Mac Hammond's prosperity gospel church going broke

Mac and Lynne Hammond find their church in the hole

Hennepin County records show that property owned by the Brooklyn Park mega-church is now owned by the money changers. TCF Bank bought the property in a sheriff's foreclosure sale for $5.1 million.

The foreclosure sale is ironic. Hammond's mega-church empire made him rich, and he preached a version of scripture that insisted it was evil to be poor.

The church's podium was also the stage from which Michele Bachmann declared she was hot for Jesus, and where Hammond endorsed her.

Even though Living Word has raked in millions in donations, it's been struggling financially of late. In 2008 it failed repeatedly to meet its own monthly budget. The way the church raises and spends money has been the subject of a long-running battle with the IRS and congressional investigations. Hammond has been forced to flog of the church's controversial private plane. And the church recently sued in an effort to avoid repaying $2.2 million in donations from a Ponzi schemer.

You know times are tough when a man of God can't let go of a crook's ill-gotten gains.

We heard Hammond say a few years ago that the only way to get out from under financial pressure is to open your pockets and tithe until the day you die. We'll be interested to see if he follows his own advice.