Summary
Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc. ("CBN") uses mass media, especially television and visual media, to prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the everlasting kingdom of God on earth. CBN’s purpose is to train the young and old to understand how the principles of the Kingdom of God relate to everyday life. CBN also provides spiritual counseling, financial help, and other humanitarian aid to those in need. CBN was founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire world as a witness unto all nations (Matthew 24:14). It is CBN's intention to follow Jesus' example by teaching biblical principles for living, raising up Christian leaders, and working to alleviate human suffering throughout the world. With innovation, excellence, and integrity as standards, CBN aims to glorify God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
This organization is a nonprofit. Contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Contact Information: [ Back to top ]
| Mailing Address: | 977 Centerville Turnpike
Virginia Beach, VA
23463-9989 |
| Website: | www.CBN.com |
| Phone: | (757) 226-7000, (800) 759-0700 |
| Email: | You need to enable javascript to see the email |
Organization Details [ Back to top ]
EIN: 540678752
| CEO/President: |
Mr. Michael Little |
Tax Deductible: |
Yes |
| Chairman: |
Dr. Pat Robertson |
Fiscal Year End: |
March 31 |
| Board Size: |
9 |
Financial info from: |
990 |
| Founder: |
Dr. Pat Robertson |
Member of ECFA: |
Yes |
| Year Founded: |
1960 |
Member of ECFA since: |
1995 |
Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc. ("CBN") uses mass media, especially television and visual media, to prepare the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the everlasting kingdom of God on earth. CBN’s purpose is to train the young and old to understand how the principles of the Kingdom of God relate to everyday life. CBN also provides spiritual counseling, financial help, and other humanitarian aid to those in need. CBN was founded in 1960 by Pat Robertson to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the entire world as a witness unto all nations (Matthew 24:14).
It is CBN's intention to follow Jesus' example by teaching biblical principles for living, raising up Christian leaders, and working to alleviate human suffering throughout the world. With innovation, excellence, and integrity as standards, CBN aims to glorify God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
This organization is a nonprofit. Contributions to it are fully tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
CBN uses the following to communicate its mission:
The mission of CBN and its affiliated organizations is to prepare the United States of America and the nations of the world for the coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth. In the fulfillment of our mission, as to calling and message, our Biblical role model is John the Baptist. As to wisdom, it is Solomon. As to ministry to Israel, it is the prophet Ezekiel. In all that we are, do, and say, it is Jesus Christ.
Program Accomplishments [ Back to top ]
The 700 Club is the CBN’s primary program, which is produced and broadcasted to prepare the world for the Second Coming of Christ. In addition, CBN uses other mass media and WorldReach centers to meet the emotional and spiritual needs of people worldwide. Through their telephone counseling center and ministry, CBN counsels millions annually. The Founder's Inn and Conference Center provides restoration, edification, and training to the Christian community and interested people in the non-Christian community. CBN also provides humanitarian relief domestically and overseas. This relief and aid includes food, medicine, necessities, and grants to organizations with similar goals.
According to a recent third-party survey, 204 million people in 16 countries watched at least one CBN program in the year 2000, and 40.5 million people responded to the Gospel message. Our greatest accomplishments in the year 2000 include constructing new production studios in Indonesia and the C.I.S.; bringing life-giving water wells to more than 600 villages in India, seven villages in Nigeria and 125 extended families in China through water-collecting cisterns; and airing a media blitz in Ghana, with 2.5 million people accepting Christ and 4.2 million rededicating their lives to Him. Also in Africa, CBN WorldReach evangelized people and battled AIDS through television/video ministry and humanitarian projects. CBN began airing a weekly Cantonese ministry program in Hong Kong, transmitted daily satellite broadcasts of The 700 Club and other CBN productions throughout Europe and the Middle East, and resumed airing a Russian language version of The 700 Club. In the C.I.S., our cell churches grew to nearly 23,000.
Statement of Faith [ Back to top ]
CBN uses the following to communicate its faith:
A.) We believe that the Holy Bible is the inspired, infallible, and authoritative source of Christian doctrine and precept.
B.) We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
C.) We believe that man was created in the image of God, but as a result of sin is lost and powerless to save himself.
D.) We believe that the only hope for man is to believe on Jesus Christ, the virgin-born Son of God, who died to take upon Himself the punishment for the sin of mankind, and who rose from the dead so that by receiving Him as Savior and Lord, man is redeemed by His blood.
