Fount Church NYC pastors under fire over remote leadership, allegations of excessive spending

Founding pastors of Fount Church in New York City, Josh Kelsey and his wife, Georgie, are coming under fire from current and former members after it was alleged that they sold their home in New Jersey and moved back to Australia in October without telling the church.

The couple is also accused of racking up some $1.4 million in spending on a church credit card with insufficient documentation.

The allegations were made public in a Google document circulated anonymously online.

The Christian Post reached out to Fount Church for comment on the allegations. The church initially responded in a text message stating that the Kelseys have been working from Australia with the approval of church leadership. The church also said that the collective $1.4 million in AMEX charges from October 2017-2025 were all “approved by the accounts team.”

The church followed up with a Jan. 13 statement from Fount Church’s recently elected Board President Frank Wheatley, who stated: “It’s unfortunate that some claims circulating publicly are inaccurate or taken out of context, but we remain committed to transparency and moving the church forward together.”

Wheatley stated that Fount Church’s board supported the Kelseys move back to Australia so they could be near two family members battling cancer.

“The Board is in full support of Fount’s vision to be a global church. As many of you know, two members of the Kelsey family have been bravely fighting cancer. To spend more time with them, Pastors Josh and Georgie consulted with the church spiritual advisors last fall about a trial relocation back to Australia to allow for precious family time. Josh’s sabbatical proved Fount has always been blessed with an exceptional staff that is prepared for opportunities to grow,” he said.

“We believe that the Kelseys will lead strongly in an apostolic global role for all church locations, with Josh present in NYC two weeks per month, and strong local location leadership in place and fully accessible. Part of our upcoming responsibility will be to formalize this structure and ensure that all pastoral needs continue to be met for every location.”

According to the church’s website, Josh and Georgie Kelsey founded Fount Church as C3 Brooklyn in 2013 after moving from Sydney, Australia. The church, which grew out of small dinner parties, now has locations in three major global cities — New York City, Paris and Berlin — functioning as "1 church, 3 cities."

A CapinCrouse financial review of the $1.4 million in credit card expenses submitted to church officials last November found that $483,861.40 “could be considered legitimate business expenses if there were sufficient documentation and approval by an unrelated board member.”

“All expenses put on an individual’s corporate card are considered to be personal expenses until they present sufficient documentation of the ministry purpose of the expense and an unrelated board member has approved the expense,” the CapinCrouse report states.

“We reviewed approximately 186 receipts and 20 expense reports with some receipts attached, which lacked sufficient documentation of ministry purpose and approval. It has been indicated through email communication that the pastors consistently have not provided receipts or other documentation related to their expenses, even after repeated requests.”

In an initial text message to CP, the church stated that: “All expenses were categorized, reviewed, and approved by the accounts team and always visible in the QuickBooks system.”

More than $900,000 of the expense could not be verified in the CapinCrouse financial review. The review highlighted various expenses, including more than $9,000 for surfing, over $6,500 for golf, and more than $118,000 for food, including over $7,700 on groceries.

Some $65,000 was charged to the credit card over the period, including $49,000 for therapy, $6,000 for supplements, $2,000 for haircuts and $1,665 for spa treatments.

Concerns about the expenses were first raised by the church’s former internal finance manager, Isabella Aguilar, who wrote a letter to the then board of trustees in September 2025, according to the document shared anonymously online.

“The financial issues were brought to Ps. Josh & Georgie by the board on October 1, but subsequently, Ps. Josh & Georgie, along with their lawyer Barry Black, disbanded the entire board except themselves. Isabella is no longer with Fount,” according to the file containing the allegations. Among the board members removed were Chris Bennett and David Chan, who have been fierce critics of church leadership.

In addition to concerns over financial stewardship, the document raises several other issues, including questioning the manner in which the church board was disbanded and reconstituted and whether that process is consistent with New York state Law.

“There is no NY court precedent that a church may validly conduct an election under the control of the pulpit without bylaws. NY RCL Article 10 contains no provision authorizing clergy or the pulpit to run elections in the absence of trustees or bylaws,” the document states. “Voting in proper bylaws, which dictate how a fair election is to be run and who is qualified to be nominated, is not controversial. These elections are reinforced as not legal as Ps. Kevin Myers has confirmed in writing there are no valid bylaws.”

Josh Kelsey is accused of controlling the accountability process at the church, which critics describe as a “conflict of interest.”

“The very person who would need to be held accountable by the board as to the extent of any financial misappropriation is the one selecting the board nominees and running the process, without congregation-approved bylaws nor congregation input for a fairly organized election. Member requests for transparent financial documents have continued to go unanswered,” the document alleges.

Before moving back to Australia, Josh Kelsey sold his six-bedroom home in New Jersey on Oct. 10, 2025, for nearly $2.5 million. The document also states that before moving to New Jersey, the pastor and his family reportedly lived at a waterfront property in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in a luxury condominium called The Edge, where he had more than 2,000 square feet of space.

Since 2018, he reportedly owned another three-bedroom, $850,000 home in Hampton Bays, which has been rented since 2021, generating total revenue of $4,250 per month.

In his letter to the church, Wheatley said the new board is working to improve governance, financial accountability and transparency.

“In our first board meeting Monday night, we agreed to review the current draft of bylaws this week, to seek consultant and member feedback, and to prepare for presentation to the church bylaws with clear governance aligned with our mission and values as a church. We will send these for your review before a church vote to adopt bylaws in February,” Wheatley said.

He noted that the church would conduct an audit to ensure proper stewardship of the church’s finances.

“Next week the Board will deep dive into reviewing the church’s finances, including budgeting and financial reporting. We are moving forward with an audit and specific expense reviews,” Wheatley said. “We are committed to ensuring that church resources are stewarded wisely and transparently and will present to the church our findings and recommendations.”