A Kansas City pastor was caught on camera criticizing his "broke" congregation for not buying him a pricey Movado watch.
In a now-viral TikTok video, Carlton Funderburke, Pastor of Kansas City's Church at the Well, chastised his congregation for not being able to afford to buy him the expensive watch he had requested while delivering an impassioned sermon about "honoring God's shepherds."
In a August 7 speech, Funderburke was recorded saying:
"See that’s how I know you still poor, broke, busted, and disgusted because of how you’ve been honoring me."
He further said:
“I’m not worth your McDonald’s money? I’m not worth your Red Lobster money? I ain’t worth your St. John’s knit? Y’all can’t afford it no-how. I ain’t worth your Louis Vuitton? I ain’t worth your Prada? I’m not worth your Gucci?”
The clip continues with attendees responding to his speech in high fervor, with some of them even cheering for him.
Carlton Funderburke is the founder of the Kansas City Church at the Wells
Funderburke, who founded the Kansas City church with his wife, chastised his congregation for failing to understand what "God is saying" about dealing with those who spread his message.
The video clip was also posted on the popular social media site Reddit's R/PublicFreakout subreddit, where it received over 300 comments.
Users reacted strongly to the clip as one user named u/FeelingsAreNotFact demanded that the churches be taxed and said:
"There would be a lot less of them if tax laws didn't protect these "for profit churches". I am all for allowing Churches that actually provide to parishioners and/or their communities, while not politicking from the pulpit... "
"...To continue to get their tax exempt status as they provide to their communities. "Churches" that exist only to put the Pastor/Preacher into nice homes, clothes, cars, and trips should be taxed like anyone else...especially if they are politicking from the pulpit."
Another user u/DontToewsMeBro revealed the modus operandi of many churches as he commented:
" I stopped when I saw the ATMs in the hallways and noticed that their “missionary work” consisted of one well-known person in the church flying to a 3rd world country to be worked like a dog for one or two days & not really accomplish anything & the church paid a media company that films this well-known person doing work alongside others from many other churches doing the same thing (1 person per church, to work for a day or two & GET THE FILM). It’s crazy, it’s fake, it’s seen as an investment to get the people to empty their pockets, and it’s happening right down the road from you."
Realizing the blunder he had made, Funderburke later apologized to his Kansas City congregation through a YouTube video and said:
“The video clip does not reflect my heart or my sentiment toward God’s people. Though there is context behind the content of the clip, no context will suffice to explain the hurt and anguish caused by my words."
The video was posted on the church’s YouTube page. The video has been viewed more than 550,000 times, as of Wednesay, August 17, 2022.