Photo—Facebook: On May 26^th 2024 Ed Young (right) announces his son,

Ben Young as the next senior pastor of Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas 

On Monday, April 15^th, 2025, Jeremiah Counsel Corporation (also “Jeremiah” in this article), a non profit formed by a group of concerned members and past members of Second Baptist Church, filed an unusual court petition in Judge Latosha Lewis Paynes’s District Court 55 against the current leadership of Second Baptist Church Houston requesting church governance reforms and restoration of members’ voting rights taken away in secret.

Defendents named in the 123 page petition are Ben Young, Homer Edwin Young, Lee Maxcy, Dennis Brewer Jr., and the Second Baptist Church Corporation, collectively called the “Young Group” throughout the filing.

Yesterday, Jeremiah Counsel Corporation issued a press release and an open letter to Second Baptist’s “90,000 +” members at large from its new website.

What Happened?  A Radical Change in church governance…

At a sparsely attended May 31, 2023 church business meeting, members in attendance either “unknowingly or unwittingly” rubber-stamped the church’s new regulations (its bylaws) without having the opportunity to inspect or read what they were being asked to approve, according to two letters signed by dozens of concerned members and sent directly to Pastor Ben Young months before the filing of this petition.

Section (H) of Jeremiah’s lawsuit gives examples of the “deliberately inconspicuous, legally insufficient, and intentionally vague” purported notices advising recipients of the May 31 membership meeting.  According to the petition, “These statements were part of an intentional plan to alert as few members as possible to the other purpose for this church meeting and to mislead those who did see the notices.”

Section (M) of the petition states, “only about 200 of Second Baptist’s 94,000 members attended on May 31” and that those at the meeting represented less than “one quarter of one percent” of Second Baptist’s members.

What does Plaintiff Jeremiah Counsel Corporation want?

 Typical lawsuits request pecuniary relief, often in the millions.  However, apart from legal fees, Jeremiah’s petition doesn’t ask for monetary damages to its members but rather requests a return to the Church’s 2005 bylaws and does request money damages for Second Baptist Church from the Young Group and injunctive relief to cease and desist all conduct or actions stemming from the May 31 bylaws “updates”.

Section (I) of the lawsuit details how Second Baptist trustees, who had met for church business only a few weeks prior to the meeting, were completely unaware of the severity of the bylaw’s changes, before, during, and even after the scantly attended May 31 meeting—changes that eliminated and replaced their own positions.

According to the lawsuit, the Young Group permanently abolished: “(1) church members’ rights to vote and elect, e.g., Second Baptists Pastor and officers, to the governing body of the church, (2) church members’ rights to inspect Second Baptist’s books, financial records, and governing documents, and to provide input on its financial direction and obligations, and (3) church members’ rights to provide input on church policies.” (wording bolded in the lawsuit, p. 15)

Continue reading “A Story of Power, Deceit, and Betrayal at Second Baptist Church: Members File Court Petition, Try to Save Church’s Legacy”

Most Christians don’t give it much thought and trust their leaders.  We tend to look to a pastor, priest, or whomever is in charge as the expert(s).  But members and donors have a responsibility to make sure their tithes and gifts are doing more than simply enriching the person or persons at the top.

Givers should, at a bare minimum, seek answers to: 1) Who governs the organization or church—a single individual with little or no accountability or an independent group of individuals such as a board of directors? 2) Where does the money go? Do they file a public form 990 or publish an audited financial statement?

Trinity Foundation has encountered all types of organizational and church governance (read our Governance Project) and while there is probably no “best” form, there are certain things members should look for and others to be wary of.  We’ve seen terrible examples over and over and can best describe the better leadership forms by what they are not.

Decades ago, we discovered televangelists and pastors had begun eliminating church member oversight and personal accountability.  We found that all decision-making power in a board of directors often consists of hand-picked family, friends, or employees.  We discovered that more and more pastors are consolidating power in their organizations and eliminating church member oversight.

The “smell factor”

If a certain pastor or ministry leader is living lavishly (any one of the following—a corporate jet, a mansion, multiple houses, a luxury car, etc.) this lifestyle begs the question—is this person more concerned about themselves or the gospel of Christ and others? Are they a lover of money?   When the smell is “off”, so to speak, donors need to start asking questions.

