“I Did the Funerals:” A Former TBN WOF Pastor Tells All!

In a compelling and eye-opening interview, John Samson, a former Word of Faith (WOF) pastor who once hosted programs on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN), has offered a candid look into the theological mechanisms and human costs of the Word of Faith movement. Now serving as a Reformed Baptist pastor in Arizona, Samson’s journey from a prominent WOF figure to a proponent of historical, confessional theology provides a unique perspective on a movement that remains influential globally.

From “Brother Big Shot” to Biblical Discernment

Samson’s transition began not with a sudden epiphany, but through a rigorous, nine-month period of self-study after hearing R.C. Sproul speak on the holiness of God and divine election. For Samson, who had spent decades immersed in WOF doctrines—which emphasize personal power, “positive confession,” and the believer’s authority to dictate their circumstances—the encounter with Reformed theology was jarring. He recalls attempting to use his well-practiced arguments to negate Sproul’s teachings, only to have his long-held traditions dismantled by a simple, verse-by-verse examination of the text.

“I believed tradition rather than what the scriptures actually taught,” Samson admits. This realization acted as a catalyst, leading him to abandon what he now views as a “man-centered” approach to faith in favor of a commitment to the sovereignty of God and expositional preaching.

The Grinding Reality of the WOF Movement

One of the most sobering aspects of Samson’s testimony is his reflection on the disconnect between the “victory” promised in WOF services and the reality he faced as a pastor. While the movement focuses heavily on the guarantee of healing, prosperity, and deliverance, Samson recounts the painful experience of performing funerals for congregants whom prominent WOF leaders had publicly declared healed.

“I had prepared people for healing but never for a death in the family because you just don’t talk about death,” Samson explains. He describes an atmosphere where death and failure were treated as evidence of a lack of faith, leaving grieving families with a heavy, unspoken burden of guilt. He argues that this focus on “positive confession” creates a false narrative that treats faith as a mechanical force—akin to gravity—that God is somehow obligated to honor if the “right” words are spoken.

Exposing the “Heresy” of Sovereignty Denied

Samson is particularly critical of the WOF teaching that God “gave away” his dominion to man, rendering Him effectively powerless to act in human affairs without man’s permission. This doctrine, often championed by figures like Creflo Dollar and Andrew Wommack, posits that humans have the creative power to “frame their own world.”

To Samson, this is a “different Gospel.” He contrasts this with the biblical narrative, pointing to Hebrews 11—a passage often invoked in WOF circles to support faith-driven miracles—as the very text that dismantles their doctrine. He highlights the distinction between the “good” listed in Hebrews 11 (conquering kingdoms, stopping the mouths of lions) and the “hard” (torture, flogging, imprisonment, and destitution). “In the Word of Faith movement, someone destitute cannot have true faith,” Samson argues. “But God says, ‘Yes, they do.'”

The Illusion of Control

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the “point of contact” and seed-faith offerings popularized by figures like Oral Roberts. Samson critiques the “seed faith” concept—famously summarized as “solve your money needs with money seeds”—as an investment scheme that bears little resemblance to the biblical concept of worshipful generosity. He warns that in these systems, the preacher is often the primary beneficiary of the “seed,” while ordinary people are left waiting for a “harvest” that is mechanistically guaranteed but often fails to materialize.

Samson challenges the WOF interpretation of Mark 11:22-24, asserting that the phrase “have faith in God” is consistently mistranslated by movement leaders to support the “God-kind of faith” doctrine. He emphasizes that true faith is not a power one exerts to coerce God, but a humble reliance on the Father, even when the answer is “no”—a reality exemplified by Jesus’ own prayer in Gethsemane, where He asked for the cup to be removed, but ultimately submitted to the Father’s will.

A Call for Scrutiny

Samson’s message to those currently within the Word of Faith movement is not one of condemnation, but of invitation. He encourages followers to take the concepts they hold dear—the teachings they have heard from “brother big shot” or “sister satellite”—and subject them to a serious, contextual study of the Scriptures.

“If you’ve got the real thing, you shouldn’t be against it being scrutinized,” Samson urges. He likens the process to taking a piece of jewelry to a jeweler to verify its authenticity; if it is truly “real gold,” the believer has nothing to fear from the examination. By trading the illusion of control for the reality of God’s sovereignty, Samson believes believers can find a faith that sustains them not only in times of “good” but through the “hard” as well. His story serves as a reminder that genuine faith is found not in our ability to command our circumstances, but in our willingness to trust a God who rules over all.