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108-545: Kenneth Max Copeland (born December 6, 1936) is an American televangelist associated with the charismatic movement . He is the founder of Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. (EMIC), which is based in Tarrant County, Texas . Copeland has also written several books and other resources, and is known for his broadcast Believers Voice of Victory . Copeland preaches prosperity theology and

216-721: A Bell 206 Jet Ranger helicopter to the humanitarian organization. In May 2009, the United Nations officially recommended the Smile of a Child Foundation to receive special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council for the Democracy Coalition Project. Trinity Music City is an entertainment complex in Hendersonville, Tennessee ; near Nashville , operated by TBN and serving as

324-534: A measles outbreak with 25 confirmed cases in Tarrant County was attributed in the press to anti-vaccination sentiments expressed by members of the Copeland Ministries. The church denied making any such statements and urged members to get vaccinations, even offering free immunizations through the church itself. Pastor Terri Copeland Pearsons, who is Kenneth Copeland's daughter, offered free vaccination clinics and advised those who did not attend one of

432-481: A "hundredfold" return on their investment through giving to God. Throughout several decades of ministry Kenneth Copeland has supported and partnered with other notable ministers of the Gospel. In 1986 Copeland supported and prayed over Reinhard Bonnke during Bonnke's Fresh Fire Conference. Daniel Kolenda, who was the successor to Reinhard Bonnke, said that Kenneth Copeland told Bonnke that one day Bonnke would preach to

540-487: A 2005 Cessna 750 Citation X , which it uses for international flights . In 2018, KCM acquired a Gulfstream V that was formerly owned by Tyler Perry , and was restoring a 1962 Beech H-18 Twin , which the ministry plans to use for disaster relief efforts . Kenneth Copeland Bible College (KCBC) is located on the property of Kenneth Copeland Ministries and Eagle Mountain International Church (EMIC). KCBC

648-514: A 24-hour schedule in 1978. The fledgling network was so weak in its first days, that, according to Crouch in his autobiography, Hello World! , it almost went bankrupt after just two days on the air. TBN began national distribution through cable television providers in 1978. The ministry, which became known as the Trinity Broadcasting Network, gained national distribution via communications satellite in 1982. The network

756-511: A Child TV in the U.S.). One notable film was Mel Gibson 's The Passion of the Christ , which had its television premiere on TBN on April 17 , 2011. TBN presented the film with much of the graphic violence included (due to its depiction of the events leading to and including the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as illustrated in Biblical teachings); as a result, TBN assigned a " TV-MA-V " rating for

864-513: A Copeland family member, either alone or with another minister, discussing subjects from the Bible . On May 27, 1971, KCM began a one-hour television program called The Word of Faith . In 1972, another television program was launched called The Prayer Group . This was a half-hour television program aired across the United States. In 1989, the weekly show The Word of Faith was replaced by

972-790: A broadcasting group headed by George Cooney, the CEO of EUE/Screen Gems . Another 151 translators were donated to the Minority Media and Television Council (MMTC), an organization designed to preserve equal opportunity and civil rights in the media; MMTC would later sell 78 of these translators to Luken Communications , parent company of the Retro Television Network . Four more translators in Dothan, Alabama ; Kirksville, Missouri ; Jonesboro, Arkansas ; and Jackson, Tennessee , were sold by MMTC to New Moon Communications, with

1080-410: A combination thereof, and are commonly targeted at youth audiences – airing on Saturday nights as part of the network's "preview" block of JUCE TV programs and intermittently on Monday through Fridays during the late-afternoon and overnight hours. Films produced by or for TBN have included The Revolutionary and The Revolutionary II (based on the life of Jesus ); The Emissary (a film on the life of

1188-526: A combined market reach of 39% of the United States), or are allocated for educational use and require additional programming to comply with that license purpose. TBN's programming is available by default via a national feed distributed to cable and satellite providers in markets without a local TBN station (this contrasts with the major commercial networks, which under FCC regulations, allow providers to import an owned-and-operated or affiliate station from

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1296-464: A daily series called Believer’s Voice of Victory . Along with their television programming and television network, Kenneth Copeland has produced and starred in several films, including The Rally (2010), Superkid Academy: The Mission (2013) and The Rally-LA (2016). In 2015, KCM launched the Believer's Voice of Victory Network on channel 265 on Dish Network . Believer's Voice of Victory Network

1404-423: A diverse group of ministries from Evangelical , traditional Protestant and Catholic denominations, non-profit charities, Messianic Jewish and other Christian media personalities. TBN also offers a wide range of original programming, faith-based films, and political opinion commentary from various distributors. TBN owns and operates six broadcast networks, each reaching separate demographics. In addition to

1512-587: A full-time satellite of TBN (the network was previously available in the Jackson area on WJKO-LP , which was later sold to Daystar). On July 8, 2013, TBN announced an affiliation with the Lethbridge , Alberta, Canada religious station Miracle Channel ; as part of the agreement, Miracle Channel added some of TBN's flagship programs, including Praise The Lord and Behind The Scenes , while TBN picked up programs shown on Miracle Channel, including services from

1620-651: A fundraiser, which was criticized by the Trinity Foundation . As a result of the Huckabee appearances, KCM was one of six ministries investigated in the United States Senate inquiry into the tax-exempt status of religious organizations . KCM was one of four that did not co-operate or volunteer to make reforms. The investigation did not conclude the Copelands had done anything wrong. In 2013,

