Even before recent revelations of television evangelist Jimmy Swaggart’s sexual misconduct, his empire was in trouble. In a letter to supporters signed by Swaggart and dated February 8, his ministry reported a loss of $200,000 a day “through the previous thirty days” (a total of $4 million). It stated that “if this continues for a few more days, the Jimmy Swaggart Ministries will simply cease to exist.”
The letter continues, “We have investigated every possibility” as to why this is happening. “[Y]ou have to come to the conclusion that Satan wants to destroy this work.”
But last month Swaggart said he had only himself to blame following revelations he had visited a prostitute. It was widely reported that allegations against Swaggart had been brought to officials of the Assemblies of God—in which Swaggart is ordained—by former Assemblies pastor Marvin Gorman. Gorman lost his ministerial credentials in 1986 after Swaggart revealed Gorman had committed adultery.
The church’s executive presbytery, the 13-member body that functions as its board of directors, met on February 18 for more than 11 hours, four of those hours with Swaggart. Top officials of the Louisiana District Presbytery, which was responsible for recommending church discipline, were also present.
It was widely reported that evidence against Swaggart included photographs, apparently taken with a telephoto lens, of Swaggart entering and leaving a New Orleans motel room with a known prostitute. Who took the photos and how they ended up in the hands of Assemblies of God leaders has not been publicly disclosed.
After confessing to sin, Swaggart was ordered by his denomination to undergo a two-year rehabilitation period, during which he will be relieved of his duties as copastor of the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge. The rehabilitation process, which has come under fire and may be rejected by the executive presbytery, calls for Swaggart to receive weekly counsel from three members of the Louisiana District Presbytery and to submit monthly and quarterly reports to denominational officials. Swaggart was also banned from preaching for three months except to fulfill “present commitments involving foreign governments.”
It appears, however, that the effects of this discipline on Swaggart will be minimal. A source associated with the Family Worship Center said Swaggart “did not perform pastoral duties” and implied that Swaggart’s role there was limited to occasional preaching.
CHRISTIANITY TODAY contacted Jimmy Swaggart Ministries in an effort to determine the extent of his overseas engagements over the next few months and also if and how Swaggart’s television ministry would be affected. But a spokesperson said she was “not at liberty” either to discuss the matter or to refer CHRISTIANITY TODAY to someone who could.
Assemblies of God bylaws state that “indiscretions involving morals” require a rehabilitation period of at least two years. They state, however, that “[c]ertain offenses may not require complete cessation of ministerial activities.”
Critics have questioned whether a three-month ban on preaching is sufficient discipline, especially since it appears Swaggart’s sexual misconduct was not just an isolated incident. One denominational official present at the closed meeting described Swaggart’s sin as “sexual misconduct over a period of years.”
The uncertainty raises questions about whether anyone else on Swaggart’s staff knew about his misconduct and failed to report it. The denomination has made answers difficult to obtain through a statement urging Swaggart and his associates to “resist the requests of those outside the church to respond to questions.” Assemblies of God information secretary Juleen Turnage did say that no one besides Swaggart was a subject of church discipline.
Turnage said that if the church’s executive presbytery affirms the district presbytery’s recommendation, “that would be a precedent. We have never had a minister under discipline for morals charges who has been allowed to preach in less than one year.”
Critics have hinted that Swaggart may receive special treatment because of his ministry’s contributions to Assemblies of God missions, which totalled over $23 million in 1986 and 1987. But Turnage said Swaggart is being treated neither more leniently nor more harshly because of who he is. “The executives will follow the church’s constitution and bylaws very carefully in this case,” she said.
The church’s bylaws state that church discipline is determined in part by “the attitude of the offending minister toward the discipline” and “the manner and thoroughness of his repentance.” A church statement said Swaggart had offered a “detailed confession” and that denominational officials witnessed evidence of “true humility and repentance” on Swaggart’s part.
Swaggart said to his television audience, “I do not plan in any way to whitewash my sin. I do not call it a mistake, a mendacity. I call it sin.”
