The rapid growth of SwaggartвЂ™s ministry-just six years ago, revenues were only $60 million-has gone largely unnoticed because Swaggart, until his confessed indiscretion, has avoided national controversy and because his organization has maintained such financial secrecy.ДЄlthough nonprofit charitable organizations are exempt from taxation, most of them file with the Internal Revenue Service an annual information return that is open to public inspection. Other large shares were used to build schools and to run food programs for children overseas and to meet administrative expenses that include a payroll of 1,200 employees and teachers. Almost half, they say, paid television production costs, including the purchase of equipment, and bought air time for the broadcasts seen around the world. Officials of SwaggartвЂ™s ministry insist they can account for the spending of every penny of the $150 million. The rest represented proceeds from the sales of gospel records and tapes, Bibles, books and T-shirts by the largest mail-order business in Louisiana and one of the biggest in the country. Of SwaggartвЂ™s $150 million in 1987 revenues, fully $135 million came from voluntary contributions generated both by his television ministry-which appears on 200 stations in the United States and is beamed to 145 countries in English and 15 foreign languages-and by fund-raising letters that are mailed at a rate of 7 million pieces a day. The organization said it would hold a telethon in an effort to revive donations. Officials said Friday that because of a sudden drop-off in contributions, more than 100 employees had been laid off and construction of new ministry buildings had been halted. But ministry officials have enough taped broadcasts to keep his weekly show on the air for months to come-if local stations still want it. SwaggartвЂ™s temporary suspension from preaching as of last month, a result of his self-confessed вЂњmoral lapseвЂќ with a prostitute, may have a devastating effect on his ministryвЂ™s income. When asked about such a life style, Elizabeth Fuller of Chattanooga, Tenn., a board member of the ministry, told The Times: вЂњAfter years of hardship and traveling in poor circumstances, if the Lord chooses to bless him in his latter days, I donвЂ™t quarrel with that.вЂќ The Swaggarts have accepted gifts from loyal members of his video flock that include a diamond-studded gold Rolex watch, fine clothes and a mink coat. Swaggart and his wife, Frances, drive matching late-model Lincoln Town Cars and fly to appearances around the country in a private Gulfstream jet aircraft that once was owned by the Rockefeller family. The highly polished parquet living room floor is partly covered with an Oriental carpet, and off the master bedroom is a step-up Jacuzzi with faucets in the shape of golden swans. His two-story, high-columned вЂњparsonage,вЂќ as it is called by ministry officials, sits behind a tall fence to assure privacy and is situated on 20 landscaped acres, including a swimming pool.

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