1728-500: A hangar, upgrading of the runway, and maintenance. Copeland's and other televangelists' use of private jets, luxury cars and lavish houses has been widely criticized. In 2015, Copeland, in a broadcast alongside fellow televangelist Jesse Duplantis , defended the use of private jets as a necessary part of their ministry. Mike Huckabee , a 2008 Republican presidential primary candidate who made six appearances on Copeland's program Believer's Voice of Victory rented KCM's facilities for

1836-459: A large portion of their ministry to television broadcasting . Some televangelists are also regular pastors or ministers in their own places of worship (often a megachurch ), but the majority of their followers come from TV and radio audiences. Others do not have a conventional congregation, and work primarily through television. The term is also used derisively by critics as an insinuation of aggrandizement by such ministers. Televangelism began as

1944-476: A medical clinic for church members. In 2008, approximately 500 people were employed by KCM. Copeland's son John Copeland was the ministry's chief operating officer until his divorce from Marty Copeland in 2017. He remains a consultant to the ministry. KCM owns several business jets , including a 1998 Cessna 550 Citation Bravo , which it received from a donor in October 2007 and is used for domestic flights , and

2052-453: A million people on one day. Notably, Kenneth Copeland has spoken about the impact of other ministers upon his life. After the passing of Billy Graham he shared about their brief interaction on an elevator at the dedication of Oral Roberts University in 1967. Since 1967, Copeland's ministry has held three-to-six-day conventions across the United States. KCM still holds an annual Southwest Believer's Convention in his hometown of Fort Worth during

2160-475: A nationwide audience of five million persons. Aimee Semple McPherson was another pioneering tent-revivalist who soon turned to radio to reach a larger audience. Radio eventually gave her nationwide notoriety in the 1920s and 1930s, and she even built one of the earliest Pentecostal megachurches . In the U.S. , the Great Depression of the 1930s saw a resurgence of revival-tent preaching in

2268-626: A nearby market if no local over-the-air affiliate exists). Worldwide, TBN's channels are broadcast on 70 satellites and over 18,000 television and cable affiliates. The TBN networks are also streamed live on the internet globally; the network also provides select archived shows on demand , through the website and select IPTV services. During 2010, citing economic problems and a lack of donations, TBN closed down and sold many of its low-powered television repeaters. Of those, 17 were sold to another Christian television network, Daystar . On April 13, 2012, TBN sold 36 of its translators to Regal Media,

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2376-439: A new program, The Hal Lindsey Report , premiered on the network. In June 2011, TBN refused to rebroadcast an episode of Jack Van Impe 's weekly program Jack Van Impe Presents , in which the evangelist criticized pastors Rick Warren and Robert Schuller for participating in interfaith conferences alongside Muslim leaders. Both Warren and Schuller denied the accusations. Paul Crouch defended TBN's decision, stating that it

2484-566: A previous comment where he said that he did not fly commercial because he likened it to flying with demons. Copeland had drawn criticism for his comments on the Joe Biden presidency. He also gained attention during the COVID-19 pandemic , arguing pastors should not cancel services, and repeatedly saying the pandemic had ended or would end soon. On March 29, 2020, in a televised sermon, Copeland "executed judgment" on COVID-19. He claimed that it

2592-444: A probe into the finances of six televangelists who preach a " prosperity gospel ". The probe investigated reports of lavish lifestyles by televangelists including fleets of Rolls-Royces , palatial mansions, private jets, and other expensive items purportedly paid for by television viewers who donate due to the ministries' encouragement of offerings. The six that were investigated are: On January 6, 2011, Grassley released his review of

2700-519: A regulatory or public service requirement) rather than private interest groups . The word televangelism is a portmanteau of television and evangelism and it was coined in 1958 as the title of a television miniseries by the Southern Baptist Convention . Jeffrey K. Hadden and Charles E. Swann have been credited with popularising the word in their 1981 survey Prime Time Preachers: The Rising Power of Televangelism . However,

2808-417: A single broadcast signal and the lack of a modern multiplexer at the transmitter level, disallowing TBN's master control from sending the main feed in high definition or widescreen standard definition (this is in comparison to Ion Media Networks, which carries five to six multiplex services on most of its stations – including its flagship network Ion Television , which is transmitted in high-definition);

2916-667: A timeline attached", and said that the money was spent on airplane repairs. In 2008, the ministry owned five airplanes and continued to purchase more. In February 2007, Copeland was accused of using KCM's Citation X for personal vacations. The Copelands' financial records and a list of KCM's board of directors are not publicly available; the information is held in confidence by the Internal Revenue Service . Responding to media questions, Copeland pointed to an accounting firm's declaration that his jet travel complied with federal tax laws. In December 2008, KCM's Citation Bravo

3024-413: A uniquely American phenomenon, resulting from a largely deregulated media where access to television networks and cable TV is open to virtually anyone who can afford it, combined with a large Christian population that is able to provide the necessary funding. It became especially popular among Evangelical Protestant audiences, whether independent or organized around Christian denominations. However,

3132-573: Is Lord ". Kenneth Copeland Ministries has six international offices in Canada, Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and Ukraine. He preaches prosperity theology and is part of the Word of Faith movement, which teaches that financial blessing and physical well-being are the will of God for believers, and that material and financial success are a sign of divine favor. This may be unlocked through giving to ministry, and Copeland has written that parishioners will get

