After I went on radio, my pastor, Robert Tilton, came to me and said: "Joan ... you need to contact Michael Ellison Advertising Agency. They can do you a lot of good."
(He said Ellison represented: Kenneth Copeland, Jimmy Swaggart, Marilyn Hickey, himself, and many other ministers at that time, 1980)
I had no idea that ministries had advertising agencies!
It turned out that most big time ministries have an agent who sets up radio-television contracts, program times, special appearances, books, and other presentations.
I called them and they explained what they do for the minister. They assigned me to one of their agents and scheduled a time for him to come meet with me in Dallas.
It turned out they did a little more than arrange for me to be on radio stations.
They have enormous influence in getting you scheduled in the prime broadcast times and in getting guest TV appearances for you to speak on other shows.
Immediately they booked me for one week of television in Detroit. (although TV was not my main interest in ministry, radio was, for radio was where God showed me to make my focus.)
The agency received 10% of the money I paid the station for broadcast time.
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Problems came instantly!
The agency said they wanted me to put in writing on all mailings and envelopes; "Send me your prayer requests" ...
I said, "I don't want to do that!" (They were shocked!)
"YOU Don't?", they said.
"NO"... They should pray! They go to God through Jesus, not though Joan Boney.
Then the agent said, "Well ... you're missing a good bet ... for when they put prayer requests into the envelope, they will usually enclose money."
IMMEDIATELY, I recognized this was one of their fund raising gimmicks!
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I never did this.
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A second problem finished me with the agency.
They said: "Joan ... we can fill Soldiers & Sailors auditorium for you in Pittsburgh."
"All you have to do is don't say anything on your broadcasts to offend anyone."
I was really shocked at this. And I said, "I'm a prophet. Prophets always say things that offend people. For prophets carry messages concerning sins the church is committing."
Another thing: The agency said they didn't want me to write anything and send it out unless I first sent the materials to them to edit!
(I told them I couldn't do this.)
A few days later I got a phone call. My agent said, "Sadly they were having to cut back on the number of their clients and I was one they decided to let go."
I knew I was headed for "big-time" ... and I had blown it.
God reminded me of a scripture:
Matthew 4:8-11 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
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Ezekiel 3 (God speaking to the prophet Ezekiel.)
4 And HE (God) said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with MY words unto them.
5 For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel; (the church)
6 Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.
7 But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto ME: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.
8 Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.
9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
10 Moreover HE said unto me, Son of man, all MY words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.
11 And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
5 For thou art not sent to a people of a strange speech and of an hard language, but to the house of Israel; (the church)
6 Not to many people of a strange speech and of an hard language, whose words thou canst not understand. Surely, had I sent thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee.
7 But the house of Israel will not hearken unto thee; for they will not hearken unto ME: for all the house of Israel are impudent and hardhearted.
8 Behold, I have made thy face strong against their faces, and thy forehead strong against their foreheads.
9 As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead: fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.
10 Moreover HE said unto me, Son of man, all MY words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with thine ears.
11 And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
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Ezekiel 5
5 Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem (the church): I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her.
6 And she hath changed MY judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and MY statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused MY judgments and MY statutes, they have not walked in them.
7 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in MY statutes, neither have kept MY judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you;
8 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations.
9 And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations.
6 And she hath changed MY judgments into wickedness more than the nations, and MY statutes more than the countries that are round about her: for they have refused MY judgments and MY statutes, they have not walked in them.
7 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye multiplied more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in MY statutes, neither have kept MY judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the nations that are round about you;
8 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, am against thee, and will execute judgments in the midst of thee in the sight of the nations.
9 And I will do in thee that which I have not done, and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all thine abominations.
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According to the Ellison agent, Jimmy Swaggart came to them because he wanted to get more people to attend his meetings. He was tired of such small numbers of people attending.
So they evaluated his ministry and found him to be a country western singer so they told him to preach less and sing more and when he did this entertainment, the numbers changed dramatically from about 400 to 2000.
Marilyn Hickey asked me several times to "pray" that Michael Ellison would approve her going on TV. She wanted very much to have a TV show. (Notice she never asked me to pray that God would let her go on TV, but the ad agent.)
Marilyn told me she had figured out how she could ship her Bibles and books to her meeting on the airline without cost. In those days we had curb side check in and not all the security we have today. She said, "You get a roll of $1 bills and be sure the baggage check-in man sees that money. Give him the bags and boxes of books, and then give him the roll of money as a "tip". He will send the bags and boxes of books through without charge. And she said she had taught her 12 year old daughter how to do this and she could do this also."
I didn't recognize what she was doing as sin until much later when God opened my eyes. It was stealing from the airlines.
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