Index/Organizations/Ministry Watch

Ministry Watch

American nonprofit & online magazine

Fact-Checks

22 results
Dec 6, 2025
Most Viewed

Are there allegations of financial misconduct against Joel Osteen or Lakewood Church?

Allegations and public criticism of Joel Osteen and Lakewood Church focus mainly on a lack of financial transparency, public backlash over pandemic relief loans, and recurring claims about Osteen’s pe...

Nov 19, 2025
Most Viewed

Details on Lakewood Church's financial controversies

Lakewood Church and its leader Joel Osteen have been the subject of repeated financial and governance questions: watchdog MinistryWatch gives Lakewood an “F” for transparency and a donor confidence sc...

Dec 19, 2025
Most Viewed

Which pastors and megachurch networks have publicly endorsed Turning Point USA or TPUSA Faith?

Turning Point USA’s religious arm, TPUSA Faith, has secured public backing from a set of conservative evangelical pastors and affiliated church networks who have hosted events, co-chaired initiatives,...

Dec 10, 2025

Have either david jeremiah's ministry or turning point usa faced major controversies or legal issues, and how were they handled?

Turning Point USA has been the center of multiple high‑profile controversies in 2025 involving campus protests, federal reviews and state partnership disputes; the U.S. Department of Education and Jus...

Nov 26, 2025

Are specific denominations (Catholic, mainline Protestant, evangelical) losing members faster in 2025?

Major 2024–25 surveys show Christianity’s long decline is slowing but continuing, and the losses are not uniform: Pew and PRRI highlight especially large Catholic losses and persistent mainline Protes...

Dec 15, 2025

Have donors or former employees sued Joel Osteen or Lakewood Church over misuse of funds?

No broad, successful donor class-action alleging misuse of Lakewood Church donations against Joel Osteen appears in the supplied reporting; the most concrete civil case in these sources is a $10 milli...

Nov 20, 2025

Which prominent evangelical pastors have publicly endorsed Turning Point USA and when did they do so?

Available sources document that Turning Point USA (TPUSA) has actively courted evangelical pastors through events like its Pastors Summit and AmericaFest, featuring TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk and invi...

Nov 23, 2025

How are Turning Point USA board members compensated and what financial disclosures exist for 2025?

Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a 501(c) nonprofit that reports executive pay and organizational expenditures on IRS Form 990s; reporting available through analyses and 990 aggregators show compensation ...

Dec 16, 2025

What impact would an audit or investigation have on Lakewood Church's nonprofit status and donors?

An IRS audit or government investigation of a church can be limited by special IRS rules for churches, but scrutiny can still expose financial details, prompt reputational damage, and shift donor beha...

Dec 9, 2025

How transparent is tpusa about its donors, finances, and staff affiliations?

Turning Point USA (TPUSA) publishes some leadership and governance pages and an organizational team list on its site but relies heavily on IRS filings, third‑party aggregators and investigative report...

Nov 25, 2025

What have watchdog groups and former staff alleged about Lakewood Church's finances?

Watchdog groups and former staff have criticized Lakewood Church for low transparency and efficiency scores, pointing to an “F” transparency grade and a donor-confidence score of 3/100 in MinistryWatc...

Nov 15, 2025

How have megachurch accountability and pastoral responsibility been applied to Joel Osteen?

Accountability and pastoral responsibility have been raised repeatedly in coverage of Joel Osteen, especially around Hurricane Harvey sheltering criticism in 2017 and questions about financial transpa...

Nov 30, 2025

How have donations, livestream revenue, and merchandise sales impacted Joel Osteen's wealth in recent years?

Most reporting places Joel Osteen’s personal/net worth in a wide range centered near $100 million as of mid‑2025, with many outlets noting estimates from roughly $40–$100+ million and real‑estate hold...

Jan 20, 2026

Have Lakewood Church's leaders been investigated or sued over alleged misuse of donations?

Lakewood Church experienced a high‑profile theft of roughly $600,000 in donations in 2014 and a stash of cash and checks was found hidden in a church wall in 2021; Houston police say evidence links th...

Jan 16, 2026

How have apologizing versus doubling‑down prophets fared in their ministries and audiences since 2020?

Since 2020 the fate of self‑identified prophets who apologize for failed or politicized predictions has diverged sharply from those who double down: apologizers often face sharp short‑term loss of tru...

Jan 13, 2026

How transparent is Lakewood Church's financial reporting compared to other megachurches?

Lakewood Church has publicly disclosed sizable financial figures — including a roughly $90 million annual budget and line-item spending for the 2017 fiscal year — and at times has published audited st...

Dec 16, 2025

Have any investigations or audits scrutinized Lakewood Church's financial disclosures?

Public records and news reporting show Lakewood Church has periodically published financial statements and at least once released an audited financial statement to media (Houston Chronicle obtained an...

Dec 5, 2025

Are televangelists and megachurch pastors required to disclose salaries under US nonprofit law?

Federal nonprofit tax rules require most charities to file IRS Form 990, which publicly reports top employees’ compensation (Form 990 disclosure is the primary source for many salary revelations) . Ho...

Dec 5, 2025

What salary and financial transparency practices apply to televangelists and megachurch pastors like Osteen?

U.S. law gives churches broad exemption from many standard nonprofit disclosures, so televangelists and megachurch pastors can amass large personal wealth while their churches often evade public finan...

Dec 2, 2025

Have any Turning Point USA board members held government positions or run for office?

Turning Point USA’s current public materials list a small board (reported as five members) and name Erika Kirk as CEO and board chair on TPUSA’s team page . Available sources describe the board member...