3240-416: Is a 501(c)(3) non-profit company. Full disclosure of TBN's financial statements have been evaluated by Charity Navigator , the largest evaluator of charities and non-profit companies in the U.S. TBN has received a three out of four star rating for four consecutive years, and in 2009 earned a rating of two out of four stars due to a 2% increase in administrative costs in 2009; the report also revealed that for

3348-611: Is a lightning rod for the Body of Christ. It's not what drives TBN." Under leadership of Matt Crouch, TBN no longer adheres to or practices that theology, and programming changes such as removing Kenneth Copeland reflect that shift. TBN has always broadcast programming featuring Protestant pastors who do not promote the prosperity gospel, such as Charles Stanley , Jack Graham , Franklin Graham , Billy Graham , Michael Youssef , David Jeremiah and Robert Jeffress . Senator Chuck Grassley ,

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3456-553: Is an accredited member with Transworld Accrediting Commission International. On August 28, 2003, Kenneth Copeland Bible College opened an extension campus in Langley, British Columbia. For several decades Copeland and KCM has been a public and vocal supporter for Israel. On August 17, 2022 the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog , called and personally thanked Copeland and KCM for their support of Ukrainian and Russian Jews. In 2020 he

3564-649: Is an international Christian -based broadcast television network and the world's largest religious television network. TBN was headquartered in Costa Mesa, California , until March 3, 2017, when it sold its highly visible office park, Trinity Christian City. The broadcaster retained its studios in nearby Tustin . Auxiliary studio facilities are located in Irving , Hendersonville , Gadsden , Decatur , Miami and Orlando , Tulsa and New York City . TBN has characterized itself as broadcasting programs hosted by

3672-635: Is glaringly obvious in what they say as well as how they live. They claim to possess great spiritual power, but in reality they are rank materialists and enemies of everything holy. Similarly, Ole Anthony wrote very critically of televangelists in 1994. A proportion of their methods and theology are held by some to be conflicting with Christian doctrine taught in long existing traditionalist congregations. Many televangelists are featured by "discernment ministries" run by other Christians that are concerned about what they perceive as departures from sound Christian doctrine. In 2007, Senator Chuck Grassley opened

3780-703: Is located in Fort Worth, Texas, on a 33-acre (13 ha) property that was once Marine Corps Air Station Eagle Mountain Lake (MCAS Eagle Mountain Lake), a United States Marine Corps air base, valued in 2008 at $ 554,160 (equivalent to $ 784,218 in 2023) by Tarrant Appraisal District. The site includes the Eagle Mountain International Church , television and radio production facilities, warehouse and distribution facilities, residences for

3888-430: Is no indication of the autism connection with vaccinations in older children. Furthermore, the new MMR vaccination is without thimerosal (mercury), which has also been a concern to many." Copeland and his wife were featured in a 2015 episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver . John Oliver criticized the Copelands for using tax laws to live in a $ 6.3 million mansion as the parsonage allowance for their home

3996-480: Is not subject to income taxes, for using church donations to buy a $ 20 million jet that was used for trips to a ski resort and a private game ranch, and for promotion of healing through faith and skepticism of medicine. In May 2019, he received criticism for his lavish lifestyle after Inside Edition released an interview where he defended his purchase of a private jet. He stated "If I flew commercial, I'd have to stop 65% of what I'm doing" and he additionally defended

4104-464: Is not the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is nothing spiritual or miraculous about their on-stage chicanery. It is all a devious ruse designed to take advantage of desperate people. They are not Godly ministers but greedy impostors who corrupt the Word of God for money's sake. They are not real pastors who shepherd the flock of God but hirelings whose only design is to fleece the sheep. Their love of money

4212-711: Is obvious they were completely embedded." When ABC News contacted the U.S. Army in Afghanistan about Scott and Decker's alleged embed, which had taken place four years previously, they said that they no longer had the documentation of the missionaries' status with the troops. Scott defended the trip to Afghanistan, telling ABC, "It wasn't like we were hiding in the back saying we're going to preach. [The military] knew what we were doing. We told them that we were born again Christians, we're here doing ministry, we shoot for this TV station and we want to embed and see what it

4320-601: Is part of the Word of Faith movement, which teaches that divine favor is expressed in material and financial blessing, and that giving to ministries unlocks this favor. Kenneth Max Copeland was born on December 6, 1936, raised in West Texas near a United States Army Air Forces airfield. This inspired him to become a pilot . Copeland was a recording artist on the Imperial Records label, having one Billboard Top 40 hit, "Pledge of Love", which charted in

4428-514: Is pastored by her husband George Pearsons. Copeland has amassed significant wealth during his career and has referred to himself as a "very wealthy man". The Houston Chronicle referred to him as the wealthiest pastor in America, having a net worth of $ 750 million in 2021. As of 2024, Copeland's net worth was estimated to be $ 300 million. Copeland sat on the evangelical executive advisory board that Donald Trump assembled during his campaign for

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4536-440: Is pending; no official judicial ruling has been made in this matter. In a May 2012 interview with The New York Times , Koper claimed, "My job as finance director was to find ways to label extravagant personal spending as ministry expenses." Koper alleged that the network had herself and chauffeurs and sound engineers ordained as ministers in order to avoid paying Social Security taxes on their salaries. In September 2004,

