Fount NYC’s Credit-Card Controversy Spills Into Public View

Internal review sparks questions about $1.4M in credit card purchases

Nearly $1.4 million in charges—many of them questioned, undocumented, or difficult to trace— has put New York megachurch Fount NYC under scrutiny after a leaked preliminary review raised concerns about how its founding pastors have been using the church credit card. Prepared by the accounting firm CapinCrouse, the review examined nine years of spending tied to Pastors Josh and Georgie Kelsey, the Australian couple who founded Fount NYC (formerly C3 Brooklyn/C3 NYC).

Fount NYC Pastors Josh and Georgie Kelsey / Video screenshot

The questions surrounding that spending began surfacing internally months earlier. Fount NYC voluntarily separated from the C3 Church Global network in August 2025, a few weeks before the financial review began. In a Jan. 5 letter shared with The Roys Report, former board member David Chan wrote that he received a whistleblower report in September 2025 from the church’s then–finance manager raising “serious concerns” about the lead pastors’ personal use of the church’s credit card over many years.

Questions about documentation and internal controls also appear in a Nov. 5 letter from former finance director Isabella Aguilar, who described repeated attempts to tighten expense reporting and enforce policies she said were difficult to execute without timely receipts and clear descriptions.

The review, which began circulating last month, reported that the pastors charged $1,399,467.02 on the church’s AMEX card from 2017 to October 2025 (when leaders submitted the information). Leaders submitted roughly 186 receipts and 20 expense reports. However, the review found that many items still lacked a clear ministry purpose and detailed independent approval, and even when receipts were attached, the supporting information remained insufficient and “scant.”

Over that period, auditors flagged more than $900,000 as personal and said $222,916.79 could not be classified because supporting documentation was missing. The review noted that expenses charged to an individual’s corporate card are typically treated as personal unless and until they are backed by a documented business/ministry purpose and independent approval, typically by an unrelated board member.

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The memo said some of the unclassifiable totals included $33,832.97 routed through Venmo, $16,665.47 through PayPal, and a $25,617.50 payment listed as “The Pixie and the Scout,” a description that observers later speculated may refer to a Brooklyn-based catering business.

It also noted a $500 PayPal payment directly to Josh Kelsey, which it said should have been recorded as taxable compensation, and a $1,364.73 charge through Tithely, which it warned should not appear on a corporate card if it reflected a personal tithe.

The scrutiny did not stop with the untraceable bucket. The review also cited line items that drew particular attention—nearly $30,000 in flights, at least $3,500 in alcohol, about $2,300 for haircuts, and more than $9,000 on surfing—along with broader categories such as entertainment and health-related items and services that auditors said lacked a clear, documented ministry purpose.

Of the $1.4 million in transactions, the memo said $483,861.40 could potentially be legitimate business expenses if sufficient documentation existed.

Josh Kelsey has denied wrongdoing. In a recorded video call with congregants on Jan. 6, he said the review lacked “context” and that he had not had an opportunity to explain purchases before the findings spread beyond internal channels. In the meeting, Kelsey offered explanations for some expenses, including saying that a sabbatical coach recommended surfing as part of his mental-health recovery after COVID.

Aguilar’s Nov. 5 letter also described a longer-running struggle over expense controls. She wrote that a prior CapinCrouse audit had stalled years earlier due to missing receipts and expense descriptions. She said the finance team later tried to tighten reporting by implementing clearer policies, creating tracking spreadsheets, and conducting repeated follow-ups. When the finance team still received no submissions following specific requests, they sometimes pulled documentation directly from AmEx, the letter said.

The dispute has also become a governance fight. In his Jan. 5 letter, Chan alleged that after questions arose about spending, Josh Kelsey and the church’s attorney, Barry Black, moved to dissolve the board that confronted leadership and replace it with Kelsey’s supporters. Black disputed that account, saying Chan and the other former board members were improperly elected, according to The Roys Report.

By Jan. 10, the allegations expanded beyond church emails: a Reddit thread circulated links and excerpts, and commenters debated accountability, leadership culture, and donor expectations. In those discussions, some attendees claimed the congregation and lawyers voted and agreed on Dec. 1 to pursue a full audit through CapinCrouse—an effort that, according to Chan, later stalled after Black refused to cooperate and hired another firm, KPM Auditors and Accountants.

Inside the church, leaders have sought to project a sense of continuity. New Board President Frank Wheatley told members in a Jan. 13 email that the board would prioritize oversight and “frequent, transparent communication,” while outlining a structure in which the Kelseys (now living in Australia, citing family medical issues) would retain a global role, with Josh in New York two weeks per month.

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