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Teen Mania President Says Property Foreclosure was Requested

  • Amanda Casanova

    Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and…

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  • Updated May 28, 2014

Teen Mania’s co-founder and president, Ron Luce, is rebutting World Magazine after the magazine published an investigation into the foreclosure of Teen Mania’s headquarters.

Luce said that the article "included false statements, errors and misperceptions regarding the current state of our ministry."

"Teen Mania never paid the stated amounts for guest speakers nor provided gifts as alleged," Luce wrote in a public letter to alumni earlier this month.

Teen Mania’s headquarters, which are a part of Acquire the Fire ministries, are moving to Dallas after foreclosing on their Garden Valley property, but Luce said the foreclosure came at their request when they decided to move.

The World article also said the ministry spent $100,000 for T.D. Jakes to speak in 2008, $68,000 on campus carpet, $45,000 for a coffee shop and $25,000 for a new conference room.

World has since released an audit and recommendations from Calvin Edwards & Co., who completed an audit for Teen Mania in 2012.

“A discerning donor will quickly see that TMM is technically bankrupt," writes Calvin Edwards. "This is a matter that demands explanation."

Among the company’s recommendations were reviewing Luce’s job performance, replacing his wife as a voting member on the board and removing some of Luce’s power.

Earlier this month, Teen Mania was named one of the 21 most influential ministries of the 21st century.

 

Publication date: May 28, 2014