4644-505: The Orange County Register reported that Carra Crouch, a granddaughter of Paul and Jan Crouch, alleged in a lawsuit that she had been raped by a TBN employee when she was 13 years old. Carra claimed to have been sexually abused while staying at an Atlanta hotel during TBN's "Spring Praise-a-Thon" in 2006. She also claimed that Jan Crouch and TBN attorney John Casoria blamed her for the incident, yet agreed not to turn

4752-708: The FCC's Children's Television Act . Programs previously featured as part of the lineup, which are also broadcast on TBN's Smile network, ranged from contemporary programs (such as 3-2-1 Penguins! ), classic series (such as Davey and Goliath ), and TBN originals (such as iShine Knect and Mary Rice Hopkins & Puppets with a Heart ). Since 2009, TBN has broadcast feature-length religious- and/or inspirational-themed films; these films air primarily on weekend evenings (with films based on biblical stories most commonly airing on Sundays), with more contemporary films – which often incorporate moral lessons, faith-based lessons or

4860-524: The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s must-carry rules. TBN's availability eventually expanded to 95% of American households by early 2005. TBN owns 35 full-power television stations serving larger metropolitan areas in the United States; at its peak, the network also owned 252 low-power television stations , which are mixed among stations serving medium-sized cities and rural translator stations in order to maximize

4968-514: The Los Angeles Times reported that Paul Crouch had paid former TBN employee Enoch Lonnie Ford a $ 425,000 formal settlement to end a wrongful termination lawsuit in 1998. Ford alleged that he and Crouch had a homosexual tryst during his employment with the ministry. TBN officials acknowledged the settlement but contested Ford's credibility, noting that he had previously been convicted for child molestation and drug abuse. In 1996, Ford

5076-499: The Midwest and South , as itinerant traveling preachers drove from town to town, living off donations . Several preachers began radio shows as a result of their popularity. In the 1930s, a famous radio evangelist of the period was Roman Catholic priest Father Charles Coughlin , whose strongly anti-Communist and antisemitic radio programs reached millions of listeners. Other early Christian radio programs broadcast nationwide in

5184-531: The independent station KBSA (now UniMás owned-and-operated station KFTR-DT ) in Ontario, California . After that station was sold, he began buying two hours a day of programming time on KLXA-TV in Fontana, California , in early 1974. That station was put up for sale shortly afterward. Paul Crouch then placed a bid to buy the station for $ 1 million and raised $ 100,000 for a down payment . After many struggles,

5292-541: The Copeland family, and Kenneth Copeland Airport . As of 2024, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records indicated that no aircraft were based at the airport, and that it had a single usable runway; that same year, KCM told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that it was raising money to resurface the second runway so it could be used again, and it was using the former Marine Corps hospital building as

5400-530: The Crouches managed to raise the down payment and took over the station outright, with the station becoming KTBN-TV in 1977 and its city of license being reassigned to TBN's original homebase, Santa Ana , in 1983. Initially, the station ran Christian programs for about six hours a day, expanding its programming to 12 hours a day by 1975, and began selling time to other Christian organizations to supplement its local programming. The station eventually instituted

5508-531: The Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas, despite restrictions on social gatherings to limit the spread of the pandemic. Local leaders criticized the event, attended by hundreds of people, but were unable to enforce public health restrictions because religious gatherings were exempt under Governor Greg Abbott 's executive orders. Televangelist Televangelists are either official or self-proclaimed ministers who devote

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5616-471: The Lord , was regularly hosted by TBN founders Paul and Jan Crouch, and was originally two or three hours long. Until 2017, local versions of Praise the Lord were produced by TBN owned-and-operated stations and affiliates in order to fulfill public affairs content guidelines. TBN runs VeggieTales under the "Smile" banner on Saturdays 8–10 a.m Eastern Time to fulfill E/I programming requirements as per

5724-733: The NBC affiliation instead, via a subchannel. KJNE-LP ended up becoming a translator station of Fox affiliate KJNB-LD . Another 44 of the licenses that were donated by TBN to the MMTC would be canceled on December 1, 2011, due to remaining silent for over a year. On October 22, 2012, TBN acquired WRBJ-TV in Jackson, Mississippi from Roberts Broadcasting . Following FCC and bankruptcy court approval on January 17, 2013, TBN officially took over operational control of WRBJ on May 24, 2013, dropping all secular and CW network programming and converting it into

5832-637: The Springs Church (of which Miracle Channel CEO Leon Fontaine is a pastor), and The Leon Show on The Church Channel . Plans were also announced for Fontaine to become a regular host on Praise the Lord and four episodes per-year to originate from Canada, and for Miracle Channel and TBN co-produce a new weekly program. In December 2023, TBN announced a distribution partnership with Phil McGraw 's new venture Merit Street Media . The signals of TBN's television stations are multiplexed into digital subchannels , which carry additional networks operated by

5940-588: The Top 40 on April 20, 1957, stayed on the charts for 15 weeks, and peaked at No. 17. In the fall of 1967, he enrolled in Oral Roberts University , where he soon became pilot and chauffeur to Oral Roberts . In 1967, after attending Kenneth E. Hagin 's Pastor Seminars, Copeland and his wife Gloria founded Kenneth Copeland Ministries (KCM) in Fort Worth , Texas . The ministry's motto is " Jesus

