Joyce Meyer

==Salary and finances==
[[File:N7JMatSYD.jpg|thumb|267px|Joyce Meyer used to travel in this [[Bombardier Challenger 600|Canadair Challenger 600S]]; seen here in Sydney, Australia, when she was a 'special guest' at the [[Hillsong Conference]] in July 2005. It has since been replaced by a [[Gulfstream IV|Gulfstream G-IV]] (serial number 1132)]]
Meyer, who owns several homes and travels in a private jet (currently a [[Gulfstream IV|Gulfstream G-IV]]),<ref name="PD-2"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N7JM |title=N-Number Inquiry Results |work=FAA Registry |publisher=[[Federal Aviation Administration]] |access-date=August 22, 2013 |archive-date=August 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822091851/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N7JM |url-status=dead }} FAA US civil aircraft register inquiry, using "N7JM" as the search parameter. Inquiry conducted August 22, 2013.</ref> has been criticized for living an excessive lifestyle. She doesn't defend her spending habits because "... there's no need for us to apologize for being blessed."<ref name="PD-2">{{cite news |title=From Fenton to fortune in the name of God |first1=Carolyn |last1=Tuft |first2=Bill |last2=Smith |url=http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/special/joycemeyer.nsf/story/C5099399D2FCC5FA86256DDF00661C5F?OpenDocument |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |publisher=Pulitzer, Inc. |date=November 15, 2003 |access-date=August 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011071211/http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/special/joycemeyer.nsf/story/C5099399D2FCC5FA86256DDF00661C5F?OpenDocument |archive-date=October 11, 2007}} Part 1 of 4. Related articles are {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011070008/http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/special/joycemeyer.nsf?OpenDatabase |date=11 October 2007 }}</ref> Meyer commented, "You can be a businessman here in St. Louis, and people think the more you have, the more wonderful it is ... but if you're a preacher, then all of a sudden it becomes a problem."<ref name="PD-2"/>

In November 2003, the ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'' published a four-part special report<ref name="PD-2"/> detailing Meyer's "$10 million corporate jet, her husband's $107,000 silver-gray Mercedes sedan, her $2 million home and houses worth another $2 million for her four children," a $20 million headquarters, furnished with "$5.7 million worth of furniture, artwork, glassware, and the latest equipment and machinery," including a "$30,000 [[malachite]] round table, a $23,000 marble-topped antique commode, a $14,000 custom office bookcase, a $7,000 Stations of the Cross in Dresden porcelain, a $6,300 eagle sculpture on a pedestal, another eagle made of silver bought for $5,000, and numerous paintings purchased for $1,000 to $4,000 each," among many other expensive items&nbsp;– all paid for by the ministry. The articles prompted Wall Watchers<ref name="MinistryWatch"/> (a Christian nonprofit watchdog group) to call on the [[Internal Revenue Service]] (IRS) to investigate Meyer and her family.

