There are also mega-churches north of the border, though generally smaller and fewer in number than those found among our neighbours to the south. In 2007, the Toronto Star published an important investigation of one such Canadian church, the Prayer Palace:

[T]he three white pastors – Paul Melnichuk and his 40-year-old twin sons, Tim and Tom – lead lavish lives in contrast to the mainly working-class black families that make up the bulk of the church.

Between them, the pastors have amassed a real estate fortune worth about $12 million. Each owns a multi-million-dollar country estate north of Toronto (Tim’s is worth as much as $5.5 million), they share a Florida vacation villa, and the pastors and their wives drive luxurious cars – among them a Porsche Cayenne SUV, a Lexus RX 330 SUV and a Mercedes-Benz CLK 320 convertible…

The Star went on to reveal further dubious financial practices, including enormous salaries and grand houses for the pastors, and the mysterious purchase of a church and properties in Florida.

The investigative report prompted protests outside the gates of the church, and defiance within. The next Sunday, senior pastor Paul Melnichuk taunted the media, promised to make a response after engaging a special PR team, and then reveled in a demonstration of loyalty:

Within moments, a woman in a burnished gold dress and head-dress ran to the stage and slapped a $50 bill onto Melnichuk’s forehead.

The move was met with cheers and, following a request by a church volunteer, congregation members started throwing money at Melnichuk’s feet.

“First the funds go the church,” said the beaming pastor. “After that, if the folks want to bless me…”

The church volunteers, acting on Melnichuk’s instructions, divided the growing pile of cash into three collection buckets; the pastor then instructed a young member who is training to be a preacher to dip in and take out “a handful of cash.”

“I hope the media got a picture of me with a $50 bill stuck to my forehead,” Melnichuk laughed.

Media and bloggers, like Benediction Blogs On, watched askance, though others, like Catholic IDer and journalist Denyse O’Leary, defended the church, noting that subsequent audits apparently turned up nothing of great interest.

Have you blogged or written about the Prayer Palace or similar religious movements in Canada? Drop us a line and let us know if we can use and link your post in full or in part.

Further reading:

Benediction Blogs On. “Paul Melnichuk of the Prayer Palace Responds…“, March 13, 2007.

Religion News Blog. “Bradenton Church Owner Investigated,” March 7, 2007.

Spiritual Pathways Ministries. “Pastor Paul Melnichuk and the Prayer Palace,” February 20, 2009.

__________. “Should Pastor Paul Melnichuk Live in Palaces…?” December 27, 2007.

achievable ends (I had television business dealings with the subjects of the article in the ’80′s. I wish I was shocked.)