E.) We believe that Jesus Christ in person will return to earth in power and glory.
F.) We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells those who have received Christ for the purpose of enabling them to live righteous and godly lives.
G.) We believe that the Church is the Body of Christ and is composed of all those who through belief in Christ have been spiritually regenerated by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The mission of the church is worldwide evangelization on the one hand and the nurture and discipline of Christians on the other.
The 1960s:
Pat Robertson founded CBN, and it went on the air from WYAH-TV in Portsmouth, Virginia. CBN began color television production, and it acquired six radio stations in U.S. and one in Colombia, South America. The first "700 Club" telethon lead to the daily program, "The 700 Club".
The 1970s:
CBN increased its coverage area with a new tower and higher transmission power. It acquired TV stations in Dallas, Atlanta, and Boston and initiated the National Counseling Center and 24-hour telephone prayer line. “The 700 Club” became the first religious program in English to be carried by cable in Israel. CBN bought 142 acres of land in Virginia Beach and built a new studio headquarters. CBN established CBN International and began broadcasting CBN programming to the Far East, Canada, South America, Mexico, Africa, and Europe. CBN built a satellite earth station and initiated 24-hour Christian programming via their satellite. It opened CBN University, established Operation Blessing, and initiated CBN Cable.
The 1980s:
CBN changed “The 700 Club” to a newsmagazine format and opened a news bureau in Washington DC. It began operations of Middle East Television in Southern Lebanon and Israel. CBN produced animated programs (for instance “Superbook”) to share the Gospel and broadcast them in Japan. CBN bought land and built the Corporate Support Center.
CBN broadcasted “Don't Ask Me, Ask God,” the most-watched religious special in broadcast history. CBN received an Emmy Award for "Never Say Goodbye,” produced for CBS. CBN renamed CBN Cable, The Family Channel and initiated CBN Conferences on various subjects.
The 1990s:
CBN renamed CBN University, Regent University, and opened a Law & Government Building on the Regent University campus. CBN sold The Family Channel to International Family Entertainment (IFE) in 1990. The Soviet government allowed a CBN ministry center in Moscow, and CBN aired a Christmas special and “Superbook” on Soviet television. One hundred million people viewed CBN's television specials in 1991 and 1992. CBN reached millions in the Philippines and Romania during broadcasting blitzes. CBN opened its Founders Inn and Conference Center. CBN gave Regent University a $117 million endowment gift -- the largest to a private university. CBN broadcasted “Micah's Christmas Treasure,” “The Easter Promise,” “Alabaster’s Song,” and “Spunky's First Christmas” in the United States and internationally. CBN started its WorldReach worldwide campaign – with a goal to win 500 million to Christ within five years. CBN sold IFE in 1997 to Fox Kids Worldwide, Inc. Regent University received $109.3 million from sale of IFE stock.
The 2000s:
CBN celebrates its 40th Anniversary since inception on January 11, 2000. Pat Robertson celebrates his 70th birthday on March 22, 2000. Pat Robertson reaffirms his ordination vows on March 27, 2000. Regent University dedicates new graduate center in Alexandria, Va. on March 19, 2001. METV licensing and operations transferred to a like minded ministry, LeSEA Broadcasting in South Bend, Ind. in July 2001. CBN celebrates its 40th Broadcast Anniversary on October 1, 2001. Regent University began construction on The Communication and Performing Arts building in March 2001. Construction should be complete by fall of 2002. Disney acquires the Fox Family Channel and names it ABC Family on November 10, 2001. Over 10 Christian Broadcasters unite in an unprecedented effort to reach out to the American people with, Where is God Now?-a two-hour primetime special produced by CBN. The program airs November 21-24, 2001.
CBN expresses the following to communicate its ministry needs:
Become a CBN Partner for just $20 or more a month and join us in sharing the life-saving message of Jesus with a waiting world. For every life touched, there are thousands of others waiting for a miracle . And that's why we need your help. Here are some specific examples of how you can help.
CBN WorldReach-an aggressive evangelism effort to over 155 countries combining media saturation with extensive follow-up and church-planting efforts.
Operation Blessing International (OBI)-providing warm meals, clean clothes and medical care to over 155 million people worldwide in order to open the door to share God's love.
National Counseling Center-a prayer line that provides hope for more than 57 million callers.