Following the adverse publicity about her lifestyle and Ministry Watch's request for an IRS probe, Meyer announced in 2004 plans to take a salary reduction from the $900,000 per year she had been receiving from Joyce Meyer Ministries (in addition to the $450,000 her husband received)<ref>{{cite news |title=To our readers, an apology |first1=Ellen |last1=Soeteber |first2=Arnie |last2=Robbins |url=http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/special/joycemeyer.nsf/0/3230A355F7AB972B862570260050AE09?OpenDocument |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |publisher=[[Lee Enterprises]] |date=June 19, 2005 |access-date=August 22, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060821110035/http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/special/joycemeyer.nsf/0/3230A355F7AB972B862570260050AE09?OpenDocument |archive-date=August 21, 2006}}</ref> and instead personally keep more of the royalties from her outside book sales which Meyer had previously donated back to Joyce Meyer Ministries. She now retains royalties on books sold outside the ministry through retail outlets such as [[Walmart]], [[Amazon.com]], and bookstores, while continuing to donate to her ministry royalties from books sold through her conferences, catalogues, website, and television program.<ref>{{cite news
 | work = [[Christianity Today]]
 | publisher = Christianity Today International
 | location = Carol Stream, IL
 | title = Joyce Meyer Responds to Critics, Shifts Income Source
 | date = January 1, 2004
 | first = Corrie
 | last = Cutrer
 | url = http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2004/januaryweb-only/1-19-13.0.html
 | access-date = June 6, 2007
 | archive-date = June 6, 2007
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070606235423/http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2004/januaryweb-only/1-19-13.0.html
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> "The net effect of all of this," notes Ministry Watch,<ref name="MinistryWatch">{{cite web
 | url = http://www.ministrywatch.com/profile/Joyce-Meyer.aspx
 | title = Joyce Meyer/ JMM/ Enjoying Every Day Life/ Life in the Word
 | work = MinistryWatch.com
 | publisher = Wall Watchers
 | access-date = April 3, 2010
 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100310013527/http://www.ministrywatch.com/profile/Joyce-Meyer.aspx
 | archive-date=March 10, 2010
}} Summary report for Joyce Meyer Ministries.</ref> "was most likely a sizable increase in the personal compensation of Joyce Meyer and reduced revenues for JMM." In an article in the ''[[St. Louis Business Journal]]'', Meyer's public relations director, Mark Sutherland, confirmed that her new income would be "way above" her previous levels.<ref>{{cite news |title=Joyce Meyer takes pay cut, releases some financial |first=Heather |last=Cole | url=http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2004/07/12/story8.html |work=St. Louis Business Journal |publisher=American City Business Journals |date=July 9, 2004}}</ref> Joyce Meyer Ministries says it has made a commitment to maintain transparency in financial dealings,<ref name="commitment">{{cite web
 | url = http://www.joycemeyer.org/AboutUs/FinancialAccountability.aspx
 | title = Financial Accountability
 | access-date = August 23, 2007
 | publisher = Joyce Meyer Ministries
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110408101930/http://www.joycemeyer.org/AboutUs/FinancialAccountability.aspx
 | archive-date = April 8, 2011
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref>
publish their annual reports,<ref name="commitment" /> have a Board majority who are not Meyer relatives<ref>{{cite web
 | url = http://www.joycemeyer.org/AboutUs/BoardMembers.aspx
 | title = Board Members
 | publisher = Joyce Meyer Ministries
 | access-date = July 19, 2011
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110619214309/http://www.joycemeyer.org/AboutUs/BoardMembers.aspx
 | archive-date = June 19, 2011
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> and submit to a voluntary annual audit.<ref name="commitment"/><ref>{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.joycemeyer.org/AnnualReport12/index.aspx
 |title        = Annual Report 2012
 |publisher    = Joyce Meyer Ministries
 |url-status   = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130811185357/http://joycemeyer.org/AnnualReport12/index.aspx
 |archive-date = August 11, 2013
 |df           = mdy-all
}}</ref> On December 18, 2008, this ministry received a "C" grade (71–80 score) for financial transparency from [[Ministry Watch]].<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.ministrywatch.com/mw2.1/F_SumRpt.asp?EIN=431382734
 |title=Joyce Meyer/ JMM/ Enjoying Every Day Life/ Life in the Word
 |work=MinistryWatch.com
 |publisher=Wall Watchers
 |date=December 18, 2008
 |access-date=August 22, 2013
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107214846/http://www.ministrywatch.com/mw2.1/F_SumRpt.asp?EIN=431382734
 |archive-date=January 7, 2009
}} Summary report for Joyce Meyer Ministries. (A January 2013 summary is {{cite web
 |url=http://ministrywatch.com/profile/joyce-meyer.aspx
 |title=Joyce Meyer/ JMM/ Enjoying Every Day Life/ Life in the Word
 |access-date=2013-08-22
 |url-status=bot: unknown
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121201013/http://ministrywatch.com/profile/joyce-meyer.aspx
 |archive-date=January 21, 2013
}}.)</ref>

Joyce Meyer Ministries was one of six investigated by the [[United States Senate inquiry into the tax-exempt status of religious organizations]]<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite news
 | url = http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/06/cbsnews_investigates/main3462147.shtml
 | title = Televangelists Living Like Kings?
 | first= Armen |last= Keteyian |author-link= Armen Keteyian
 | work = [[CBS News]]
 | publisher = [[CBS]]
 | location = New York
 | date = November 6, 2007
 | access-date = August 22, 2013
}}</ref><ref name="NPR-Lohr">{{cite news
 | url = https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16860611
 | title = Senator Probes Megachurches' Finances
 | work = [[NPR]]
 | publisher = National Public Radio, Inc.
 | location = Washington, D.C.
 | date = December 4, 2007
 | first = Kathy | last = Lohr
 | access-date = December 10, 2007
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
 | url = http://media.npr.org/documents/2007/nov/grassley/meyer.pdf
 | title = Letter to David and Joyce Meyer
 | work = NPR
 | publisher = National Public Radio, Inc.
 | location = Washington, D.C.
 | date = November 5, 2007
 | first = Charles | last = Grassley
 | author-link = Chuck Grassley
 | access-date = December 10, 2007
}}</ref> by Senator [[Chuck Grassley]]. The inquiry sought to determine if Meyer made any personal profit from financial donations, asking for a detailed accounting for such things as cosmetic surgery and foreign bank accounts and citing such expenses as the $23,000 commode mentioned earlier. Grassley also requested that Meyer's ministry make the information available by December 6, 2007. In her November 29 response to Grassley, Meyer notes that the commode is a [[chest of drawers]]. Meyer writes that it was part of a large lot of items totaling $262,000 that were needed to furnish the ministry's {{convert|150000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} headquarters purchased in 2001. She said the commode's price tag was an "errant value" assigned by the selling agent and apologized for "not paying close attention to specific 'assigned values' placed on the pieces."<ref name="NPR-Lohr"/> Joyce Meyer Ministries responded with a newsletter to its e-mail list subscribers on November 9, 2007. The organization referred to its annual financial reports, asserting that, in 2006, the ministry spent 82 percent of its total expenses "for outreach and program services toward reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as attested by independent accounting firm Stanfield & O'Dell, LLP." The message also quoted an October 10, 2007, letter from the Internal Revenue Service which stated, "We determined that you [Joyce Meyer Ministries] continue to qualify as an organization exempt from federal income tax under IRC section 501(c)(3)." The same information was also posted to the ministry website. Joyce Meyer Ministries was one of two ministries to comply with the Senate's requests for financial records. It also made commitments to future financial transparency. Neither party was found to have committed any wrongdoing.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.nbcnews.com/id/40960871 | title = Televangelists escape penalty in Senate inquiry | date = January 7, 2011 | first = Rachel | last = Zoll | agency=[[Associated Press]] | work = [[NBC News]] |publisher = [[NBC]] | location = New York}}</ref>

