A tale of two Fort Worth churches: The Copelands feared measles. Mercy Culture laughs | Opinion
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When the devil of measles struck 25 members of Kenneth Copeland’s church, the Copelands brought vaccines to the sanctuary.
Now, a lead pastor of Mercy Culture church in Fort Worth is making measles a huge joke.
Pastor Landon Schott showed off a “#1” T-shirt and made a video to celebrate that his church’s school is by far the worst-vaccinated in Texas.
The differences are 12 years on the calendar and 35 years’ experience between pastors ages 76 at the time and 41 — and one devil of a pandemic that left some survivors filled with doubt instead of faith.
It was no vague “what-if” warning in 2013 when measles attacked Eagle Mountain International Church. The $18 million campus in northwest Tarrant County is home to the Copeland family’s 60-year charismatic Pentecostal ministry, one of the richest and most successful in the history of the world.
At a time when measles had been nearly eradicated, the church suddenly made headlines for a measles case, then five, then 12, then 15 and 25.
At the time, Copeland was mocked.
He had preached in a 2010 “Believers’ Voice of Victory” show that he had started looking into all the vaccines for a great-grandchild, and he declared that “some of this is criminal.” A guest identified as a doctor described children’s negative reactions to shots.
But with measles spreading rapidly in the church, his daughter, pastor Terri Copeland Pearsons, described it as the devil attacking the congregation.
Christians should wage “spiritual warfare” against measles, she said, and have faith in health precautions.
When Pearsons announced a vaccination clinic in the back hall of the church that Sunday, she said: “Do it in faith.”
“We take it seriously. We don’t blow it off,” she said.
The devil would love to see church members get sick, she said, “so, we don’t take these things flippantly.”
Turn the clock forward to 2025 at Mercy Culture, a $9 million church in north Fort Worth.
Mercy Culture was planted by Gateway Church in Southlake, originally founded by pastors who had broken away from the Southern Baptist denomination over charismatic worship styles including faith healing.
According to state reports, the church’s schoolchildren are 14% vaccinated.
Posting on Instagram, Schott wrote:
“On @mercyculturepreparatory is the number one school in Texas for the LEAST amount of ‘vaccinations!’ We value our HEALTH & FREEDOM!”
In the video, he held up balloons and T-shirt with a giant outline of Texas.
“#1 school in Texas,” it reads.
“(For least amount of vaccinations).”
Schott congratulated parents who “embrace freedom of health, and they’re not allowing government or science projects to affect how you live and lead your life.”
Then, he switched to complaining about the COVID vaccine.
But that’s a very different messenger RNA shot. It’s not at all like the 60-year-old measles vaccine.
“Freedom is something we take seriously, religious freedom and freedom of our health,” he said.
Something else has changed since the outbreak at Copeland’s church:
President Donald Trump.
In 2014, Trump wrote on social media that he believes in proper vaccinations but not “one-time massive shots.”
His secretary of health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has tempered his past criticism of the measles vaccine.
He calls for parents to consult with doctors and make personal decisions. But now, he also adds that vaccines should be “readily accessible.”
That is exactly where Eagle Mountain International Church stood 12 years ago.
In the name of faith, the Copelands’ church has strongly defended Christians’ personal freedom and liberty, particularly against COVID vaccine mandates.
But the church also made it very easy to choose to get measles shots.
May Schott show his church the same Mercy.
This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 11:33 AM.
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