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Dr.Creflo A. Dollar Biography
Creflo Dollar
Creflo Dollar is the founder and senior pastor of World Changers Church International (WCCI) in College Park, Georgia, which serves nearly 30,000 members; World Changers Church-New York, which hosts over 6,000 worshippers each week; and a host of satellite churches, located in Los Angeles, California; Indianapolis, Indiana; Washington, D.C.; Cleveland, Ohio; Dallas and Houston, Texas; and Carrollton, Norcross, Macon, and Marietta, Georgia. As mandated by God, Creflo Dollar’s goal is to establish 500 satellite churches around the world. With nearly 30 years in ministry, Creflo Dollar is committed to bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to people all over the world, literally changing the world one person at a time.
A native of College Park, Georgia, Creflo Dollar received the vision for World Changers Ministries Christian Center in 1986. He held the church’s first worship service in the cafeteria of Kathleen Mitchell Elementary School in College Park, with only eight people in attendance. Over the years, the ministry grew rapidly, and was later renamed World Changers Church International. The congregation moved from the cafeteria to a modest-sized chapel, later adding a weekly radio broadcast and four services each Sunday. On December 24, 1995, WCCI moved into its present location—the 8,500-seat sanctuary known as the World Dome. At a cost of nearly $18 million, the World Dome was built without any bank financing. The construction of the World Dome is a testament to the miracle-working power of God, and remains a model of debt-freedom that ministries all over the world emulate.
A former educational therapist, Creflo Dollar received a bachelor’s degree in education and both a master’s and doctorate degree in counseling. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Oral Roberts University in 1998. He is the publisher of CHANGE online magazine and The Max, a bimonthly resource newsletter for ministers and ministry leaders. His award-winning Changing Your World television broadcast reaches nearly one billion homes in practically every country in the world.
A much sought-after conference speaker and best-selling author, Dollar is known for his practical approach to the Bible, and has encouraged thousands to pursue a personal relationship with God. Creflo Dollar and his wife, Taffi, have five children, and they live in Atlanta.
The Organization
There are many divisions and affiliates of WCCI that meet
the diverse needs of people around the globe. The church arm of the ministry is
situated in metro Atlanta, but has members who commute from several surrounding
states, including Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama. Creflo Dollar’s dynamic, yet
practical teaching style impacts people so strongly that they gladly make the drive.
In addition to four weekly Bible services and a Sunday worship service in Atlanta,
the ministry also provides Saturday worship services at its second location—World
Changers Church-New York—which began in October 2004. The church currently hosts
more than 6,000 worshippers each week and is making a tremendous impact in the greater
New York area.
Creflo Dollar Ministries (CDM), the outreach arm of WCCI, hosts annual conventions
in cities across the United States. Creflo Dollar’s vision is also supported by thousands
of Vision Partners around the world who assist him in spreading the Gospel through
the aid of prayers, volunteerism and financial support.
The Social Services arm of WCCI makes a daily investment in people's lives by meeting
their physical, financial, emotional and spiritual needs through some 60 programs
and ministries. Some of the innovations Creflo Dollar has implemented include the Career
Development Center, where people receive the information, guidance, training and
practical assistance they need to obtain and maintain suitable employment, and where
some 50 percent of referrals are hired; a food distribution facility, which provides
over 60 tons of food to needy families annually; and the Joseph Project, a male-mentoring
program that provides a pathway out of despair for men who have hit rock bottom
in their lives. Creflo Dollar also founded the Creflo Dollar Ministerial Association
(CDMA), a covenant fellowship of affiliated ministries in the United States and
abroad to assist ministers, pastors, evangelists, ministry leaders and churches,
large and small, in the fulfillment of their God-given visions. Members have access
to a long list of benefits, support services and ministry resources designed to
optimize their effectiveness, including Web site development, workshops and conferences
on the "how–to’s" of ministry, organizational structure and logistical support,
and opportunities to network with like-minded men and women of God.
Humble Beginnings
Although he was "raised in the church," Creflo Dollar did not become born again until
the summer after his freshman year in college. While visiting a Bible study on a
college campus in Atlanta, Creflo Dollar gave his life to Christ. It was never his
desire to become a minister; instead, he planned to become a professional football
player. "There was never any doubt that one day I would play pro ball," he says.
"God, however, had a different course for my life. I ended up getting injured and
sitting on the bench for much of my college career."
As he was recovering from the injury, Creflo Dollar began witnessing to students on
campus. "I witnessed to a guy, and he became born again. Afterward, he brought back
10 more people. Before I knew it, Ken (his college roommate) and I were running
a Bible study in our dorm room." This weekly Bible study was known as "World Changers
Bible Study." 1981 marked the official beginning of Creflo Dollar’s life in ministry.
The teachings captivated the attention of students who were in search of answers
to life's questions, and attendance quickly grew to over 100 people. One of the
students Creflo Dollar led to the Lord was Taffi Bolton, who became his wife five years
later. He graduated in 1984 with a B.S. in education and promptly went to work at
Brawner Psychiatric Institute in Atlanta. Creflo Dollar later went on to earn a master’s
degree and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in counseling. Although he was successful
at counseling those in his care, he knew that God had given him a clear assignment–to
teach the Word with simplicity and understanding.
