On September 27, 2004, this was the state of our new purchase—portions of the former Heritage USA and PTL Ministries. The smell was atrocious. Animals and homeless people had lived in and even defecated in the buildings. Part of one building displayed police tape where drug dealers were found to have set up shop. Heritage was dead.
Yet, the true prophetic voice has always been about restoration and redemption. It is the true testimony of Jesus Christ, and His purpose in coming to earth—to redeem all of mankind and all of creation back to God. And that is where the Heritage story speaks hope to all of us— what appears dead may just come back to life, and dry bones may just become an exceedingly great army.
Ministries of former Heritage USA
501-Room Grand Hotel
Main Street Shoppes
Heritage Village Church
400-unit Campground
Outdoor Amphitheater
Conference Facilities
Prayer & Counseling Services
TV Production Studios
Bible and Evangelism School
Visitor Retreat Housing
Staff and Volunteer Housing
Water Park & Recreational Facilities
In the mid 1980s, Heritage USA and PTL Ministries was in its prime and was one of the most well-known, visited, and celebrated locations in the world. In fact, as far as U.S. destinations go, it was second only to Disney in annual visitors. Through its local 2400-acre site and television network, Jim and Tammy Bakker's ministry was poised to reach one billion people worldwide. The Charlotte-area campus was filled with various ministry projects designed to equip believers for total Christian living.
Just a few years later, in 1989, Jim Bakker was jailed for conspiracy of fraud, and the ministry began to unravel. Over the next fifteen years, various ministry organizations, a hotel chain and a foreign investment group owned the property and took a shot at successfully running the complex, including the 501-room hotel, Main Street, and the Conference Center. None could make it work for a profit, and in 1997, the hotel, Main Street, and Conference Center were closed down.
Over the next seven years, Heritage completely died. Around the world the property became a symbol of the failures of the modern church. Parts of the acreage were developed into residential communities, and a production company used the amphitheater for Christian productions, but the hotel, Main Street, and Conference Center sat desolate.
But, shortly after Jim's prison sentence in the late '80s, many Christian leaders began to prophesy that the property would not only "die," but it would also be resurrected and used for ministry purposes once again, just as Ezekiel prophesied life to the dry bones. Many hundreds of Christians, including former PTL members, were praying for all those years for the very same thing.
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