Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Scam

In September 1965, the Bakkers joined Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). While at CBN, Bakker was given the opportunity to develop the 700 Club, a program that became the forerunner of PTL. While working on the 700 Club, Jim Bakker suffered a breakdown from his work, and Tammy Faye Bakker experienced psychiatric problems requiring medication. During this time, the Bakkers’ relationship with Robertson began to crumble. After seven years, the Bakkers decided to part ways with Robertson’s CBN and move to Charlotte, North Carolina.

PTL

One of Bakker’s first actions after leaving CBN was to form a nonprofit corporation, Trinity Broadcasting Systems (TBS), in 1973. This organization was the forerunner to the PTL Ministry. The IRS granted tax-exempt status to TBS as a religious organization in May 1973. Bakker, tired of life on the road, desired to create a show in the same format he had used at CBN. The name of the show was called “Praise the Lord,” which was shortened to PTL inthe hopes that it would appeal to and draw in nonreligious viewers. Bakker was tapped to lead the program, which was eventually named the PTL Club. On the PTL Club, Bakker promoted the philosophy of “seed-faith giving” espoused by Oral Roberts: give to God and you shall receive back many times over, for God wants His people to prosper (in this life) and rewards their generosity. A subsequent disagreement between Bakker and Paul Crouch, reminiscent of the Pat Robertson days, caused the Bakkers and a large part of the staff to resign from TBS in November 1973.

PTL experienced a phenomenal growth after its initial start in a furniture showroom in Charlotte. By September 1975, PTL had outgrown the furniture showroom, causing Bakker to seek out the purchase of a 25-acre tract of land featuring a three-story Georgian mansion. Bakker claimed that God wanted him to build a village, a miniature version of Colonial Williamsburg, and Heritage Village was born. Construction soon began on a $4 million project to turn Heritage Village into an international religious counseling and broadcast center. The center would be used to broadcast Bakker’s program, which was known over the years as “The PTL Club,” “The Jim Bakker Show,” and “The Jim and Tammy Show.” Bakker repeatedly referred to the funding of the project as a miracle from God. Bakker would later falsely claim that Heritage Village and the later Heritage USA projects were debt-free. By 1976, PTL consisted of a network of 70 TV stations and 20 cable TV broadcasts and was welcomed into homes in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The additional growth brought a donation increase to the ministry from $817,000 to $5.5 million. The net worth of PTL increased from $129,000 to more than $2 million. By 1978 PTL had installed a milliondollar satellite system, which allowed 24-hour religious broadcasting. The addition of the satellite system allowed PTL to sell remaining air time to other organizations at a profit. The expanding growth in the market also caused PTL to outgrow its facilities and its IRS charter. In November 1976, PTL amended the corporate charter to change its name from Trinity Broadcasting Systems, Inc., to Heritage Village Church and Missionary Fellowship, Inc (HVCMF). The purpose of the organization was also expanded: (1) to establish and maintain a church, and (2) to engage in all types of religious activity, including evangelism; religious instruction; publishing and distributing Bibles and other religious publications; missionary work, both domestic and foreign; and establishing and operating Bible schools and Bible training centers. The expansion would give the organization more freedom in its operations. Once the name and charter change were in place, the groundwork was laid for the move to larger facilities. In 1978, PTL broke ground for the move to the Heritage USA facility.