A prominent celebrity megachurch in Seattle, Washington, faces a lawsuit for allegedly forcing its employees to donate a portion of their wages back to the organization, or they risk being fired.
An employee of Kirkland-based Churchome was told her job was in jeopardy if she failed to tithe — or donate 10% of her earnings back to the church.
So she filed a lawsuit with the King County Superior Court. https://t.co/zL8qe6bGrt— KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM (@KIRONewsradio) March 31, 2023
Employee Rachel Kellogg accused Churchome and its leaders in her lawsuit, filed in the third week of March at the King County Superior Court, of being “engaged in a systemic scheme of wage and hour abuse against their employees,” which includes the requirement for all employees to donate 10% of their gross monthly wages as tithe or the employees would face pressure, discipline, or even termination.
Previously working for the church’s video and production department, Kellogg was unaware of the policy until after she was hired in 2019. The lawsuit claims that the policy violates Washington state’s Consumer Protection Act and other labor laws.
“Regardless of whether this is a church, or not a church, or a nonprofit or a for-profit corporation, requiring employees to rebate any wages to an employer is an unlawful practice,” Eric Nusser said. He is one of Kellogg’s lawyers working for the Terrell Marshall Law Group.
Kellogg’s lawsuit includes conversations between her and other Churchome employees who told her about the mandatory tithe policy, along with a reprimand from her supervisor regarding the “expectation that you get in rhythm with our company policy on tithing.” Kellogg said she had to stop tithing due to financial struggles after a car accident in 2020.
Churchome declined any requests for interviews from The Seattle Times, the first major news outlet to report about the lawsuit. However, the celebrity church, which counts Canadian singer Justin Bieber and American quarterback Russell Wilson as members, released a statement through its attorney, Nathaniel Taylor.
In its statement, Churchome said that its employee handbook and statement of faith includes tithing and says that “the worshipful act of paying the first 10% of our income to God, given in an attitude of faith and in response to what Jesus has already given us.”
— John Russell - MontanaMade (@JDoubMontana) March 25, 2023
The statement also added that while the church does not deduct tithe from its employees’ paychecks, it asks them to live out this practice.
“The First Amendment protects a church’s right to restrict employment to those employees who choose to abide by church teaching. Churchome intends to vigorously defend the rights of all religious institutions to live, teach, and model their faith through their employees,” Churchome’s statement said.
There is a Church in Holland Michigan that has this as a requirement on every job posting. I had no idea it was illegal.
— Dominic Palacios (@revdpalacios) March 25, 2023
Aside from Churchome itself, Kellogg’s lawsuit names its pastors Judah and Chelsea Smith, and its CEO, David Kroll, and his wife, Jenna Kroll, as defendants. The Smiths and David Kroll were members of the church’s board of directors, which included Russell Wilson.
The church, especially the Smiths, has long been criticized for its highly-produced sermons and use of social media for its outreach. Churchome also relies heavily on membership tithes and offerings, listing around $35.4 million in assets last year.
