After his long days leading the U.S. House of Representatives, Speaker Mike Johnson retires to a nearby D.C. townhouse owned by a small activist Christian ministry that works to shape legislation on LGBTQ rights, Israel, the downsizing of the federal government and other hot-button issues.
“The Capitol Hill townhouse is owned by a major Republican donor” and is “the headquarters of a little-known political influence project that has reached a number of powerful Republican politicians,” reported ProPublica Feb. 28.
The townhouse is home to Ambassador Services International, a $1 million organization that says its goals are “educating, encouraging and discipling government leaders, challenging them to live God’s word, will and ways.”
Steve Berger
Ambassador is led by Steve Berger, who has worked with conservative groups including Turning Point USA, Promise Keepers and Michelle Bachmann’s Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast. Berger was the founding pastor of Nashville’s Grace Chapel, where he served for a quarter century before his abrupt departure.
Berger left Grace Chapel in January 2021 after it was revealed he participated in the “Stop the Steal” rally that led to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Berger’s presence at the rally, and his growing fervor for Christian dominionism, caused controversy at the church, which was attended by Tennessee’s Republican governor, and led to charges that he was an extremist, according to RNS.
Since then, Berger and his wife, Sarah, have focused their energies on Ambassador, which offers midweek worship services in Tennessee, Facebook posts, a YouTube channel, and a blog with posts including, “Are the Woke Primed for a Great Awakening?”
Speaker Johnson apparently began staying at Bergers’ townhouse in January. Berger celebrated with a social media message to his supporters, writing, “I so wish I could tell you all the massive doors that broke open this week,” according to ProPublica.
The news outlet summarized Berger’s political views: “He is vehemently opposed to the World Health Organization, which Trump moved to withdraw the U.S. from last month, and recently predicted that COVID-19 vaccines will result in ‘young people dropping dead all over the place.’ He attacked the World Economic Forum at length in a recent sermon, accusing it of ‘taking advantage of COVID-19 ‘to implement their satanic plot.’”
Steve and Sarah Berger
Sarah Berger says she spends her time “in relationship with and pouring into the lives of congressional wives.”
“Steve and Sarah have cultivated meaningful relationships with Israeli officials, actively extending their encouragement and unwavering support to the Israeli Defense Forces,” says Ambassador.
Steve Berger claims his work has paid off in legislation, but Johnson’s office says the speaker never has discussed any legislation with Berg and pays fair market value for his room at the townhouse. Johnson declined to answer questions about his relationship with Ambassador or Berger.
Lee Beaman
Ambassador’s townhouse is owned by Lee Beaman, who earned a fortune from his auto sales business in Tennessee and has funded Republican candidates — focusing on members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus — and the Heritage Foundation, which created the Project 2025 blueprint for the Trump administration.
Beaman serves on the Belmont University board of trustees, but took a four-year absence from the board after divorce proceedings against his fourth wife publicly revealed shocking accusations of abuse.
Freedom Caucus members saluted Berger on his 60th birthday, including Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee, who has proposed amending the U.S. Constitution to “Give President Trump a Third term!”
One of the former residents of Ambassador’s D.C. townhouse is Dan Bishop, who represented North Carolina in the U.S. House from 2019 to 2025 and sponsored a controversial “bathroom bill” regarding transgender bathroom access that led some companies to cancel their investments in the state. Trump has nominated Bishop to serve as deputy director of the federal Office of Management and Budget.