===ECFA accreditation===
In 2009, Joyce Meyer Ministries received accreditation from the [[Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability]] (ECFA). In an announcement on March 12, 2009, the ECFA said that Joyce Meyer Ministries and [[Oral Roberts University]] had met their requirements of  "'responsible stewardship', which involves ministries' financial accountability, transparency, board governance and fund-raising practices."<ref>{{cite web
 | url = http://www.charismamag.com/site-archives/570-news/featured-news/4002-meyer-oru-gain-ecfa-accreditation
 | title = Meyer, ORU Gain ECFA Accreditation
 | work = [[Charisma (magazine)|Charisma]]
 | date = March 13, 2009
 | access-date = August 22, 2013
 | archive-date = January 2, 2014
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140102194202/http://www.charismamag.com/site-archives/570-news/featured-news/4002-meyer-oru-gain-ecfa-accreditation
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

===2011 wrongful death lawsuit===
On May 5, 2009, Christopher Coleman, the chief of security of Joyce Meyer Ministries was arrested on suspicion of murder after police discovered the bodies of Coleman's wife, Sheri Coleman, and two sons at their residence, all three persons having died of apparent strangulation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=PISTOR |first1=Nicholas J. C. |last2=Thornsen |first2=LEAH |title=Coleman arrested in killing of family |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/coleman-arrested-in-killing-of-family/article_e6058be5-06fd-5487-9541-afc68c5d47c7.html |access-date=12 July 2019 |work=stltoday.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Pistor |first1=Nicholas J. C. |last2=Tuft |first2=Carolyn |title=May 5, 2009: Three murders mark the start of the Christopher Coleman case |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/archives/may-three-murders-mark-the-start-of-the-christopher-coleman/article_404da836-4ca1-5e88-b6c9-22ed6e560f9a.html |access-date=12 July 2019 |work=stltoday.com |date=May 5, 2009 |language=en}}</ref> On May 10, 2011, after a lengthy trial, Christopher Coleman was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to three life sentences. According to the prosecuting attorney Kris Reitz, the murders were committed as part of a premeditated plan to leave his wife for another woman with whom he had been having an affair. According to Reitz, Coleman was concerned that if his extra-marital affair were made public it would result in him losing his job at Joyce Meyer Ministries, remembering, at this point, King David's same reasons for killing Bathsheba's husband and not dirtying his name as an adulterer, before the theocratic nation of Israel; It also recalls the Brazilian case of Flordelis where murder was alleged as an alternative way to avoid getting divorced, which would risk losing charisma and name among evangelicals. <ref>{{cite news |title=Coleman averts jury; judge issues life terms |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/coleman-averts-jury-judge-issues-life-terms/article_23cc418b-7206-524d-8574-87cb59abc298.html |access-date=12 July 2019 |work=stltoday.com |date=May 10, 2011 |language=en}}</ref> Meyer provided prerecorded testimony during Coleman's criminal trial.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/joyce-meyer-says-affair-could-have-cost-coleman-his-job/article_7c4a5e64-7263-11e0-a37f-001a4bcf6878.html|title=Joyce Meyer says affair could have cost Coleman his job|first=Nicholas J. C.|last=Pistor|website=STLtoday.com}}</ref>  The case was featured in an episode of [[Forensic Files II#Season 3 (2022)|Forensic Files II]] on March 6, 2022, titled "Words Matter".

The family of Sheri Coleman filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Joyce Meyer Ministries citing that the deaths of the three be the result of Meyer's negligence as a counselor. According to the suit, Christopher Coleman had  anonymously sent several threatening letters to his family as a way to remove suspicion from himself for the murder. The suit also alleged that as counselor for both Christopher and Sheri Coleman, Meyer should have had reasonable suspicion that the letters were sent by Coleman and warned Sheri.<ref>{{cite news |title=Joyce Meyer sued by insurance company |url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/joyce-meyer-sued-by-insurance-company/article_f2c3917e-47fa-5518-b117-6f8675cd4d6a.html |access-date=12 July 2019 |work=stltoday.com |language=en}}</ref> The suit was dismissed by Circuit Judge Richard Aguirre in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/judge-dismisses-lawsuit-against-joyce-meyer-ministries-over-coleman-murders/article_f947afbd-1916-5b49-8149-5719ee438d75.html|title=Judge dismisses lawsuit against Joyce Meyer Ministries over Coleman murders|first=Marlon A|last=Walker|website=STLtoday.com}}</ref>