6048-622: The U.S. beginning in the 1920s–1930s, include (years of radio broadcast shown): Bob Jones, Sr. (1927–1962), Ralph W. Sockman (1928–1962), G. E. Lowman (1930–1965), Music and the Spoken Word (1929–present), The Lutheran Hour (1930–present), and Charles E. Fuller (1937–1968). Time magazine reported in 1946 that Rev. Ralph Sockman's National Radio Pulpit on NBC received 4,000 letters weekly and Roman Catholic archbishop Fulton J. Sheen received between 3,000 and 6,000 letters weekly. The total radio audience for radio ministers in

6156-573: The U.S. that year was estimated to be 10 million listeners. An association of American Evangelical Protestant religious broadcasters, the National Religious Broadcasters , was founded in 1944. Although television also began in the 1930s, it was not used for religious purposes until the early 1950s. Jack Wyrtzen and Percy Crawford switched to TV broadcasting in the Spring of 1949. Another television preacher of note

6264-686: The UK and the CRTC in Canada, with Ofcom having censured both Islam Channel and Peace TV in the past for biased coverage of political events, incitement to illegal acts including marital rape , and homophobia . The Islamic televangelist channel Peace TV is banned in India, Bangladesh, Canada, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom. Trinity Broadcasting Network The Trinity Broadcasting Network ( TBN ; legally Trinity Broadcasting of Texas, Inc. )

6372-687: The US, there are Joel Osteen , Joyce Meyer and T. D. Jakes . In Nigeria, there are Enoch Adeboye and Chris Oyakhilome . Trinity Broadcasting Network is the world's largest religious television network. Televangelists frequently draw criticism from other Christian ministers. For example, preacher John MacArthur published a number of articles in December 2009 that were highly critical of some televangelists. Someone needs to say this plainly: The faith healers and health-and-wealth preachers who dominate religious television are shameless frauds. Their message

6480-540: The apostle Paul ); The Omega Code and its sequel Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 ; Carman: The Champion ; Time Changer ; and Six: The Mark Unleashed (starring Stephen Baldwin and David A.R. White ). Some of these films were produced by Gener8Xion Entertainment , TBN's Hollywood, California -based Christian motion picture studio, which was co-founded by Matt and Laurie Crouch. TBN also broadcasts films from other production companies on its main network and some of its sister networks (in particular, JUCE TV and Smile of

6588-545: The bible-themed adventure park Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Florida , for $ 37 million. Trinity Broadcasting Network had previously come under heavy criticism for its promotion of the prosperity gospel , teaching viewers that they will receive a reward if they donate or give offerings. In a 2004 interview with the Los Angeles Times , Paul Crouch, Jr. expressed his disappointment that "the prosperity gospel

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6696-593: The chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Finance , has conducted investigations into whether Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn mishandled their finances; neither were found to have committed wrongdoing. Scholar Steve Snow states that TBN "regularly promotes the teachings of the [ New Apostolic Reformation ]", which he argues "represents what Richard Hofstadter referred to as the modern paranoid style in American politics ". TBN

6804-442: The channel space. The Victory Channel's popular FlashPoint current-events prophecy program is hosted by pastor Gene Bailey and reaches approximately 11,000 households. FlashPoint commonly features nationally known ministry leaders such as Lance Wallnau and Hank Kunneman; other guests have included Donald Trump , Charlie Kirk , Marjorie Taylor Greene . and former Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. Kenneth Copeland Ministries

6912-521: The clinics to quarantine themselves at home for two weeks. In a statement on the church website, Pearsons said she was not against immunizations, but also raised concerns about them. "Some people think I am against immunizations, but that is not true, vaccinations help cut the mortality rate enormously. I believe it is wrong to be against vaccinations. The concerns we have had are primarily with very young children who have family history of autism and with bundling too many immunizations at one time. There

7020-423: The country as of 2010, besting the station groups of CBS , Fox and NBC , but behind Ion Media Networks and Univision Communications . Many of TBN's stations are owned by the ministry outright, while others are owned through the subsidiary Community Educational Television , in order to own stations that TBN cannot acquire directly due to FCC ownership limits (which restrict companies from owning stations with

7128-528: The daughter of Paul Crouch Jr.), filed a lawsuit against her former attorneys, Davert & Loe. The three counts of the complaint were for breach of fiduciary duties, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and professional negligence. In this lawsuit, Koper alleged that TBN unlawfully distributed over $ 50 million to the ministry's directors. Koper filed the suit following the termination of her employment with TBN. Davert & Loe, who also represented TBN, denied her claims. Koper's suit against Davert & Loe

7236-505: The document for $ 10 million. In October 2004, Judge Robert J. O'Neill awarded Crouch $ 136,000 in legal fees to be paid by Ford for his violation of the terms of the settlement agreement, specifically the prohibition of discussing the details of the settlement. On March 15, 2005, Ford appeared on the PAX TV reality series Lie Detector to be given a polygraph test ; the results of the test were never broadcast or made public. In June 2012,

7344-515: The film – a rarity for many Christian networks. On December 15, 2009, the Trinity Broadcasting Network became the first Christian television network to broadcast completely in high definition . However, until 2018 only the national cable-satellite feed was transmitted in HD; TBN's owned-and-operated broadcast stations were not equipped to allow HD broadcasts due partly to the bandwidth limitations caused by its mandatory carriage of five subchannels over

