Rick Joyner
Rick Joyner (born 1949) is an American public speaker and author. He founded MorningStar Ministries with his wife in 1985. [1]
Rick Joyner (born 1949) is an American public speaker and author. He founded MorningStar Ministries with his wife in 1985. [1]
Joyner was born in Raleigh, North Carolina [2] and grew up in Richmond, Virginia. [3] With his wife, Julie, he founded MorningStar Ministries in Jackson, Mississippi in 1985. [4]
By the mid-1990s Joyner was president of MorningStar Publications, located at that time in Charlotte, North Carolina. [5]
By 1994, Joyner appeared in news reports [6] regarding his participation in plans to build a biblical theme park, in particular, with Reggie White, who had been unsuccessful in his attempts to purchase the Heritage USA theme park property. [7]
The ministry hosts multiple conferences annually, with Christians from across the country and globe attending.
In 1997 Joyner purchased 320 acres of land in Wilkes County, North Carolina near Moravian Falls and moved the headquarters of MorningStar there from Charlotte. [3]
In 2004 MorningStar purchased part of the Heritage USA complex (originally established by Jim Bakker and PTL in Fort Mill, South Carolina) for $1.6 million. [8] The complex has been renamed Heritage International Ministries Conference Center. [9] [10] Joyner also promotes the "Kingdom Business Association" which is located in the same complex. [11]
Christ's Mandate for Missions (CMM) merged with MorningStar Missions in 2009. [12]
Joyner has been a part of the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement and an advocate for the Fivefold ministry and has been considered a leader in this movement since he published "The Harvest" in 1989, in which he predicted there would soon be a Prophetic Movement and a separate Apostolic Movement. [13] In the mid-1990s Joyner was one of the all-male members of the "International Advisors-At-Large" to the evangelical Christian women's organization Aglow International. [14]
Joyner is also the founder and president of "the Oak Initiative." [15] This non-profit organization is for Christians who desire "to Unite, Mobilize, Equip, and Activate Christians to be the salt and light they are called to be by engaging in the great issues of our time from a sound biblical worldview." [16]
In 1998 Joyner's "MorningStar Ministries" was grossing $7 million a year, and that year it was denied a religious property tax exemption by the North Carolina Department of Revenue for an airplane, four tracts of vacant land, and two residential houses — one that Joyner lived in and one where Don Potter lived and had a recording studio. [17] Department director John C. Bailey said, "[w]ith MorningStar there are a lot of tracts with costly improvements that affect tax liability significantly... If we did not limit exemptions, it would increase the burden on people, like you and me, who own homes that are not affiliated with any group.” MorningStar appealed the Department of Revenue's denial. [18] [ needs update ] Also, Joyner's MorningStar Fellowship Church filed a $20 million lawsuit against York County, South Carolina over the unfinished 21 story hotel on their property that Jim Bakker had started in the 80s. The latest news is that MSFC has filed an appeal of Judge Hall's ruling “that MorningStar has not provided substantial evidence to back up its claims.” The building has never been finished and the county found the church in default after they missed a deadline to show their ability to fund the project. [19]
Controversy has also accompanied Joyner's support for Canadian revivalist Todd Bentley. Bentley has claimed that God heals the sick, and sometimes even raises people from the dead in his meetings—including three people in Pakistan [20] —reports of which were carried by Morningstar TV [21] [22] which is part of Joyner's Heritage International Ministries. ABC's Nightline [23] [ verification needed ]) reporting concerning the "Lakeland Revival," before his marital problems became news, that "Not a single claim of Bentley's healing powers could be independently verified." [24] However, the Charlotte Observer reported on the same series of meetings, "The revival's media relations staff has tried to document healings. They e-mailed the Observer information on 15 people reportedly healed, providing phone numbers for each and noting that 12 had received medical verification. The Observer contacted five, plus three whose names were not provided, including Burgee. Each said God had healed them through, or related to, Bentley and the Lakeland services." [25] [26]
Joyner's public relationship with Bentley began when he appeared on stage in Lakeland with other church leaders to “lay hands” on Bentley. [27] After Bentley's divorce from his wife in 2008, [28] [29] [30] Joyner decided to oversee the process of "restoring" Bentley along with Jack Deere and Bill Johnson. [31] Joyner made the announcement of the remarriage on March 9, 2009. [32] [33] He also released a statement as to why he chose to be a part of this restoration. [34]
There has also been some controversy about Joyner joining the Knights of Malta: Order of Saint John (chartered 1888). Joyner released a long statement explaining who they are and why he joined. [35]
Joyner is a promoter of the Seven Mountain of Influence Theology, which advocates the need for Christians to be involved in leadership in the seven spheres of cultural influence. [36] Joyner promotes the ministry of Lance Wallnau who teaches on the 7 Mountains of Influence Theology. MorningStar Ministries carries a long list of materials by Wallnau. [37]
In March 2021, Joyner urged Christians to own weapons to prepare for what he believes will be an inevitable civil war in the United States against those who he says stole the 2020 presidential election from the Republicans. [38]
In April 2013, Joyner and his daughter, Anna Jane Joyner, a climate change activist and founder of Good Energy, participated in the Showtime documentary Years of Living Dangerously , a 9-part series focused on climate change. In the fourth episode, celebrity Ian Somerhalder follows Anna Jane as she tries to persuade her father, a climate change denier, to change his mind about global warming. [39] [40]
Rick and his wife, Julie, have five children: Anna, Aaryn, Amber, Ben, and Sam. [41] All of his children disagree with his political views. [42]
James Orsen Bakker is an American televangelist and convicted felon. Between 1974 and 1987, Bakker hosted the television program The PTL Club and its cable television platform, the PTL Satellite Network, with his then wife, Tammy Faye. He also developed Heritage USA, a now-defunct Christian theme park in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
William Franklin Graham III is an American evangelist and missionary in the evangelical movement. He frequently engages in Christian revival tours and political commentary. The son of Billy Graham, he is president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and of Samaritan's Purse, an international Christian relief organization. Graham became a "committed Christian" in 1974 and was ordained in 1982, and has since become a public speaker and author.
