Peckham church criticised over luxury hotel and travel spending

The Charity Commission found the Everlasting Arms Ministries' financial management had been "poor"

A church with a self-stated mission of relieving world poverty spent £180,000 on business-class flights in five years, an inquiry has found.

The Everlasting Arms Ministries also shelled out £457,665 on "international outreach", which went on luxury hotel stays, over a three-year period.

The charities watchdog has said former bosses were responsible for the serious mismanagement of the church.

It praised the Peckham church's new trustees for making improvements.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has approached the Everlasting Arms Ministries for comment.

The Charity Commission began its investigation in 2019 after noticing "significant payments" had been made to trustees and people and companies connected with them.

Further analysis of the south-east London church's records revealed the sums spent on luxury travel and five-star hotel stays.

Missing receipts

It said its former governors had decided all top managers should fly business class because travelling can be "cumbersome". But the Charity Commission found more junior staff had also travelled business class.

A deputy senior pastor took a £2,580 flight from London to Ghana in 2016, when another employee took a flight costing only £548.

The church's international outreach bill also included £43,707.14 that was given to partners in India and China. However, the church could not provide evidence that the money was spent in the way intended, the inquiry found.

The Charity Commission found the Everlasting Arms Ministries' financial management had been "poor".

The church was also criticised for paying £215,948 to a senior pastor's private American Express account. The investigation found the pastor spent £5,094 on the card which the church claimed was for the charity, but was unable to provide receipts for.

Church trustees have since decided to order a charity debit card, according to the report. 

The Charity Commission said: "The previous trustee board is responsible for serious management and/or misconduct in the administration of the charity. How they governed and managed the charity prior to the commission's intervention falls well below the standard that the commission expects."

But it said there had been improvements under new management, with "significant efforts" made to "strengthen the charity's overall governance and its policies and procedures."

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