Controversial televangelist Creflo Dollar’s ministry has announced that it will also buy a Gulfstream G650, which sells for upwards of $65 million each. The World Changers Church International board, which also operates as Creflo Dollar Ministries, says it is “necessary” to spread God’s word. The announcement came months after considerable backlash forced Dollar’s ministries to abandon a campaign to raise funds from his faithful followers for the same plane.
The ministry announced they will buy a Gulfstream G650 jet anyway, “at a time, place, and price of our choosing.” WCCI said in a lengthy statement, “We wholeheartedly reject the notion that the ministry’s airplane project is an imposition on our community or that it somehow takes advantage of our people.”
They explained, “We plan to acquire a Gulfstream G650 because it is the best, and it is a reflection of the level of excellence at which this organization chooses to operate.”
The Televangelist’s first fundraising effort, “Project G650,” was abandoned just days after it was announced. The announcement asked Dollar’s followers to donate at least $300 each to purchase a luxury jet. The ministry clarified that the Televangelist’s current jet was over 30 years old and damaged in November. After the plane was destroyed, Dollar and the executives of the international ministry were forced to travel the world on commercial flights.
A spokesman told reporters that the luxury jet campaign was “standard operating procedure for people of faith” in “our community.” Dollar founded the 30,000-member World Changers Church International in Georgia. He preaches the prosperity gospel, which states that God will send earthly rewards (including wealth) to properly faithful people.
Dollars church encourages Honor Giving,” a name Dollar sometimes uses for a practice akin to tithing, or giving 10 percent of your income to the church. He said in 2006, “If you sow a seed on a good ground, you can expect a harvest.” While Dollar is a major evangelist, most Christians do not consider the prosperity gospel a mainstream interpretation of Scripture.
In their statement, WCCI said, “A long-range, high-speed, intercontinental jet aircraft is a tool that is necessary in order to fulfill the mission of the ministry.” They added, In light of an unfortunate accident that recently resulted in the ministry’s aircraft being declared a total loss, it is our intention to purchase another airplane at a time, place and price of our choosing.”
“It continues: “We respectfully request that those who are not involved respect our right to practice what we believe, and only ask of the press that they report facts, and not fictional reports or biased perspectives,” the ministry stated. “We encourage our community, and our pastors, to dream big, because we know that God loves us just that much.”
Gulfstream’s sales director, Kevin Valik, explained how exclusive these jets are. He said that only 120 Gulfstream G650 jets have been delivered since the model was launched in 2013. The company delivers roughly 50 of these planes each year and receives orders every day. Gulfstream had a backlog of orders for the aircraft stretching almost 5 years.