7452-645: The fired employee in to authorities if he did not file for unemployment , worker's comp or EEOC benefits. TBN attorney Colby May "vehemently denied" Carra's claims. In 2017, a year after Jan Crouch's death, a jury awarded Carra $ 2 million in damages for "mental suffering", but found that Jan had not been acting as a "Trinity Clergy Member" and therefore wasn't legally required to report the assault. Bible prophecy scholar Hal Lindsey 's program International Intelligence Briefing , which occasionally aired commentary segments criticizing Muslims and Islam , aired on TBN from 1994 to 2005. In December 2005, TBN pre-empted

7560-499: The first Christian channel, was founded in 1961, by Baptist Pastor Pat Robertson . Its show The 700 Club , is one of the oldest on the American television scene and was broadcast in 39 languages in 138 countries in 2016. The 1960s and early 1970s, saw television replace radio as the primary home entertainment medium, but also corresponded with a further rise in Evangelical Christianity , particularly through

7668-532: The first ministers to use radio extensively was S. Parkes Cadman , beginning in 1923. In 1923, Calvary Baptist Church in New York City was the first church to operate its own radio station. "Tell It From Calvary" is a radio show that the church still produces weekly; it's heard on WMCA AM570. By 1928, Cadman had a weekly Sunday afternoon radio broadcast on the NBC radio network, his powerful oratory reaching

7776-584: The first to have a weekly church service broadcast on television. By 1980, the Rex Humbard programs spanned the globe across 695 stations in 91 languages and to date the largest coverage of any evangelistic program. Oral Roberts 's broadcast by 1957 reached 80% of the possible television audience through 135 of the possible 500 stations. In Uruguay, Channel 4 airs the Roman Catholic Church mass since 1961. Christian Broadcasting Network ,

7884-495: The first week of August. Kenneth and Gloria Copeland also preach and minister at other conventions and conferences throughout the world. These events stream live on Copeland's website, kcm.org, as well as being shown on Christian television stations such as GOD TV and the Daystar Television Network . Portions of recorded conferences are shown on Sundays. The Monday through Friday television broadcasts feature

7992-461: The fiscal year ending December 2009, TBN president Paul Crouch, Sr. earned $ 419,500; co-vice president Jan Crouch earned $ 361,000; and co-vice president Paul Crouch, Jr. earned $ 214,137. TBN is currently under Donor Advisory status with Charity Navigator. Another charity watchdog group, Ministry Watch , gave TBN an "F" in 2011 for its failure to provide financial statements, lack of timeliness in responding to correspondence, and its lack of clarity in

8100-516: The flights of five of the ministry's aircraft were kept private, including the Citation X and a North American T-28 Trojan . United States Senator Chuck Grassley has questioned some of the flights taken by these aircraft, including layovers in Maui , Fiji , and Honolulu . The ministries say that the stopovers were for preaching or for allowing pilot rest. Copeland raised funds for the building of

8208-444: The increasing globalisation of broadcasting has enabled some American televangelists to reach a wider audience through international broadcast networks, including some that are specifically Christian in nature. Some countries have a more regulated media with either general restrictions on access or specific rules regarding religious broadcasting. In such countries, religious programming is typically produced by TV companies (sometimes as

8316-719: The intent to convert them into NBC affiliates. However, in September 2012, New Moon put all four of these translators for sale. Only Gray Television would purchase a transmitter in Dothan, which was converted into NBC affiliate WRGX-LD ; the licenses in Ottumwa (KUMK-LP) and Jackson (WZMC-LP) would later be canceled (the NBC affiliate in Jackson, WNBJ-LD , operates using a different license). Its Jonesboro transmitter, KJNE-LP remained silent but with an active license; however, that market's ABC affiliate KAIT ended up obtaining

8424-426: The international television and radio ministry of Billy Graham . Many well-known televangelists began during this period, most notably Oral Roberts , Jimmy Swaggart , Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker , Jerry Falwell , Jesse Duplantis and Pat Robertson. Most developed their own media networks, news exposure, and political influence. In the 21st century, some televised church services continue to attract large audiences. In

8532-506: The invention of the printing press , included the distribution of Bibles and religious tracts . Some Christians realized that the rapid uptake of radio beginning in the 1920s, provided a powerful new tool for this task, and they were amongst the first producers of radio programming . Radio broadcasts were seen as a complementary activity to traditional missionaries, enabling vast numbers to be reached at relatively low cost, but also enabling Christianity to be preached in countries where this

8640-658: The island country, having established a children's hospital, an orphanage and a school in Haiti. TBN spent millions in donations and other funding on these humanitarian projects. Following the January 12, 2010, Haiti earthquake , TBN made immediate contributions of $ 100,000 through Lake Charles, Louisiana -based Friend Ships, which speeds emergency relief aid and medical expertise all over the world in its fleet of dedicated cargo/ministry ships. Friend Ships has been partnering with TBN and Smile since 1992; Paul Crouch personally donated

8748-720: The longstanding da'i tradition but also draw inspiration from Christian televangelists. Similarly to Christian televangelists, critics have argued that some Islamic televangelists may be too political , especially those pandering to fundamental Islamism including the far-right . Critics also claim that many will make significant amounts of money from their work and therefore may not be motivated by spiritual or charitable causes. Examples of well-known Islamic televangelist TV channels include Muslim Television Ahmadiyya , Islam Channel , ARY Qtv and Peace TV . Some of these channels, but not all, have come under scrutiny from national television or communications regulators such as Ofcom in