Ronald Roe Messner is an American building contractor who has built more than 1,700 churches, including several megachurches.
Heritage USA was an American Christian-themed water park, theme park and residential complex in Fort Mill, South Carolina, built by televangelist Jim Bakker and his wife Tammy Faye Bakker, founders of The PTL Club.
Morris Cerullo was an American Pentecostal evangelist. He traveled extensively around the world for his ministry. He hosted Victory Today, a daily television program, and published more than 80 books.
Walter Vinson Grant Jr. is an American televangelist whose ministry has been based in the Greater Dallas area.
Charlotte Christian School is a private, college preparatory, non-denominational Christian school for grades JK–12 located in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Heritage International Ministries (H.I.M.) is an Evangelical Christian hotel and convention center in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
INSP is an American digital cable television network that features primarily westerns and is headquartered in Indian Land, South Carolina - a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina.
The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) is a theological belief and movement that combines elements of Pentecostalism, evangelicalism and the Seven Mountain Mandate to advocate for spiritual warfare to bring about Christian dominion over all aspects of society, and end or weaken the separation of church and state. NAR leaders often call themselves apostles and prophets. Long a fringe movement of the American Christian right, it has been characterized as "one of the most important shifts in Christianity in modern times." The NAR's prominence and power have increased since the 2016 election of Donald Trump as US president. Theology professor André Gagné, author of a 2024 book on the movement, has characterized it as "inherently political" and said it threatens to "subvert democracy." Many notable American Republican politicians such as Mike Johnson, Doug Mastriano, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Lauren Boebert and activists such as Charlie Kirk have aligned with it.
Todd Douglas Fuller is a retired American professional basketball player who was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 11th overall pick of the 1996 NBA draft. He played in five NBA seasons from 1996 to 2001 for the Warriors, Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat, averaging 3.7 ppg. Fuller was drafted ahead of future NBA All-Stars Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Peja Stojaković, and Jermaine O'Neal in the 1996 NBA draft. He also played six seasons overseas, on pro teams in Spain, Poland Greece and Australia.
The PTL Club, also known as The Jim and Tammy Show, was a Christian television program that was first hosted by evangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, running from 1974 to 1989. The program was later known as PTL Today and as Heritage Today. During its final years, The PTL Club, which adopted a talk show format, was the flagship television program of the Bakkers' PTL Satellite Network.
WFNZ-FM is a sports radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina, owned and operated by Radio One. The station's studios are located at 1 Julian Price Place just off Morehead Street in Charlotte, and its transmitter site is in Charlotte's Newell South neighborhood.
WRFX is a commercial radio station licensed to Kannapolis, North Carolina and serving the Charlotte metropolitan area. Owned by iHeartMedia, it airs a classic rock radio format, and calls itself "99.7 The Fox." The radio studios and offices are on Woodridge Center Drive in South Charlotte. WRFX is the flagship station for the John Boy and Billy Big Show, a nationally syndicated morning show heard around the country.
Todd David Bentley is a Canadian Christian evangelist. He was a key figure of the Lakeland Revival and was in leadership of Fresh Fire Ministries Canada until stepping down in August 2008 following accusations of immoral behavior.
Derwin Lamont Gray is an American former football player who played for six seasons as a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL).
The Lakeland Revival, or Florida Healing Outpouring, was a Pentecostal revival which took place from April until October 2008 in Lakeland, Florida, United States. The revival began on April 2, 2008, when evangelist Todd Bentley of Fresh Fire Ministries Canada was invited by Stephen Strader, pastor of Lakeland's Ignited Church, to lead a one-week revival, but remained there for over four months.
The PTL Television Network, often referred to as simply PTL, is an American evangelical Christian television network originally located in Fort Mill, South Carolina, founded by Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker in 1974 and dedicated in April 1977. During PTL's fourteen-year history, the Bakkers, as hosts of the network's flagship talk show, The PTL Club, became two of the most recognizable and highly-rated televangelists in the U.S. However, PTL collapsed in 1987 after a former church secretary, Jessica Hahn, accused the evangelist of rape, while later financial scandals revealed that the couple had used the nonprofit PTL's donations to fund an opulent personal lifestyle. Bakker went to prison for embezzlement in 1989.
Garr Auditorium, also previously identified by the names Cannon Cathedral, Wesley Heights Church, or Garr Church, is a Pentecostal church in Charlotte, North Carolina founded by Alfred Goodrich Garr and his wife Lillian. They founded the church in 1930 and officially moved into the building they constructed in 1933, where the church stood for 80 years until 2010. The church was relocated after Hurricane Hugo in 1989, and operated at 7700 Wallace Rd in Charlotte, North Carolina. The building was destroyed in the early 2010s, and has since been replaced by a parking lot for a dealership.
John Wesley Fletcher was an American defrocked Assemblies of God pastor, known for his role in the PTL scandal involving Tammy Faye Bakker and Jim Bakker.
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