Tithe Money Funded Hillsong Pastors’ Luxury Lifestyles: Former Members by H. Frishberg
Long article. Below are just a few excerpts. What a dreadful “church.”
(Link): Tithe Money Funded Hillsong Pastors’ Luxury Lifestyles: Former Members
Jan. 26, 2021
by H. Frishberg
The pastors at scandalized Hillsong Church were anything but humble servants.
As the Australia-based institution continues to come under fire for allegations of “slave labor” and homophobia, ex-congregants and staff are now claiming that pastors used tithe money to help fuel their decadent lifestyles.
At Hillsong NYC, many pastors frequently splurged on fancy restaurant meals, designer clothes and weekly manicures while living in the same Kent Avenue Williamsburg high-rise and zipping around the neighborhood on ATVs, disgusted former members told The Post.
Pastors and staff apparently freely used debit-like “PEX” — or pre-paid expense — cards for whatever their hearts desired, several former members and staff told The Post. The source of the funds was money donated or “tithed” by members, said former Hillsong LA service pastor Nicole Herman, who personally loaded the funds onto the PEX cards.
“I was instructed to fill them,” said Herman, who helped found the church’s California branch in 2013. “We had a team count the tithes after every service and they would allocate X amount of money for the PEX cards.”
…Hillsong did not return repeated requests for comment on the many instances of excessive spending that former members claim they witnessed throughout years of administrative work at the beleaguered church.
What they bought
During her time in New York, Babbitt watched the cards get used on decadent purchases, from luxury presents to Manhattan hotel stays.
Before every single Sunday service at Hillsong NYC, volunteers would buy huge quantities of food for the pastors, from sushi spreads to Chipotle. Often, staffers such as Babbitt were also asked to roll out the red carpet for visitors.
“I bought a designer purse and $100 or $200 of food from Dean & DeLuca for visiting pastors,” said Babbitt, a Texas native and current Dallas resident.
Read the rest of that report (Link): on the New York Post.
Related:
(Link): Hillsong Church Rife with ‘Inappropriate’ Sex, Members Claimed
(Link): Carl Lentz’s Alleged Mistress Speaks Out in Hillsong: A Megachurch Exposed Trailer: ‘Toxic’
(Link): Sex Abuse Allegations by Carl Lentz’s Former Nanny Put Spotlight on Hillsong Culture
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