Fred Coulter’s “Full Accountability”: Trust Us, the Brethren Have No Need to Verify

For decades Fred Coulter has positioned the Christian Biblical Church of God as one of the rare Church of God groups that actually practices financial transparency. Every year the membership receives an income-and-expense report. Fred has repeatedly insisted that those who receive support from the brethren “are accountable to both God and to the brethren as to how these tithes and offerings are used.” He has quoted 1 Timothy 3 about overseers not being greedy for gain. He has mocked Worldwide for treating members as walking ATMs. He has told the brethren to “prove all things” and has even invoked Ronald Reagan’s “trust but verify.”

Then a member named John Van Atta actually tried to verify.

What followed was a six-month masterclass in stonewalling, feigned ignorance, belittling questions as “stupid,” and finally an unsolicited refund of the man’s contributions so the inconvenient conversation could be declared over.

Opening Salvo – March 2026

Van Atta’s March 20 letter was polite, detailed, and entirely reasonable. He noted that the published financials listed only one bank with two accounts, yet members knew other accounts existed. He asked why donations made payable to CBCG were being endorsed by other entities. He asked about the tangled corporate history of Christian Biblical Church of God versus Christian Scriptural Church of God (the only entity that actually holds the IRS determination letter for tax-deductible contributions). He asked why there is never a balance sheet. He asked who currently holds signatory authority on the accounts holding God’s money.

Fred’s March 25 response was the classic COG non-answer: everything funnels into the main account, the accountant (an enrolled agent, not a CPA) consolidates it, there are “no assets except three used copiers and no liabilities,” therefore no balance sheet is possible or necessary, and York Publishing is somehow both separate and not separate. Problem solved. Move along.

Van Atta did not move along. His April 13 reply laid out the corporate history in uncomfortable detail, noted the recent tax lien, questioned the revolving door of DBA registrations, and pointed out that brethren were never informed that donations to the name they actually write on their checks (CBCG) are not the ones the IRS recognizes. Fred’s next reply essentially said “I’ve already answered everything” and closed the matter.

The “Stupid” Questions and the Cashier’s Check

By late April Van Atta was still asking for specific, documented answers rather than high-level generalities. Fred’s May 1 letter is a classic of the genre:

“Your stupid request could only be answered if you sat in my lap while I was writing and issuing checks, which will never happen… We are not a gang of thieves and robbers, as you insinuate… Enclosed is cashier’s check #2242505553. This is a return of any contributions that you sent… The return of these donations demonstrates that this is the end of the matter.”

Nothing says “we welcome accountability” quite like refunding a member’s tithes and offerings so he will stop asking questions.

Matthew 18 – Because Scripture Only Applies When Convenient

In August, Van Atta (now joined by Nathan Mitchell as a second witness) formally invoked Matthew 18. The letter quoted Fred’s own past statements about accountability back to him and suggested a livestream explanation of the complete financial operations, live questions, and posting of documents by August 29.

Fred’s reply the next day was two sentences long:

“We do everything according to God and publish it in our reports, as we have done for 30 years, completely within all Scriptural requirements. I don’t understand the purpose of your email.”

Van Atta’s final note was blunt: you have refused to hear the complaint one-on-one or with a witness. The church will now hear it. If you continue to ignore it, Matthew 18:17 applies.
What the Numbers Actually Show

A side-by-side comparison of the published reports from 2021–2025 raises the very questions Fred refuses to answer:

Hundreds of thousands in “Writing & Editing” and “Current Book” expenses – who is being paid?

“Housing Allowance – For Elders” jumping to $71,000 in 2025 – which elders?

Auto maintenance, fuel, and insurance every year while the official position is that the church owns essentially no assets.

Office rent nearly doubling in one year.

“Africa Work” money appearing and disappearing after reported disagreements with Kenyan contacts.

Large “Assistance” line items with no breakdown of who received help.

Significant “Ministerial Expense,” “Travel Meeting Expense,” and “Payroll Expense” with zero transparency about recipients.

These are not “stupid” questions. They are the exact questions any competent steward would expect when handling other people’s money claimed to belong to God.
The Pattern Never Changes

Fred Coulter spent years correctly criticizing Worldwide for secrecy, uncontrolled spending, and treating the brethren as a cash machine. He built a reputation on being different. Yet when a member took his own rhetoric seriously and asked for verification, the response was evasion, insults, a refund check, and a claim not to understand why anyone would even ask.

The reports are published. That is true. What is not published is anything approaching the level of transparency Fred once demanded of others. Multiple legal entities, revolving DBAs, bank accounts that appear and disappear from the reports, no balance sheet, no independent CPA audit, and a leadership that treats detailed questions as personal attacks.

Van Atta followed the process Fred himself claims to follow. He was dismissed. That, more than any spreadsheet line item, is the real financial report of the Christian Biblical Church of God in 2026.

The brethren who continue to send their money under the name CBCG while the tax-deductible entity is actually CSCG, who never see a balance sheet, and who are told that asking for verification is “stupid,” might want to remember Fred’s own favorite phrase:

Trust, but verify.

Some of us are still waiting for the second half.

John Van Atta writes: 

I am a past member of WCG that left in the mid-nineties which was not soon enough. For the last ~30 years, my wife and I had nothing to do with any of the splinter groups. Back a few years ago I began to listen to Coulter a little. I knew better as we had some contact with him in the 90's. He hasn't changed a bit - he's even worse now. 

After a career investigating and prosecuting financial crimes for the federal government, I began to find some questionable financial facts about Fred's operation. Obviously, not having access to the investigative tools that I previously had before retirement, I cannot state whether Fred is involved in any illegal activities. However, from my experience I can say there is smoke and where there is smoke there may be a fire. 

With that stated, I have attempted to correspond with Fred regarding his financial activities. I have at least five different letter/emails to him with his responses. There is a nice stack of letters dating back to May, 2026 to the present time. Much to my surprise, the real name of his organization is the Christian Scriptural Church of God even though everyone believes it is Christian Biblical Church of God (CBCG) and they give money to CBCG (or think they do).  

Would you be interested in posting some or all of the letters and Fred's responses on your website? I believe strongly that anyone who is considering funding his business should read these before they do so. Then, at least, they could make an informed decision about throwing their money away.  

John Van Atta

Double-click to enlarge

 

Fred's response:

Fred's letter to members regarding church financials: