St. Matthew's Churches, formerly known as St. Matthew Publishing, Inc., is an evangelical Christian ministry based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with affiliated churches in New York City and Houston. The organization is primarily a mail-based ministry that solicits donations through direct-mail fundraising campaigns.
Origins and Leadership
The ministry was founded by James Eugene "Gene" Ewing, a native of Kaufman, Texas, born in 1933. Ewing previously worked as a tent minister and wrote fundraising letters for other evangelists, including Oral Roberts, Don Stewart, W. V. Grant, and Rex Humbard. In the 1960s, Ewing operated as a revivalist with reported revenue of approximately $2 million. By 1971, he had renamed his organization the Church of Compassion, described as a "mail-order church" with an income exceeding $3 million.
Financial and Legal History
In 1999, St. Matthew Publishing Inc. reported $26.8 million in revenue. In 2007, it reportedly earned approximately $6 million per month. The ministry's predecessor entity, Church by Mail Inc., engaged in a prolonged legal dispute with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) over its tax-exempt status. In 1992, the IRS denied tax exemption for Church by Mail Inc., a decision that was appealed. In 1994, the U.S. Tax Court ruled that Church by Mail Inc. was "operated for private rather than public interests" and "is not a church" within the meaning of federal tax laws. St. Matthew's Churches was granted tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code in 2000, following a 17-year court battle.
Operations and Controversies
The ministry has faced criticism and allegations regarding its fundraising practices. It has been accused of targeting low-income and elderly individuals by using census records to direct its mailings. The organization's mailings have included a paper "prayer rug" on which recipients were encouraged to kneel and pray. The Attorney General of Arkansas and other state officials have noted that the organization's solicitations did not provide adequate information about its financial and fundraising practices.
In 2004, the ministry purchased a former Baptist church building in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in Houston to hold physical services. According to the ministry's lawyer, weekly services draw approximately 1,000 attendees. The Trinity Foundation, an evangelical watchdog group, has alleged that the physical churches serve primarily as a means to retain the ministry's tax-exempt status.
The Better Business Bureau has evaluated the organization and concluded that it did not meet two standards for Charity Accountability. The ministry has been the subject of numerous complaints to the BBB.
References
The information above is drawn from the Wikipedia article on St. Matthew's Churches, which cites sources including the Tulsa World, Houston Press, The Dallas Morning News, the Chicago Tribune, the Trinity Foundation, and the Better Business Bureau.
