Creflo Dollar Ministries leased Loews Paradise Theater in The Bronx for a new church location in New York.[11]

Dollar also speaks at conferences and is an author, writing about his gospel of wealth and involved in televangelism.[12][13]

Dollar and his wife, Taffi, have five children and live in Atlanta.[5]

Finances

Dollar is known for his controversial teachings regarding prosperity theology, or the gospel of wealth.[12] He has long been criticized for living a lavish lifestyle; he owns two Rolls-Royces, a private jet, and real estate such as a million-dollar home in Atlanta, a $2.5 million home in Demarest, New Jersey, and a $2.5 million home in Manhattan,[14] which he sold for $3.75 million in 2012.[15] Dollar has refused to disclose his salary. Creflo Dollar Ministries received a grade of "F" (failing) for financial transparency by the organization Ministry Watch.[12][16]

On November 6, 2007, United States Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, as ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, began an investigation of several ministries, including Dollar's. Grassley asked for financial information 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.[17] Dollar contested the probe, arguing that the proper governmental entity to examine religious groups is the IRS, not the Committee on Finance.[18]

On November 24, 2014, Dollar's private Gulfstream III jet, N103CD ran off the runway at Biggin Hill Airport, United Kingdom.[19] There were no serious injuries.[20] To replace the old jet, Dollar launched a fundraising campaign to get his followers to pay approximately $60,000,000 for a new Gulfstream G650 jet. He suggested his followers each commit to giving "$300 or more." The jet he wanted was the "fastest plane ever built in civilian aviation" at that time.[21][22][23] After receiving immediate backlash, Dollar ended his fundraising campaign. The project was kept as an option on the donation page of the ministry's website.[24] Several months later, the board of World Changers Church International announced that they were ready to acquire a Gulfstream G650.[25]

References

  1. ↑ "Contact Us." World Changers Church International. Retrieved on May 25, 2009.
  2. ↑ "Creflo Dollar Ministries". Retrieved June 27, 2010.
  3. ↑ Raboteau, Emily (January 6, 2013). "My search for Creflo Dollar". Salon. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  4. ↑ Creflo Dollar Net Worth - TheRichest http://www.therichest.com/celebnetworth/celeb/televangelists/creflo-dollar-net-worth/
  5. 1 2 "About Creflo Dollar". Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Dr.Creflo A. Dollar Biography." World Changers Church-New York. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jun 2010.
  7. ↑ "Figures released by megachurch". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. November 11, 2007. Archived from the original on November 14, 2007. Retrieved November 17, 2007.
  8. ↑ Televangelist Creflo Dollar arrested in alleged choking attack on daughter - U.S. News http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/06/08/12126777-televangelist-creflo-dollar-arrested-in-alleged-choking-attack-on-daughter?lite
  9. ↑ Creflo Dollar Charges for Beating Daughter Dropped after Anger Management Classes http://www.christianpost.com/news/creflo-dollar-charges-for-beating-daughter-dropped-after-anger-management-classes-88881/
  10. ↑ Creflo Dollar Daughter's 911 Call Released: Not the First Time It's Happened http://www.christianpost.com/news/creflo-dollars-daughters-911-call-released-not-the-first-time-its-happened-76522/
  11. ↑ Beekman, Daniel (December 2, 2012). "Iconic Paradise Theater on Grand Concourse set to begin next act as megachurch of Creflo Dollar". The New York Times. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  12. 1 2 3 Michael Luo (January 15, 2006). "Preaching a Gospel of Wealth in a Glittery Market, New York". The New York Times. Retrieved June 27, 2010.
  13. ↑ Lavallee, Andrew (August 14, 2001). "The Best Thing About Evangelist Creflo Dollar Is His Audience". New York Press. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  14. ↑ Michael Luo (January 15, 2006). "When asked to explain his lifestyle, he has been quoted as responding "that's just how the Dollar rolls, baby." Preaching a Gospel of Wealth in a Glittery Market, New York". The New York Times. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
  15. ↑ Kim Velsey (April 25, 2012). "Televangelist Creflo Dollar Sells Manhattan Condo (Pictures)". The New York Observer.
  16. ↑ Creflo Dollar Ministries
  17. ↑ "Sen. Grassley probes televangelists' finances". USA Today. November 7, 2007. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  18. ↑ http://www.creflodollarministries.org/About/documents/LegalResponse03032008.pdf
  19. ↑ Harro Ranter (November 24, 2014). "ASN Aircraft accident Gulfstream Aerospace G-1159 Gulfstream III N103CD London-Biggin Hill Airport (BQH)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Photos: Gulfstream Aerospace G-1159A Gulfstream III Aircraft Pictures - Airliners.net". airliners.net.
  21. ↑ Stringer, Sam (March 14, 2015). "Minister Creflo Dollar asks for $60 million in donations for a new jet". CNN. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Creflo Dollar launches appeal to buy $65 million private plane for evangelism - Christian News on Christian Today". christiantoday.com. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Help Us Continue to Spread the Gospel of Grace Around the World!". creflodollarministries.org. Archived from the original on March 13, 2015.
  24. ↑ King, Michael (March 14, 2015). "Televangelist Dollar's plea for $65M to buy jet now offline". WXIA-TV (Atlanta, Georgia). Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  25. ↑ AbOhlheiser (June 3, 2015). "Pastor Creflo Dollar might get his $65 million private jet after all". Washington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2015.

External links

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