Employees and board members of the former Jerry Johnston Ministries said that Johnston often misused ministry money, even as his evangelistic association was in turmoil over financial accountability issues in the mid-1990s.

A leading Christian radio network on Monday dropped the Rev. Jerry Johnston’s daily program from its lineup, saying it had concerns about financial accountability.

John Vaughan, a national expert on megachurches, estimated that fewer than 5 percent had family members on their payrolls. Dan Busby, vice president of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, said that the group had no policy on nepotism but that having numerous family members on staff did raise some red flags.

The “degree” that Johnston holds is an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the Rev. Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University.

Critics say the trips are just another example of Johnston’s lavish lifestyle — and one they say contradicts his teachings of sacrifice and stewardship. In a series of sermons on compact disc titled “God’s Way to Financial Success,” for example, Johnston stresses to church members the importance of tithing.

At First Family Church in Kansas City, money mysteries leave some of the faithful wondering: Is the church serving God’s glory or the pastor’s?