In 1986, a year before he left Brawner to enter full-time ministry, Creflo Dollar officially
founded World Changers Ministries Christian Center (WCMCC). Its first worship service
was held in the cafeteria of Kathleen Mitchell Elementary School, with only eight
people in attendance. The location held a special significance for the budding ministry,
as Creflo Dollar had been the first black male to integrate the school, where his mother
was once employed as a cafeteria worker. The church adopted Proverbs 4:7 as its
motto: "... In all thy getting, get understanding" (NKJV), and Creflo Dollar perfected
his gift for taking the complex language and principles of the Bible and converting
them into a practical form that simplified things for the listener. Within two years,
the cafeteria could no longer hold the larger number of attendees, so the ministry
began its search for a new location. It negotiated for and purchased the former
Atlanta Christian Center Church in College Park, Georgia. WCMCC held its first service
in that facility in 1988.
The ministry continued to grow at a rapid pace over the next few years and began
holding four services each Sunday to accommodate the explosive membership growth.
In 1991, WCMCC broke ground to build a new sanctuary, and in response to its growing
membership and influence around the world, the ministry changed its name to World
Changers Church International (WCCI). On December 24, 1995, the leaders and members
of WCCI moved into the World Dome, which has a seating capacity of 8,500. Unlike
any other structure in the community, this magnificent building was built by faith,
at a cost of nearly $18 million, without any bank financing. To this day, the ministry
continues to extol the virtues of debt-freedom, trusting God to initiate and complete
new projects without the added burden of debt. The construction of the World Dome,
by a growing church with only a few thousand dollars in the bank when the project
began, remains a model that ministries all over the world continue to emulate. It
is a testament to the miracle-working power of God, when you trust Him as your source.
The church now has a congregation of approximately 30,000 members, and nearly 450
employees staff the facilities of WCCI both at home and abroad. Within the six buildings
on the main campus are a state-of-the-art television studio; a computer graphic
design suite; a publishing house; a high-tech music studio; a food distribution
center; a large banquet facility; commercial cooking facilities; a daycare center;
a Christian academy; a Christian bookstore; an audio and video duplication center;
and a professionally-staffed fitness facility. The spiritual growth experienced
by WCCI members and employees and the hundreds of thousands of CDM partners worldwide
proves that clarity and simplicity are still the hallmarks of Creflo Dollar's ministry.
"Nothing blesses me quite like the testimonies of people whose lives have been changed
by our ministry," says Creflo Dollar. "We have been entrusted with an awesome responsibility
to share the Good News with those who need it."
A Household Name
Creflo Dollar is a much sought-after conference speaker and a best–selling author,
with hundreds of books, CDs, audio and videotapes in worldwide distribution. He
has written books that cover a variety of topics, including debt cancellation, healing,
total-life prosperity, prayer, marriage, child-rearing, the Christian family and
victorious living. Many of his past works, including The Anointing to Live, Understanding
God's Purpose for the Anointing, No More Debt and Live Without Fear,
have been added to the curriculum of Christian colleges across the United States.
In fall 2006, Creflo Dollar released Claim Your Victory Today, a revised edition
of the Divine Order of Faith and in 2008, his life-changing book, 8 Steps
to Create the Life You Want: The Anatomy of a Successful Life was released.
Creflo Dollar has also collaborated with his wife of 21 years, Taffi Dollar, on a comprehensive
reference book for the 21st century family titled, The Successful Family. Divided
into six sections with an exhaustive list of recommended resources and six corresponding
study guides for individual or group study, it tackles the most common problems
facing families and provides them with sound, practical solutions and proven principles
for success. In addition, Creflo Dollar is the publisher of CHANGE magazine, a quarterly
publication with nearly 100,000 subscribers and The Max, a bimonthly resource newsletter
for ministers and ministry leaders.
A Leader Among Men
Recognized for his cutting-edge revelation and humorous, pragmatic approach, Mr.
Dollar received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Oral Roberts University
(ORU) in 1998. His teachings have enabled thousands to experience restoration, healing
and financial breakthrough, as a result of applying simple, biblical principles
to their lives.
IIn addition to his ministry accomplishments, Creflo Dollar has also experienced success
as a businessman and entrepreneur. In 1998, he assisted his wife, Taffi Dollar,
in establishing a gospel music record company, Arrow Records, where she serves as
Chief Executive Officer. The goal of Arrow Records, whose motto is "Music that Pierces
the Heart," is to promote gospel music with strong, scriptural lyrics in a variety
of musical styles. Award-winning artists on the label include the Changing Your
World Mass Choir and Canton Jones.
Creflo Dollar can be seen and heard worldwide via the dynamic Changing Your World broadcast,
now one of the most popular ministry programs on television. He also maintains an
extensive schedule each year of partner meetings, conventions and speaking engagements
in locations that span the globe. "When I see all of the people in this world who
are hurting, it just motivates me to do more," he says. "The job is not done until
every single person on the planet has been exposed to this Gospel."
With offices in the United States, Australia (serving the Asia-Pacific region),
South Africa, Nigeria and the United Kingdom, and several more scheduled to open
in the next few years, Creflo A. Dollar is truly setting the standard for excellence
in ministry, and making a mark in the lives of millions that can never be erased!
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