By AP/KWMU
St. Louis, MO – The Joyce Meyer Ministries is selling the homes of two of Meyer's grown children for a combined $2.55 million.
Meyer and her four married children and their families all live in the ministry-paid homes for free in south St. Louis County. A ministry spokesman says the homes are being sold for the investment, given that the value of the property has increased.
The original purchase of the five homes prompted a watchdog group to ask the Internal Revenue Service to investigate Meyer and her family. Federal law prohibits ministry founders and their families from unreasonably benefiting from proceeds raised by a tax-exempt ministry.
The other three homes may also be sold.
The ministries later said in a statement that there has never been any contact from or concern over the IRS, adding the home sales are purely for investment reasons. The statement also points out that Joyce Meyer has donated royalties from her books to the ministry for an amount that exceeds the cost of the houses.