Ron Kangas said on November 29, 2006: "LSM is strictly a publisher."
Benson Phillips said at LSM’s Washington D.C. conference, "The Living Stream Ministry is just a publisher." He went on to admonish an audience member, saying, "Brother, who told you LSM was anything more than a publisher?"
The FACTS
These claims can be checked against LSM’s tax returns filed with the IRS, which are available to the public. The returns show that:
From 1997 to 2004, LSM’s publishing activities generated income of $22.5 million (or 56% of LSM’s income). In comparison, "ministry trainings" yielded income of $17.7 million (or 44% of LSM’s income). These data show that a significant portion of LSM’s income comes from activities other than publishing.
Case in point: in 2001, LSM’s major income producing activity was conducting "ministry trainings" and "participant donations" for those ministry trainings generated $2.46 million for LSM. Compare this to the $2.21 million generated from sales of "religious books, publications and tapes." Only 47% of LSM’s total income in 2001 came from publishing related activities.
LSM loaned $4 million to Grace Memorial Terrace Association to develop a cemetery for Brother Lee and to sell cemetery plots to saints in the recovery.
It can also be observed that LSM sends out invitations to trainings and conferences – the invitations are on LSM letterhead and signed by "Living Stream Ministry."
LSM’s activities related to ministry trainings and the cemetery project do not seem to have anything to do with publishing. A substantial portion of LSM’s income comes from non-publishing activities. Is the claim that "LSM is strictly a publisher" justified?