The pattern set forth in the gospels is one of servanthood and humility, not of “lording it over” congregations or members.  If it begins to smell foul, both the person and the organization deserve a closer look and some good-old-fashioned research.

Questions Donors Should Ask:

Does the leader regularly preach, teach, or advocate the life and teachings of Christ, including the cross?  The Apostle Paul said, “For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”

Does the pastor or leader constantly refer to themselves, other than confession?

Is the church or ministry transparent?

How are your donations being used?  We can’t emphasize enough that churches and organizations should publish or make available financial documents illustrating how donor money is spent.  They should file the IRS form 990 or publish an audited financial statement on their website.

Do excess church funds simply accumulate to make the church wealthier, or do they help the poor, needy, distressed, and disadvantaged in the community?

Does the pastor or ministry leader’s family control how and where the money is spent?

Is there a group of people that hold the leader responsible, such as an independent board of elders, deacons, or board members?

Leadership Standards

Does the leader have integrity as defined by the Apostle Paul? (1^st Timothy, chapter 2) A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behavior, given to hospitality, apt at teaching; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; one who rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with all dignity.

 

Photos: 1) Nathan at Fellowship Church, 2)  Nathan with Executive Producer Chris Ayoub at Tarrant County Courthouse hearing

Religion Business documentary producer Nathan Apffel flew in from out of state and presented himself in a Tarrant County courtroom this morning, November 18, 2024, to face a criminal trespass charge.  The crime is considered a Class B misdemeanor and can be penalized with a fine of up to $2,000 or 180 days of jail time.

At the court hearing, Nathan’s dad, Ed Apffel, said, “I’m proud of having to bail my son Nathan out of jail for going to church.  The floodgates have opened for his documentary about the religion business.”

Sunday, October 20^th, Apffel was arrested at Fellowship Church in Grapevine Texas while holding up a large sign asking Pastor Ed Young to reveal the amount of his housing allowance.  Young’s security team included a zealous deputy sheriff who roughed up Mr. Apffel and forced him to get his elbow x-rayed and left bruises on his wrists from the handcuffs.

Fellowship Church security called in the Grapevine police and Apffel was charged with trespassing. “I wasn’t expecting so much brute force,” Apffel told Trinity Foundation investigators following his release from jail (initial article here).   During the incident, Nathan’s cameraman Steve Hickey’s camera was confiscated and damaged by security guards and Hickey received a trespass warning.  Apffel mentioned that the Grapevine police department treated him with kindness and respect, unlike the church’s security team.

Apffel’s hearing appearance today was only a first step of good faith to prevent a warrant being issued for his arrest and he will be required to return at least once more as the case against him proceeds.  His next court hearing is scheduled for December 17^th.

Filipino televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, another TV preacher masquerading as an angel of light, was finally arrested this week. But first some background.

He called himself the son of God. Unfortunately, thousands and perhaps millions of his followers believed him, even after he managed to get on the FBI’s most wanted list by accusations of having his own sex slaves and carting off loads of undeclared money out of the U.S. on his private jet.

After a two-week standoff, hiding in an underground bunker under the protection of his followers, he was arrested in the Philippines where he has hidden out for the past three years, avoiding extradition to the US under the presumed protection of the Filipino government.  He is currently being held in a heavily guarded detention center at the national police headquarters of the Philippines and the status of his extradition to the U.S. remains unclear.

Of course, these are allegations until proven in a court of law. Here’s some of what we do know. His jet was detained in Honolulu in February 2018 after U.S. customs officials discovered $350,000 of undeclared U.S. cash hidden on his jet destined for the Philippines.  One of Quiboloy’s loyal followers took the fall by telling officials it was her own money.

Also, we know of an “immigration fraud scheme where (top) church officials allegedly coerced some members into sham marriages (82 of them between 1999 and 2019) to keep them in the United States to raise money for the church’s expensive projects and to fund the “lavish lifestyle” of its leader.”  These officials were arrested in Los Angeles in January 2020.

Moreover, almost simultaneously, U.S. “federal authorities raided several churches and homes in Hawaii and on the mainland Wednesday connected to controversial Filipino evangelist Apollo Quiboloy as part of a massive human trafficking and immigration fraud investigation” (Hawaii News Now, January 30, 2020).

