Creflo Dollar Looks To Raise $60 Million

The pastor of a "megachurch" in Atlanta is asking his congregation ... and many others ... to make a relatively small contribution towards a major purchase. Creflo Dollar says his ministry needs a G650.

In a video produced by the church, the ministry says if 200,000 people give just $300 each, they can raise $60 million towards the cost of a new airplane List price from Gulfstream for a G650 is about $65 million.

It would not be the first bizjet owned by the ministry. The International Business Times reports that, according to the video, the current aircraft, which was built in 1984 and purchased by the ministry in 1999, has logged over 4 million miles and is no longer airworthy. One of the airplane's engines failed while returning from an overseas trip to a conference. "Today the plane is permanently out of service, but the work of the ministry must go on," the video fundraising appeal says.

Dollar is the pastor at the World Changers church, and was investigated in 2007 by the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance for alleged abuse of the church's non-profit status. Dollar refused to provide any information about the church or any of his other non-profit organizations.

The video warns that, if the campaign is not successful, "Pastors Creflo and Taffi and the World Changers Church International" will be unable to "blanket the globe with the gospel of grace."

The church is located in the Atlanta, GA suburb of College Park. It claims some 30,000 members, of which about 6,000 regularly attend worship services.

The video and the fundraising appeal have been removed from the ministry website, but the video is still available on YouTube, where it has received over 73,000 views.

(G650 pictured in file photo)

FMI: www.creflodollarministries.org  Video