Research Analysis
Transparency Grade [ Back to top ]
| Transparency Grade of : A |
| Criteria category | Grade | Other Comments |
| Timeliness: | 70 | 10/28/2011 3:09:51 PM: Organization made financial information available greater than 7 ½ months. |
| Financial Information: | 100 | |
| Foundational Clarity: | 100 | 10/28/2011 3:10:10 PM: Descriptive information was abundant and thorough. |
| Level of Cooperation: | 100 | |
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MinistryWatch.com 5 Star Financial Efficiency Ratings [ Back to top ]
| Ranking Category | Rating | Overall Rank | Educational Media Sector |
|---|
| Overall Efficiency Rating |  | 205 of 347 | 20 of 38 |
| Fund Acquisition Decision |  | 284 of 347 | 27 of 38 |
| Resource Allocation Decision | | 129 of 347 | 13 of 38 |
| Asset Utilization Decision | | 172 of 347 | 17 of 38 |
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MinistryWatch.com’s Take
The 700 Club
Pat Robertson, the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and The 700 Club have been a part of our cultural landscape for more than 40 years. During this time, Robertson has garnered the exposure, praise, censure, and wealth to justly be labeled something of an icon, while The 700 Club, as one of the longest running programs in television history, has become ensconced as a broadcasting institution. The organization’s primary mission is “to prepare the United States and other nations of the world for the coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth.” In order to do this, CBN is actively engaged in the arenas of television broadcasting (in the U.S. and abroad), phone counseling, secondary education, politics and law, relief and development work, and, to keep it all going and growing, massive fund-raising campaigns. The ministry has grown so large that it is easy to forget that this megalith in Christian broadcasting began as a humble UHF station with barely enough power to reach across the city limits of Portsmouth, Va. The original “700 Club” is an outgrowth of the 1963 telethon in which Robertson asked 700 viewers to each pledge $10 a month, this being the amount needed to meet CBN’s monthly budget. The telethon was a success, the 700 Club was formed, and Robertson’s career as a fund-raising magnate was launched.
Today, The 700 Club is shown daily all across America and around the world (most prominently, in the U.S., on ABC Family Channel). The program follows a magazine-style format, featuring special investigative reports, CBN ministry updates, news, and inspirational true stories. Among the most fascinating moments in the show are the times when Robertson and/or his co-hosts (Terry Meeuwsen and Gordon Robertson) join hands and ask God to miraculously heal specific people in the television audience. The hosts do not know these people personally. Rather, they claim to have received special “words of knowledge” from God, giving them specific information concerning sicknesses, injuries and ailments which are troubling viewers. These individuals are invited to receive by faith God’s miracle power for healing. Such healing is presented as a divine promise for Christians. The 700 Club regularly runs stories about people who have been miraculously healed after hearing one of the show’s hosts describe their exact predicament.
In addition to all of this, The 700 Club remains a powerful fund-raising mechanism for CBN. A particularly effective on-air routine is for Robertson to announce a time-sensitive, call-in pledge drive near the beginning of the day’s program. Five or 10 minutes are allotted for viewers to call CBN and make a pledge. During this time, Robertson discusses various complimentary gifts which donors will receive (e.g., books, videos and/or CDs featuring his teaching). The 700 Club also takes this opportunity to present stories of regular people who once struggled to make ends meet, but who found that their (literal) fortunes took a sharp turn for the good after they decided to give money to CBN. As the story unfolds, an on-screen clock counts down the minutes remaining for viewers to give. The fact is, however, the clock doesn’t really run out. Robertson continues to add “extra time” to the call-in pledge drive until finally the hour-long show comes to an end. This “beat the clock” approach, coupled with the well-placed stories of sudden prosperity, is undoubtedly a tremendously successful strategy for raising money. It can also come across as manipulative and disingenuous, encouraging people to make a hurried decision on the basis of an implied (sometimes explicitly stated) promise of bountiful financial returns.
It is difficult to boil the message of Robertson and The 700 Club down to a simple slogan. Audiences receive, among other things, heavy doses of conservative political views (on social and economic issues), Pentecostal/Charismatic theology (complete with alleged miracle healings), practical advice, and pro-Israeli sentiment. All of this is cast in a framework that is, paradoxically, both apocalyptic and optimistic. The tension between these emphases is somewhat relieved when one realizes that Robertson is convinced that God has promised both to bring cataclysmic judgment upon those who disregard his moral laws, and to greatly reward (materially and spiritually) those who do his will. CBN sounds the warning to the world, while telling the people of God to claim the blessing – and to support the work. It is important to keep in mind, however, that the biblical theme of Christ’s mediation between God and mankind is also a major theme of The 700 Club. The hosts frequently invite people to accept Jesus as their Savior.