The Filipino news media outlet Rappler chronicled Quiboloy related events starting with temporary detainment in Honolulu in 2018, continuing with disturbing and chilling testimony about him to the Filipino Senate, and ending with his arrest this week.

This past March, Rappler began publication “of its investigative series on the multi-million properties linked to Quiboloy and the KOJC in the United States and Canada. Four of the currently owned properties have a total estimated value of US $9.07 million (P503 million.) If the property sold in 2018 is included, the total value would go up to $10.83 million (P601 million).”

Unfortunately, Quiboloy is not alone by a longshot.  Quiboloy’s masquerade is common among televangelists.  By creating a false persona as this son-of-God, his edicts go unchallenged by his followers.

Photo: Apollo Quiboloy screen capture by Medium, an online analysis of Quiboloy’s claim to be the son of God

Name your televangelist!  Some other televangelists we investigate that are masquerading as men of God that deserve to be placed in a hall of shame for various other reasons are Benny Hinn, Kenneth Copeland, Creflo Dollar, Gene Ewing, Jesse Duplantis, and a plethora of other religious leaders.

These are guys that are more interested in what God can do for them and by extension, what YOU can do for them with your donor money, rather than living their lives for God and others.

Their self-seeking reveals the plan of God by showing what it’s not. The plan or mystery of God is about self-giving, not self-serving.

ECFA Bamboozled the Senate Finance Committee, Now Leads Non-Accountability/Non-Transparency:

Seventeen years ago, Senators Chuck Grassley (Rep.) and Max Baucus (Dem.) of the Senate Finance Committee had been interested in issuing subpoenas to six different ministries who appeared to be abusing the tax code and using their ministries as their personal piggy banks. The Senators were also interested in closing apparent loopholes in our religious non-profit laws.

Along came the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) to the rescue, or so it seemed…

 Fourteen years ago, Senator Grassley, decided against issuing subpoenas to these ministry’s leaders and informants following complaints of harassment.  Ex-employees received letters threatening litigation if they testified.  Instead, Grassley called upon the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) to form a task force to try and address the glaring problems without any new legislation.  ECFA was created by Billy Graham along with some other folks decades ago to give ministries a platform to willingly (or not) share portions of their financial information without any government interference.

Unbeknownst to Senator Grassley, ECFA’s task force included some lawyers and CPAs working for the very ministries they had investigated and not surprisingly, ECFA recommended only new legislation which would have loosened the tax code, not strengthened it, and thus blew any chance of reigning in the wild abuses we see daily.

ECFA, Supposedly Assisting Transparency, Stopped Being Transparent … The Hidden 990

 Form 990, while far from perfect, tells the public who are the highest paid employees and where the money goes in general.  ECFA has not filed any new forms 990 with the IRS since their 2020 form 990. They still post the 990 only on their own website;   the 990s no longer show  up on websites of the IRS, ProPublica or Guidestar.  What is offensive is that they stopped being transparent with the government and are not setting an example.  At a time when it’s critical for churches to be more transparent, they are doing the opposite.

In 2019, ECFA began to claim it was an association of churches and churches do not have to file form 990s.  There is no evidence on the IRS website that ECFA applied for this reclassification.  They simply declared themselves an association of churches.

Here’s a screenshot of the ECFA’s previous status as a public non-profit organization (see the check mark) prior to 2019:

ECFA, a Toothless “Lion”, more Like a Toothless Old Stray Alley Cat

Oral Roberts, at one time the most prominent televangelist, did not see self-policing by a voluntary accreditation agency like the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) as an adequate substitute to filing (990) reports with the IRS. Asked whether his ministry was a member of ECFA, the Rev. Roberts responded:

“We were invited to be a member of that … but we believed there was no teeth in it; and I think that has been proved by the PTL thing. Ours was so much stronger; our auditing procedures and our filing of the [Form] 990 every year…. We have a corps of auditors…. Anybody in the United States can get a copy of our [Form] 990 report at any time, by writing the IRS; it is available to the media, to everybody in America…. Why wouldn‘t all file a [Form] 990 – why?” (Note that Oral Roberts University became an ECFA member in 2009).

