An embattled megachurch is behind the construction of a custom-built home next to its prominent dome-shaped campus near downtown Phoenix.
Already visible to drivers along Interstate 10, La Luz Del Mundo's three-story abode near Laurel and Grand avenues will have six bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms and a two-car garage, according to property records with the city.
The project will sit on 9,692 square feet of land and is estimated to cost more than $1.13 million, the records showed. Construction got underway after late January, when the church secured its building permit.
In an email, La Luz Del Mundo — which is Spanish for “The Light Of The World” — stated that its new residential property will be a “clergy home.” It’ll also accommodate “meeting spaces
for the continued development of our religious and charitable activities as a growing Christian church.”
Church officials did not provide any more details.
The home’s development comes as La Luz Del Mundo’s leader and current apostle, Naasón Joaquín García, faces new federal charges of racketeering, child pornography and sex trafficking.
He’s already serving a 16-year, 8-month prison sentence for sexual abuse charges in California after reaching a plea deal in 2022.
In August 2025, Garcia, his mother, and four other associates were indicted on a wide range of federal charges, the U.S. Justice Department announced.
Prosecutors have alleged that for decades, García’s family, including his late father, Samuel Joaquín Flores, and late grandfather, Aarón Joaquin Gonzalez — the church’s founder — sexually abused women and children by manipulating their religious beliefs.
Garcia pleaded not guilty in New York's Southern District Court last September and filed a motion this month to dismiss all charges against him.
An oral argument hearing in the case is scheduled for Sept. 27, while a jury trial is set for next March.
La Luz Del Mundo was established by González in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1926. It now has thousands of temples in nearly 60 countries.
There are eight in Arizona, according to the church. It opened its large, recognizable dome-shaped structure near downtown in early 2020 after more than a decade of construction.
Shawn Raymundo covers Phoenix and Scottsdale. Reach him at sraymundo@gannett.com or follow him on X @ShawnzyTsunami.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Megachurch building 6-bedroom home near downtown Phoenix