The Kingdom
CBN is not, by a long shot, just a broadcasting network. Over the years, Robertson and company have translated hundreds of millions of dollars in donations into something of a small kingdom. CBN’s domain includes broadcasting headquarters and a liberal arts university, as well as a worldwide media outreach and full-fledged relief and development organization. CBN’s main campus in Virginia Beach, Va. is home to the broadcasting studios and university. These facilities have been vividly described as:
. . . a sprawling 685-acre campus . . . dotted with dogwoods and magnolias, curving roads, and Georgian-style buildings that, despite being just over two decades old, look as if they’ve been standing for centuries. The grounds fan out from CBN, which broadcasts out of a cross-shaped, red-brick building with a domed chapel, where Robertson preaches to employees and prays over viewer mail. Out front is the 240-room Founder’s Inn hotel, with its reproduction oil portraits of Washington and Jefferson – along with CBN founder Robertson, clutching a Bible and standing before an undulating American flag. Nearby is the National Counseling Center, CBN’s 24-hour telephone center, which gets some 2.5 million calls a year from people asking for help and being asked to give. Over 200 ‘prayer counselors’ carefully track incoming calls, allowing CBN to analyze The 700 Club in 30-second intervals to find out which pieces drive pledges and which turn them away. Some 93% of pledges come in when The 700 Club is on.
A short stroll away is Regent University, including the 130,000-square-foot Robertson Hall (which houses his ACLU-battling group, the American Center for Law and Justice); the university’s airy library; and a new, $35 million College of Communications and Arts, which when completed will feature a movie back lot, $6 million of digital video equipment, and a 750-person auditorium.
[cited from: http://www.rickross.com/reference/cbn/cbn3.html.]
Such is the organizational hub. The television and telephone outreaches are supplemented by CBN’s exhaustive website. The site is designed to minister to every aspect of life. Features include an online discipleship course, numerous theology and Bible-study guides, ministry information, news and entertainment, and a life and health section which includes Robertson’s recipes for “Age-Defying Protein Pancakes.” CBN has numerous resources available for purchase, including many works by Pat Robertson.
Regent University (formerly CBN University) is a liberal arts school specializing in business, law, communications and social sciences. Regent also features a school of theology, which is headed by theologian J. Rodman Williams, highly-regarded in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles. The university’s vision is to, through its scholars and graduates, “provide Christian leadership in transforming society by affirming and teaching principles of truth, justice and love as described in the Holy Scriptures.....” Regent has more than 9,000 students in nine academic schools, two campuses and distance education (Internet) reaching around the globe.
The
American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) is a public interest law firm committed to insuring the ongoing viability of constitutional freedoms. In particular, ACLJ was founded to protect religious freedom from creeping secularism. During its short history, the ACLJ has successfully argued several precedent-setting cases before the Supreme Court. The freedoms defended in these cases include:
- The free speech rights of pro-life demonstrators.
- The constitutional rights of religious groups to have equal access to public facilities.
- The rights of public school students to form and participate in religious organizations including Bible studies on campus.
- The participation of minors in the political process through exercising their free speech rights in political settings.
In addition to its religious liberties work, the ACLJ also specializes in constitutional law involving the issues of national security, human life, marriage, judicial nominations, pornography, and protecting patriotic expression including the U.S. national motto and the nation’s Pledge of Allegiance.
Regent University and the American Center for Law and Justice are key components in CBN’s educational, social and political agendas, which are based upon the belief that “Jesus is Lord of all the world ...of the government, and the church, and business, and, hopefully, one day, Lord of the press.” This conviction regarding the unlimited Lordship of Christ has been called the heart and soul of “Reconstructionism,” a brand of theology which believes that Christ’s mandate to believers includes the command to turn the world into a Christian kingdom, politically and in every other way. According to Reconstructionists, Christ will not return until this mission has been achieved. Although Robertson rejects the “Reconstructionist” label, his ambitions are such that he appears to be something of an “operational [as opposed to theoretical, or systematic] Reconstructionist.”
