NORTH TEXAS – In a class-action lawsuit filed Friday, four church members accuse Gateway Church of misappropriating millions of dollars in donations, known as a “tithe.”
“So when you talk about giving money to the bride of Christ, which is the church, you expect it to be handled biblically based,” said former Gateway member Valentina Hansen.
Hansen claims she’s been banned from the church for speaking out. She says tithes can total thousands of dollars per family.
“So, on the low end, I will say probably about $5,000 in a year, to the high end of probably six figures being given to the church,” Hansen said.
At a conference last year, former lead pastor Robert Morris said 15-20% of the church’s yearly revenue goes to ministries across the world. In the class-action lawsuit, it says a CPA oversaw Gateway Global Ministries. The CPA claims the church’s revenue totaled more than $100 million, but he only saw no more than $3 million given to global missions, which is far less than 15%.