Black Church, Inc.

Plot Summary

Gone are the days of working class preachers who didn't expect financial gain in exchange for spiritual guidance. A new breed of pastors has emerged: the mega-pastor… one who aims to sell their religious brand and get rich off the gospel. Black Church, Inc. is a feature-length investigative documentary that examines the sensationalism of the black church and its present day relationship with serving the community.The documentary compares the black church’s origins to its modern day cultural relevance. The film focuses on modern mega-churches and asks hard-hitting questions about service vs. the extravagant lifestyles of its multi-million dollar ministers and ministries. As the nation attempts to bounce back from a recession, mega-churches continue to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to fund their pastors’ exorbitant lifestyles. Through interviews with clergy members, politicians, community leaders and journalists, we explore whether the preachers, parishioners or communities are the benefactors of the millions of tax free revenue generated by religious organizations.Black Church, Inc. attempts to justify the dichotomy of the profits of prophets. It compares pastors who are seen as activists such as Rev. Taharka Robinson, Rev. Al Sharpton and Pastor Raphael Warnock with pastors who are criticized for being celebrity brands such as Rev. Eddie Long, Rev. Creflo Dollar and Rev. T.D. Jakes. The documentary takes a deep dive into controversial issues clouding the church including “love offerings” (cash payments given to ministers), financial abuse and the deification of the mega-church pastor all while asking… is prayer-for-profit moral?