Living Hope church received a £1m loan from a ‘generous philanthropist’ towards its new Douglas church project, latest accounts show.

Donations to Living Hope from church members and others topped £1m for the first time in 2023.

Latest financial statements for Living Hope Community Church Ltd, for the year ending August 31, 2024, show that income received from church members and other individuals continues to grow.

It totalled £1.454.191, up from £1,023,540 the year before and £947,233 in 2022.

This included gifts totalling a massive £403,580 towards the cost of purchasing the site for Living Hope’s new church in Douglas.

Living Hope was also granted a £1m loan facility, the accounts reveal. This enabled the purchase of Removals House on Finch Road to go ahead and as well as funding the rebuilding and refurbishment costs.

The works on the new place of worship are currently under active investigation over a possible breach of planning consent relating to the extent of demolition at the site.

‘A particularly noteworthy development during the year was the generosity of church members,’ the accounts note.

‘Gift received for the building fund amounted to £403,580. A loan facility of £1,000,000 was granted by a generous philanthropist which enabled the purchase to go ahead and fund the extensive rebuilding and refurbishment costs.

‘Further gifts from church members are to cover as much of the costs of refurbishment as possible, and repayment of the loan.’

Living Hope’s principal source of income is from ’tithes and offerings’ from the congregation, the majority of which comes by way of standing order.

It also earns income from events, which totalled £112,181 over the last year.

Together with interest on investments, this took total income to £1,608,649, up from £1,132,461 the year before.

Total expenditure rose from £1,096,809 in 2023 to £1,185,157, producing a small surplus of £4,788 if restricted funds are excluded.

During the year, Living Hope employed seven full-time pastors and assistant pastors, and two operational support staff.

Lead pastor and chief executive Jonathan Stanfield saw his salary increase from £73,106 to £76,514. Salaries to the three board members totalled £184,160.

Last year Living Hope was rocked by claims of ‘psychological abuse’ raised by members of the church.

The concerns centred on its affiliation to the Four12 global network of churches.

Suggestions of emotional, psychological or spiritual abuse have been strongly rejected.

But others have since come forward with similar allegations.

One said: ‘Many people, including myself, have experienced emotional, psychological and spiritual abuse. I believe Living Hope and Four12 to be personality cults, whereby the leaders encourage a celebrity culture with them as its focus.’

He estimated that 10-15 people had defected from Living Hope to other churches in the last few months.

Living Hope has eight congregations across the island with two in Douglas, two in Port St Mary and others in Ramsey, Laxey, St John’s and Peel.