Joyce Meyer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joyce Meyer
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Meyer speaking in 2015
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| Born | Pauline Joyce Hutchison June 4, 1943 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Occupation | Bible teacher, author, speaker |
| Spouse |
Dave Meyer (m. 1967)
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Pauline Joyce Meyer (born Hutchison on June 4, 1943) is an American Christian author, speaker, and the president of Joyce Meyer Ministries. She is known for her teachings on Christianity, which are shared through books, television, and conferences.
Joyce and her husband, Dave, have four grown children. They live near St. Louis, Missouri. Her ministry's main office is located in the nearby town of Fenton.
Contents
Early Life and New Beginnings
Joyce Meyer was born in South St. Louis during World War II. Her father was a soldier in the army. She has said that she had a very difficult childhood after her father returned from the war.
After graduating from O'Fallon Technical High School in St. Louis, she got married. The marriage lasted five years and was an unhappy time for her. Later, she met Dave Meyer, who worked as an engineering draftsman. They were married on January 7, 1967.
Becoming a Minister
A New Direction
Meyer says that in 1976, she had a powerful spiritual experience while praying. Although she had been a Christian since she was nine, this moment deepened her faith and changed her life.
She later said:
... I didn't have any knowledge. I didn't go to church. And I had a lot of problems, and I needed somebody to kind of help me along. ... I think sometimes even people who want to serve God, if they have got so many problems ... they almost need somebody to take them by the hand and help lead them through the early years ...
Meyer joined a local church and began teaching a Bible class at a cafeteria. She became very active in her church, Life Christian Center, which was part of the Charismatic movement. This is a style of Christianity that emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit.
Starting Her Own Ministry
Meyer became a popular Bible teacher, and her church grew. She also started a 15-minute radio show in St. Louis.
In 1985, she left her position as associate pastor to start her own ministry, which she first called "Life in the Word." Her radio show expanded to six more cities.
In 1993, at her husband's suggestion, she started a television ministry. Her show, now called Enjoying Everyday Life, began airing on major channels like WGN-TV and Black Entertainment Television (BET). The show is still on the air today.
By 2002, her books had become so popular that a major publisher, Hachette Book Group, paid over $10 million for the rights to sell them. In 2005, Time magazine named her one of the "25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America."
Ministry Finances and Lifestyle
As Joyce Meyer Ministries grew, it became very wealthy. This led to some criticism about Meyer's lifestyle, which included several homes and travel on a private jet.
Meyer has said that she does not feel the need to apologize for being "blessed." She believes that if a businessperson is successful, people think it's wonderful, but if a preacher is successful, it is sometimes seen as a problem.
News Reports and Investigations
In 2003, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper wrote about the ministry's spending. The articles described a multi-million dollar headquarters with expensive furniture. This led a nonprofit group to ask the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the U.S. government's tax agency, to look into the ministry's finances.
In response, Meyer announced she would lower her salary from the ministry. Instead, she would keep more of the money, called royalties, from her books sold in stores like Walmart and Amazon.com. She continued to donate the royalties from books sold by her ministry back to the ministry.
The United States Senate also investigated Joyce Meyer Ministries and five other religious organizations. The investigation looked at whether ministry leaders were using donations for personal profit. Meyer's ministry cooperated with the investigation. It provided financial records and explained that some expensive items, like a $23,000 piece of furniture, were part of a large purchase to furnish their headquarters.
In the end, the investigation did not find that Meyer or her ministry had done anything wrong.
Financial Transparency
After the investigation, Joyce Meyer Ministries promised to be more open about its finances. The ministry now publishes yearly reports and has a board of directors where most members are not related to the Meyer family.
In 2009, the ministry earned accreditation from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). The ECFA is an organization that checks if religious groups are handling their money responsibly. This showed that the ministry met high standards for how it raises and spends money.
See also
In Spanish: Joyce Meyer para niños
- Prosperity theology
- Word of Faith
