Search
Share & Follow Religion News Blog
Remember These Stories?
Luxury lifestyle of sex attack pastor
Douglas Goodman and his attractive wife Erica were crowned King and Queen of their church where they had “his and hers” marble washrooms.
If Goodman was treated like a king by churchgoers, some would say he lived like one.
The 47-year-old pastor drove around in Mercedes and Porsche cars, wore designer clothes and showered expensive presents on women. Church members made trips to Florida and were given cash to help them buy cars and pay their mortgages.
Goodman used £21,000 of church money to take his family on holiday in Hawaii. Members of his own family were made elders of the church and he ordained trusted followers – including his daughter Sarah – as ministers. “It was a family-run business,” said a source close to the inquiry.
Yet the Victory Christian Centre was struggling with fewer than 100 members when Goodman and his wife took over its running in 1996.
They were just back from a trip to America where they had watched how evangelical churches had become multi-million dollar businesses.
They decided to work the same miracle in North London. Goodman’s charismatic personality and evangelical message swelled the congregation to 3,000 at the services and prayer meetings held three times a week.
Soon, people were standing in the aisles and waiting outside, unable to get into the packed church building in North London.
Members of the congregation paid 10 per cent of their salary to the church by direct debits. In addition, church stewards needed buckets for the collections which were made after services and prayer meetings. More money came in from the sale of videos of services and from books.
Goodman, who used cable television to publicise his ministry, was treated like an idol and had total power in the church.
The Rev Yemi Adedeji, who was ordained by Goodman, said: “I clean his shoes.”
Goodman and his family lived in style in a £1.5 million mansion on an exclusive estate backing on to a golf course in Collingtree, Northampton.
Last year, he was seen driving a £112,000 Ferrari Spider sports car. But now the former bus driver could face charges relating to the missing millions of the Victory Christian Centre.
The church, described once as the fastest-growing Christian church in Europe and where 60 per cent of the congregation was made up of young women, is said to have made £7 million in 2002. Its running costs were only around £1.2 million a year.
The Charity Commission and Metropolitan Police fraud squad launched an inquiry after an anonymous letter said there was £3 million missing from church funds.
The VCC was growing so fast that it had to move from Finchley to a former dance hall in Kilburn High Road where extensive refurbishment was carried out.
The congregation was told that “VCC has now purchased outright our own building”, but were later shocked to be told this was not true. The charity watchdog appointed a receiver in October 2002. He found the church had a deficit of £200,000.
“The trustees were unaware of this situation, especially since the finance staff had been dismissed,” said the receiver, Don Bawtree.
He closed the church down in December after Goodman and his family refused to resign.
Mr Bawtree found members of Goodman’s family had been on the payroll and there were unexplained financial transactions. The Commission is now studying Mr Bawtree’s report and a criminal prosecution may follow.
Goodman appointed the five trustees, two of whom lived abroad, but wrote out cheques himself on behalf of the church.
The remaining faithful members of the congregation now meet at a school hall in Wembley under the banner of the Victory to Victory Church, which is not run as a charity.
Between 500 and 1,000 people still flock there to hear Goodman, who has never been ordained, preach his American brand of evangelical religion.
Goodman’s downfall came after four women claimed he had sexually abused them. A fifth said she received sexually explicit phone calls from him.
Coachloads of supporters packed the public gallery during the court case. Goodman was driven to court in a people carrier with blacked-out windows, and a number of burly minders shielded him as he arrived and left.
Supporter after supporter told the jury Goodman had been idolised and the sex allegations were part of a plot to bring him down. But the pastor chose to remain silent and did not demonstrate his famous communication skills to spread word of his innocence.
Bookmark, Share, or Email This Page
Read Another Article
|
Related News Articles
Topic(s): 
Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates
Find Related Information
Find Related 
Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles
Search Religion News Blog