In 1987, then-Congressman Dorgan posed the following question: ―What kind of accountability is now required; what kind of information is required, is information sufficient now, is it available to allow those to whom the appeal for funds is directed to make reasonable decisions about the advisability of contributions? (Federal Tax Rules Applicable to Tax-Exempt Organizations Involving Television Ministries: Hearing Before the Subcomm. on Oversight of the House Comm. on Ways and Means, 100th Cong. 8, 1987)

Victims.

Informants tell us scary stories; as victims, they have seen the worst side of religion.

The prosperity gospel gives rich people a justification for their greed, and poor people a false hope.  It robs the most vulnerable and benefits few but the well-to-do pastors. “Name it, claim it” and wealthy churches are focused inward rather than outward. Forget calling the church office, “Our ministry mandates prohibit us from helping you (financially) but we will pray for you,” is one mantra a victim heard over and over in his time of need.  Be warm, be fed sister. The victims.

Contrast.

The people who are getting rich in the name of God reveal the mystery of the universe in a strange way by showing what it is not.  Everyone who is honest with themselves knows this in their gut.

Hypocrisy.

“Look how God is blessing me.” Lovely houses on the beach, a brand-new Range Rover or electric car, and maybe even a sleek jet at one’s disposal. Whatever it is that we secretly desire to ease our struggles.  Many are frustrated, especially those connected with the prosperity gospel.  Why don’t the preacher’s words match reality?  When our eyes open, the self-seeking becomes obvious. For those setting themselves as examples, their life doesn’t match up with their words.  Hypocrisy.

Continue reading “Why Do We Investigate? …What’s up with Trinity Foundation … Hinn, the Teflon Televangelist”

(Photo: From top floor of fire tower overlooking the “Brazos de Dios” (arms of God) River)

 

April 10, 2024 Update

We would like to thank everyone that purchased a raffle ticket during our spring 2024 raffle fundraiser. Ann from Houston won a free 3-day / 3 night stay at a ranch on the Brazos River. The fundraiser for Trinity Foundation investigations raised almost $1,000 after expenses.

The drawing will be held on March 31st.

Corruption in the church continues to worsen, and we need your help to fight it.

Thank you for your gifts to Trinity Foundation. We believe you’re making a difference helping us expose the egregious misuse and huge waste of donor money while helping us provide a body of research available to the public via our investigative journalism. We estimate that for every $35 we receive, that amount “buys” roughly one hour of investigating (including occupancy, salaries, etc.).

And now, to the raffle drawing…

For a one-time gift of $100 we would like to enter your name in a drawing to receive a free 3-day / 3 night stay for up to five people at a Texas ranch on the Brazos River about an hour west of Fort Worth, plus $250 to the winner to help pay for food. Enjoy stunning views in a four-floor fire lookout on a cliff above the scenic and historic Brazos. (link here). It is necessary to climb stairs here but those with mobility issues can choose the main ranch house if preferred. (link here). Winners must be able to provide their own transportation to and from the ranch, which is about 10 minutes from restaurants and grocery stores in Minieral Wells. The drawing will be held on March 31st and the drawing entries will be limited to 100 tickets.

If you want our newsletter the entry form is on our Home page to the right.  If you already subscribe, we appreciate your interest.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have questions about our investigations, if you would like to give us a tip about potential fraud, or if you know a victim of religious fraud that would like to speak with us.

Photo by RDNE Stock project: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-bunk-bed-with-striped-linen-behind-bars-6064890/

Guest Article by Pamela Foster

In-Depth Exploration: The Harsh Reality of Religious Fraud

In the realm of religious organizations, revered as beacons of moral guidance, the incidence of financial fraud presents a jarring contradiction. It’s not just about the money; this breach of trust cuts to the heart of what these institutions stand for. We’ve got to face it squarely: strong oversight and proactive strategies are crucial to nip these problems in the bud.

Correctional Facilities: Beyond Punishment to Prevention

Correctional institutions, traditionally viewed as endpoints for the convicted, assume a crucial preventive role in religious fraud. Prisons act as a stark reminder that abusing funds meant for religious use carries heavy repercussions. Rehabilitation programs that educate can help shape ethical, transparent leaders.

Continue reading “The Role of Correctional Facilities in Preventing Religious Fraud”