Without Walls Respond to Senate Finance Probe:  Tells Congregation We Need MORE Money

Orginally published on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 at 7:53 AM
by Todd Rhoades

Without Walls International Church leaders asked for money from their congregation on Thursday in the aftermath of a U.S. senator's call for a federal probe into the church's finances. The church has one month to turn over details of its financial activity to the government. Four different speakers asked the faithful for contributions at the mega-church's first service since it was named in the federal probe. Pastor Randy White alluded to the investigation at the service. "That's all I'm saying, other than the fact that I feel like a Chihuahua with five Rottweilers," he said. "That's all I'm saying."

Prior to the service, church founders Randy and Paula White, in the middle of a divorce, released a statement addressing the investigation.

“...To the best of our knowledge we comply with all tax laws,” they said. “However, we are concerned about the possible precedent and ramifications of this request.”

See some video and a news report from the service here...

You can read Senator Grassley’s letter to Without Walls Church and leaders Randy and Paula White here.

All this comes after recent services where, according to MSNBC, Randy White stood before the congregation of Without Walls International Church and fretted about paying the $38,000 power bill, just one of many bills coming due.  Speaking at a Sunday service in late October, the co-founder of the embattled megachurch said he would tally the weekend’s offerings and decide which to pay.  He urged those in the sanctuary to give all they could.

Many who have followed the church wonder whether it will ever regain its vibrant ministry.

“I am waiting for the church to close,” said Charles Lucas, a former member who attended for three years and participated in a program to identify leaders in the church.

Randy White offered a rosier picture.

The slump in attendance after the divorce announcement wasn’t as bad as he had feared.

“We’ve lost 21 families, and offerings are down about 11 percent from the same time last year,” he said in an interview this month. “Our church is going very strong and will continue to grow.”

The couple finalized their split about a month ago, he said. He wouldn’t say where the legal documents were filed, only that they’re not in Hillsborough County.

Randy, 49, has no intention of leaving Without Walls, and he has put his plans for a Malibu, Calif., ministry on hold, he said. He also intends to make the church less independent and more involved in the community. This year, for the first time, it’s joining several Bay area congregations in partnering with Metropolitan Ministries to provide food and volunteers for the shelter’s annual holiday assistance program.

“We’re still here, focusing on evangelism and restoration,” he said.

That’s not always easy, he acknowledged. On his darkest days, Randy does sometimes think, “I really don’t need this in my life.”

But then, he can’t walk away from his calling - or his sheep.

“What people don’t always realize is that I’m a successful businessman away from the church. You don’t get the cars I drive or the houses I’ve owned with church offerings,” he said. “But I wanted to remain faithful to my people, the way they’ve been faithful to me for 14 years.”

More of this article here...

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Hi... I'm Todd Rhoades. I'm a Christ-follower, husband, father and I love to connect leaders with other leaders. Hopefully you'll find something here at MMI you like and will return often. If you want, you can find out more about me or follow my every step on Twitter.

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