Creflo Dollar came under fire when he launched a fundraiser for a brand-spanking-new $65 million private jet. Although he canceled the campaign and went on to defend his faith amid criticism from the likes of Kirk Franklin, J. Lee Grady, Michael Brown, and David Ravenhill, among others, it looks like his faith never let go of that airplane.
Dollar is getting the desire of his heart.
In light of what World Changers Church and Creflo Dollar Ministries board of directors calls “recent media speculation and erroneous public information regarding a fundraising campaign to replace the ministry’s airplane,” the board issued a statement.
“While he is the spiritual leader and the public face of CDM around the world, he is also the CEO of a global, multinational ministry corporation and, as such, reports to this board like any other CEO,” the statement reads. “When Dr. Dollar steps forward to announce a ministry initiative, please make no mistake that it is actually an action of this Board.”
The statement goes on to explain that the ministry is centered on biblical principles directly from the Word of God and offered some statistics about the ministry. For example, the board says the pastors share the gospel of Jesus more than 300 times per year and their “aggressive” travel schedules cannot be fulfilled via any means other than private aircraft.
“A long-range, high-speed, intercontinental jet aircraft is a tool that is necessary in order to fulfill the mission of the ministry,” the statement reads. “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.”
What did the board choose? A Gulfstream G650. The price tag: $70 million.
Bracing for the backlash, the board thanked the body of Christ for understanding their position on the jet and asked that the church to respect its right to practice what they believe. The board asked that the press “report facts, and not fictional reports or biased perspectives.”