The World
CBN is a worldwide ministry which seeks to meet the physical, social and spiritual needs of people. As to the spiritual needs, CBN has launched
WorldReach, a global evangelism campaign which brings the Gospel to millions of people around the world, primarily through television broadcasts. The basic strategy of WorldReach is to develop and sustain weekly television programs to be broadcast on terrestrial TV stations in selected countries. These original programs are often produced in country by local staff. Programs are designed to be culturally sensitive and relevant to the ethnic audience as it is viewed in their own language. These sustained broadcasts are complemented by follow-up outreaches via mail and telephone counseling. The goal is to win 500 million souls to Jesus Christ. WorldReach programs can be seen in more than 200 countries and are accessible by approximately 1.6 billion people around the world.
Pat Robertson has received national and international recognition as a philanthropist and humanitarian. Much of his public humanitarian works have been carried out through
Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation. Operation Blessing is a humanitarian organization that provides short-term medical, hunger, and disaster relief as well as development assistance to economically challenged people in the United States and overseas. Operation Blessing networks with independent, community-based non-profit agencies throughout the United States that serve as local outreach centers. Each volunteer center interacts with a network of charitable organizations, churches, businesses and social agencies that provide matching funds as well as direct services. A similar working arrangement exists with other private voluntary organizations and non-governmental organizations in foreign countries. Since its inception in 1978, Operation Blessing has provided goods and services valued at more than $750 million to people in more than 100 countries. Operation Blessing’s medical missions are greatly augmented by
The Flying Hospital, a specially equipped L 1011 jet aircraft. Staffed by Operation Blessing employees and volunteer medical professionals, the plane is capable of providing world-class medical/surgical services to people in developing countries and disaster-stricken areas.
Funding for domestic and international ministries is provided through donations ($90-$100 million annually) and by the income gained in the 1997 sale of Robertson’s publicly-traded International Family Entertainment (IFE) to media baron Rupert Murdoch. This sale brought Robertson more than $400 million net; $148 million to Regent University, $136 million to CBN, $109 million to the Robertson Charitable Trust – which pays out to CBN in 2010 or upon the death of Robertson or his wife Dede, whichever comes later. Robertson himself banked $19 million. IFE is now the ABC Family Channel, which per the terms of the sale, continues to broadcast
The 700 Club each day. The majority of CBN’s income is spent producing and syndicating its U.S. television programming ($90 million per year). International outreach expense was $34 million in 2004, while approximately $11 million (total) was spent on counseling and prayer ministry, distribution of religious materials, and education and training. Operation Blessing is largely supported by gifts-in-kind (valuing $181 million in 2004), although operational expenses do total between $7 and $8 million annually.
The Worldview
CBN is so multifaceted that it is not always easy to see how (or if) it all ties together. When faced with an array of phenomena such as flying hospitals, protein pancakes, political activism and miracle healings, one might conclude that Robertson’s many endeavors suggest that there just isn’t any single “vision” which unifies and guides his ministry. But that would be a hasty judgment. A better understanding might be that Robertson’s life work is informed by something akin to a “worldview.” It is this, if anything, that underlies his efforts, ambitions and dreams for CBN.
So what is his worldview? How best to classify Robertson the thinker: A Pentecostal/Charismatic? A Reconstructionist? A Christian Zionist? A right-wing zealot? Or simply a shrewd businessman with “an uncanny ability to persuade ordinary folks to give him cash?” The truth is, Robertson is all of these things. He is also, and perhaps most significantly, an optimist and an entrepreneur with the conviction that things are getting better
now. Perhaps the best label for Robertson’s worldview is “Renewal Theology.” As a Christian minister, Robertson’s core message is inescapably theological- focused upon God’s word and work as revealed in the Bible. Robertson’s interpretation of this revelation is that now, in our times, God is “renewing” the church through the Spirit, and the world through the church. Evidence for the former is seen in the reported outburst of charismatic gifts in the church and the remarkable growth of Christianity in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Robertson’s business ventures (e.g., the sale of IFE) must be seen in the context of his passion for ensuring that CBN, through its diverse and well-funded ministries, will continue to grow into its self-conceived role as a world-changing institution. Robertson believes that evidence suggests that the world is, broadly speaking, taking a turn for the good. The collapse of communism, amazing scientific and medical breakthroughs, and the possibility of free democracy in the Middle East all point to a better world. It is true that there remain obstacles to the advancement of the Kingdom of God, but Robertson is convinced that neither Western secularism nor Islamic fundamentalism, nor Eastern mysticism nor any other stronghold of the devil will ultimately prevail. God may have to shake things up (especially for America) in the near future, but in any event “the new millennium,” already upon us, will be one in which Christianity will flourish across the face of the earth.