8856-658: The main TBN network, TBN owns TBN Inspire , Smile , Enlace , TBN Salsa and Positiv . It also owns several other religious networks outside the United States, including international versions of its five U.S. networks. Matt Crouch is currently TBN's president and head of operations. The Trinity Broadcasting Network was co-founded as the Trinity Broadcasting Systems in 1973 by Paul Crouch , an Assemblies of God minister, and his spouse Jan Crouch . TBN began its broadcasting activities by renting time on

8964-480: The network airs local religious programming on each of their feeds. The network's flagship program Praise is hosted by various regular and guest hosts, including TBN president Matt Crouch and his wife Laurie Crouch. It features interviews with celebrities, ministers, and laypeople discussing faith-based topics and their personal relationship with God; as well as musical performances from gospel and contemporary Christian artists. The program originated as Praise

9072-503: The network's mailing list as of June 2018). At some point in 2018, some TBN over-the-air stations upgraded their primary feed and second subchannel to 720p HD, where available and/or technically possible. The Smile of a Child Foundation is a compassion-focused ministry, founded in 2005 by TBN co-founder Jan Crouch initially as a vehicle to reach the children of Haiti , providing food, medical care, toys and disaster relief to people in need. Crouch has over 20 years of personal involvement with

9180-404: The network's reach as much as is permissible. TBN also has several hundred affiliate stations throughout the United States, although just 61 of these are full-power UHF or VHF stations; the rest are low-powered stations, requiring a viewer to be within several miles of the transmitter to receive the signal. According to TVNewsCheck , TBN was the third largest over-the-air television station group in

9288-441: The organization. These subchannels typically include: TBN produces a variety of original Christian programs, such as gospel music concerts, live coverage of major Christian events, talk shows , health/fitness/nutrition programs with Christian family doctors, children's programs, contemporary Christian music videos , marriage enrichment series, holiday specials, Christian dramas, and full-length, family-oriented movies. In addition,

9396-489: The presidency. Appointment to the board did not require endorsement of his bid for presidency, and Copeland clarified that he did not endorse Trump at the time. Before the 2016 election, Copeland said that Christians who did not vote for Trump would be guilty of murder, referring to the pro-choice stance of Hillary Clinton . After a state dinner at the White House that Copeland attended, he stated in an interview that Trump

9504-431: The primary TBN network feed is transmitted in standard-definition by its owned-and-operated stations and affiliates. Thus, widescreen programming on TBN's broadcast services was offered over-the-air in a letterboxed 4:3 picture format, though it is offered in native formats on pay television and IPTV services (including TBN's mobile and digital media player apps, the latter requiring email authentication and an opt-in to

9612-697: The program attracted criticism from the Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF), a watchdog group that looks for religious discrimination in the United States military , which claimed that Scott and Decker were embedded with U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan . According to MRFF president Mikey Weinstein, the military exercises a "complete prohibition of the proselytizing of any religion, faith, or practice...You see [Scott and Decker] wearing American helmets. It

9720-564: The program for the entire month. Lindsey accused the network of censorship , saying, "some at the network apparently feel that my message is too pro- Israel and too anti-Muslim." Paul Crouch issued a press release stating that the show was only pre-empted for Christmas programming, but eventually admitted that TBN management was concerned that Lindsey "placed Arabs in a negative light." Lindsey resigned from TBN on January 1, 2006, effectively canceling International Intelligence Briefing . However, one year later, Crouch and Lindsey reconciled and

9828-750: The provided information. As a result, TBN was placed on the group's alert list annually since 2009. TBN's annual financial information is monitored by the Chronicle of Philanthropy , where it is ranked 243 out of the top 400 non-profit corporations in the United States. TBN is not a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability . In 2011, Paul Crouch, Jr. resigned from his position as co-vice president on TBN. On November 10 of that year, Crouch, Jr. joined The Word Network as its Director of Project Development. In February 2012, Brittany Koper , TBN's former Director of Finance (and

9936-644: The six ministries response to his inquiry. He called for a further congressional review of tax-exemption laws for religious groups. In Islam , the related concept of dawah , which encourages Muslims to go and spread the religion to Non-Muslims similar to the Evangelical tradition of evangelizing, has also given rise to figures who are often described as "Islamic televangelists" who preach using Television and Internet videos like their Evangelical counterparts. Examples include Moez Masoud , Zakir Naik and Amr Khaled , amongst others. These figures may build on

10044-426: The studios for TBN's Nashville-area station, WPGD-TV . Formerly known as "Twitty City", the former estate of country music legend Conway Twitty , the complex includes the 2,000-seat Trinity Music City Church Auditorium, which is used for TBN-produced concerts, dramas, seminars and special events. A 50-seat virtual reality theater showcases four original productions from TBN Films. Trinity Christian City International

10152-605: The term televangelist was employed by Time magazine already in 1952, when telegenic Roman Catholic Bishop Fulton Sheen was referred to as the "first televangelist". Christianity has always emphasized preaching the gospel to the whole world, taking as inspiration the Great Commission . Historically, this was achieved by sending missionaries , beginning with the Dispersion of the Apostles , and later, after

