He explained that I should fear Him and not people, because even though people may criticize me, they are not my judge. I will stand before His judgment seat one day to give an account to Him for what I have done with my ministry, whether I have used it rightly or wrongly.
"All right, Lord, " I said. "I'll go if You'll go with me."
Then there swelled up in my heart a love such as I had never known for those who criticize this type of ministry. I said, "Lord, I'll pray for them, for they don't know, or they wouldn't say the things they do. Lord, I've said similar things, but I didn't realize or see as I do now, and neither do they. Forgive them, Lord."
Then He said, "Go thy way, my son; fulfill thy ministry and be thou faithful, for the time is short."
As I walked away from the Throne of God, Jesus told me, "Be sure to give Me all the praise and glory for all that is done, and be careful about money. Many of my servants whom I have anointed for this type of ministry have become money-minded and have lost the anointing and ministry I gave them.
"There are many who would pay much to be delivered. Many parents in the world have children whose little bodies are twisted, and they would give thousands of dollars for their healing. Many of them shall be delivered as you lay hands on them, but you must not accept a charge for your ministry. Accept offerings as you have been doing. You must go your way. Be faithful, for the time is short."
Jesus then journeyed with me back to the earth, and I realized that I still lay on my face on the floor. He talked to me there a moment and then disappeared. Then the vision ended.1
I was never the same after that experience. Over the years I have always tried to give God all the glory for anything that might have been accomplished through my efforts and to be extremely careful and aboveboard in every dealing that involved money. No amount of money is worth jeopardizing the anointing and calling of God in my life.
Does that mean that I was never to receive any financial reward for my labor? Absolutely not. In fact, the Lord told me to continue receiving offerings from people. But I understood that I was never to charge for my ministry—to make people feel
obligated to pay me a specific amount for teaching or praying for them.
From the time I left the pastorate and went out on the field as an evangelist, I made it a personal policy to never take up an offering for myself. I asked the pastor of the church where I was ministering to simply tell the people, "This offering is for our evangelist, Brother Hagin."
Now I often would take up offerings during the meeting for the church or the pastor. Sometimes the offering would be for a special need or project for the church. Because I shared with them the scriptural principles of giving and prosperity, the people often responded more enthusiastically and generously than usual. Pastors would tell me that the offerings I took up were the largest they had ever received.
"Are you sure you don't want to take up your own offering, Brother Hagin?" they would ask. And I would always decline. I wanted my motives and priorities to be unmistakably clear. My primary purpose was to bless the people and the pastor—the church—not to benefit me personally. Yet the Lord always met my needs and provided a way for my family to prosper as well.
In all the years I ministered as a traveling evangelist in various churches across the country, I never took up an offering for myself. I bent over backwards to avoid even the slightest possibility of anyone thinking I was self-seeking. Like the Apostle Paul wrote, I wanted to abstain from all appearance of evil (1 Thess. 5:22).
Don't misunderstand me. I am not suggesting that any evangelist who has ever taken his own offering in a church meeting is violating ministerial ethics or lacks personal integrity. I'm sure there are many fine men and women of God who have received offerings for their personal ministry whose motives were pure and who would never have violated the trust of the people.
But in my own case, I felt that the Lord had specifically directed me to be extra careful about money. So I tried to set a personal standard that never allowed me to be tempted and that could not be challenged by any reasonable person. I believe that it was the right thing for me and that God has honored my actions.
Later on when I started Kenneth Hagin Ministries, we often conducted independent crusades, seminars, conferences, and campmeetings outside of a local church. In these meetings, we did receive our own offerings, but they went to the organization, never to me personally.
When we have independent meetings, of course, Kenneth Hagin Ministries is responsible for all the costs and expenses. We pay the rent for the auditorium, the advertising, the motel and restaurant bills, travel costs, and all other expenses. Our ministry team members receive regular salaries paid from the ministry's income.
We have always let the people who attend our services know what their offerings are being used for. Once the budget for the meeting expenses is met, any additional funds received are channeled to one or more projects or outreaches of the ministry.
From the beginning, we set up our ministry to be financially accountable. We set up a non-profit corporation that was recognized and approved by our state government as well as the United States Internal Revenue Service. The ministry corporation has a board of advisors of respected businessmen who meet and review all financial transactions. Also, the ministry's financial records are audited by a national accounting firm that certifies their accuracy and compliance with all applicable state and national laws. We try our best to be good and faithful stewards of every dollar placed in our care.