Thread by @HoustonChron

“Jesus was not broke,” said Pastor Ben Priest of River of God Church. “He was born a king, and he left this planet a king.” Priest is putting that lesson into practice at home — literally.
✏️ @Dexinvestigates, @byjayroot, @stephanierlamm
➡️houstonchronicle.com/news/investiga…

@Dexinvestigates @byjayroot @stephanierlamm The 3,500-square-foot church-owned house where the Priest has lived, set on 3 acres less than a mile from Lake Conroe, is valued at just under a half-million dollars. But River of God doesn’t pay a dime in property taxes on the property.
📷 @jonjshapley
➡️houstonchronicle.com/news/investiga…

Like the spacious and often luxurious abodes of dozens of Texas ministers of the gospel — as well as Hindu gurus to secretive Catholic lay groups — the house Priest and his wife have lived in for years is a tax-exempt “parsonage.”
📷@jonjshapley
➡️houstonchronicle.com/news/investiga…

Unlike many others, however, River of God Church’s tax break appears to violate Texas law. Phone and email messages left for the Priests at River of God were not returned.
houstonchronicle.com/news/investiga…

Texas makes it easy for religious organizations to secure a 100% property tax break on their clergy members’ homes.

But the law contains only one hard-and-fast limit: A tax-free parsonage cannot be more than 1 acre. And yet ...
➡️houstonchronicle.com/news/investiga…

... The Crossroads Fellowship Church of Waco enjoyed a zero tax bill on its 8-acre clergy residence before it recently was sold. “I guess we missed that one,” said McLennan County Chief Appraiser Joe Don Bobbitt. houstonchronicle.com/news/investiga…

The @HoustonChron's examination of Texas parsonages ID'd more than 30 tax-free clergy residences larger than 1 acre. The homes collectively represent millions of dollars in value. houstonchronicle.com/news/investiga…

The improperly granted exemptions cost other Texans. Other taxpayers must cover the costs of schools and city and county operations, as well as special districts that fund hospitals, community colleges and other local needs. houstonchronicle.com/news/investiga…

Presented with the Chronicle’s findings, 11 appraisal districts said they were investigating the lapses or would require the churches to requalify for the tax break under the law’s limitations. houstonchronicle.com/news/investiga…

Appraisers described a range of reasons why their offices had granted valuable clergy residence tax exemptions, and others acknowledged that challenging religious organizations, especially in smaller communities, was a no-win proposition. ➡️houstonchronicle.com/news/investiga…