10260-421: The thousands in attendance and online that voting is a sacred trust. His involvement in politics as a nationally prominent ministry leader has drawn both praise and criticism. KCM has been criticized for its use of private aircraft. KCM promised from 2006 to 2010 to create an aviation relief assistance program called Angel Flight 44 , to help Haiti . A spokesperson responded "This was not a specific promise with

10368-534: Was Fulton J. Sheen , who successfully switched to television in 1951 after two decades of popular radio broadcasts and whom Time called "the first 'televangelist'". Sheen would win numerous Emmy Awards for his program that ran from the early 1950s, until the late 1960s. In 1951, producer Dick Ross and Baptist evangelist Billy Graham founded the film production company World Wide Pictures , which would make videos of his preaching and Christian films. After years of radio broadcasting in 1952 Rex Humbard became

10476-573: Was "finished" and "over" and that the US was now "healed and well again". In another sermon shortly thereafter, he claimed to destroy the virus with the "wind of God". He urged followers to continue to give tithes to his ministry even if they had lost their jobs through economic hardship brought about by the pandemic. On August 3–8, 2020, the Kenneth Copeland Ministries hosted the Southwest Believers' Conference at

10584-580: Was "led by the Spirit of God", and that his most important legacy as president would be the appointments of conservative judges. On November 5, 2022, Copeland spoke at a Donald Trump rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, stating that Trump is the only president he has ever seen wear the red, white, and blue in office. During the 2024, Southwest Believers Convention in Fort Worth Texas, Kenneth Copeland told

10692-447: Was a complex in Costa Mesa, California , which served as the headquarters for TBN as well as a tourist attraction. On March 3, 2017, it was announced by The Christian media network that Trinity Christian City International had been sold to Greenlaw Partners, because TBN now finds its campus "obsolete". A sales price was not disclosed. On April 12, 2017, it was revealed that the sales price was $ 18.25 million. In June 2007, TBN purchased

10800-472: Was a member of the National Religious Broadcasters association until 1990. In 1977, the ministry purchased KPAZ-TV in Phoenix, Arizona , becoming its second television station property. During the 1980s and 1990s, TBN purchased additional independent television stations and signed on new stations around the United States; the purchase of the existing stations was done in order to gain cable carriage, due to

10908-510: Was against network policy for personalities to attack each other on-air (Schuller had a regular show on TBN). As a result, Jack Van Impe Ministries announced that it would no longer air Van Impe's program on TBN. TBN produces and airs the Christian reality show Travel the Road , which features missionaries Tim Scott and Will Decker in remote and often war-torn locations. In December 2008,

11016-698: Was denied tax exemption after KCM refused to submit a standardized Texas Comptroller form that some county appraisal districts use to make determinations, which would have required making public the salary of all ministry staff. KCM subsequently filed suit with the Tarrant Appraisal District in January 2009 and its petition to have the aircraft's tax-exempt status restored was granted in March 2010. KCM has utilized an FAA program that blocks enrolled aircraft on flight tracking websites; in 2010,

11124-543: Was fired by TBN after he was arrested for drug-related offenses and returned to prison for a year. Ford allegedly threatened to sue TBN for wrongful termination and sexual harassment after the network refused to hire him following his release, resulting in his claims against Crouch. TBN officials stated that the settlement was made in order to avoid a lengthy and expensive lawsuit. In late 2003, Ford attempted to extort Crouch, threatening to release an autobiographical manuscript of their alleged affair if TBN did not purchase

11232-564: Was illegal and missionaries were banned. The aim of Christian radio was to both convert people to Christianity and to provide teaching and support to believers. These activities continue today, particularly in the developing world. Shortwave radio stations with a Christian format broadcast worldwide, such as HCJB in Quito , Ecuador , Family Radio 's WYFR , and the Bible Broadcasting Network (BBN) , among others. One of

11340-406: Was like. We were interviewing the chaplains and we talked to them. We spoke at the services and things like that. So we did do our mission being over there as far as being able to document what the soldiers go through, what it's like in Afghanistan. So I could say that we were on a secular mission as well as far as documenting. I would say we were news reporters as well, we were delivering news of what

11448-514: Was listed by the Israel Allies Foundation as one of the top supporters of Israel along with Paula White , John Hagee , Mike Huckabee, and other Christian leaders. Copeland and other Christian leaders such as Greg Laurie and John Hagee have received criticism for their support of Israel. Copeland has been married three times. His first marriage was to Ivy Bodiford in October 1955. They had one child; they divorced in 1958. He

11556-525: Was renamed Victory Channel in 2019, and is available over-the-air and on some cable providers. On October 2, 2020, the Believer's Voice of Victory (BVOV) stopped broadcasting on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN). At the start of 2022, it was added on several national cable systems under a new channel lease with Olympusat, which had previously offered Hillsong Channel and Living Faith Network , then Bulldog Shopping Network , on

11664-421: Was then married to Cynthia Davis from 1958 to 1961. Copeland then married Gloria ( née Neece) in 1963. They are the parents of John Copeland and Kellie Copeland. Gloria co-hosts the ministry's flagship broadcast, The Believer's Voice of Victory , alongside her husband. Kellie preaches throughout the United States, as does Copeland's daughter Terri, who also preaches at Eagle Mountain International Church, which

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