Why Were Americans at Word of Faith Paid While Brazilians Doing the Same Work Were Not?

True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews · May 21, 2026 · 15m

When Andre Oliveira left his Word of Faith Fellowship congregation in Brazil for the mother church in North Carolina, he expected a spiritual experience. According to his account to the Associated Press, what he found instead was forced labor. His passport was confiscated. He was allegedly made to work fifteen hours a day, usually without pay, cleaning warehouses and working at businesses owned by church ministers. Oliveira was one of sixteen Brazilian former members who told the AP they were exploited. The church maintained two affiliated congregations in Brazil that reportedly served as a…