A controversial American preacher who has faced allegations he sexually abused young men during a previous trip to New Zealand urged Destiny Church followers to "repent, repent, repent" at their annual conference.

American evangelist Eddie Long was the guest of honour at Destiny's annual get together at the "City of God" in Manukau, south Auckland, which attracted about 1000 followers who paid $120 for a weekend pass.

American preacher Eddie Long, centre, preaches to Destiny Church attendees as Bishop Brian Tamaki, left, and wife Hannah cheer him on. Photo: SIMON MAUDE / FAIRFAX NZ

"To ease the burden in the head . . . repent, repent, repent, repent . . ," Long says on Saturday morning.

Standing just metres away in the church's hangar sized 'Sanctuary', ankle deep in tithed banknotes, stood self-appointed Destiny Church 'Bishop' Brian Tamaki who had invited Long as a special guest to the church's weekend Australasian 'Invasion' conference.

Both men refused to answer questions over Long's suitability to preach given past sexual abuse allegations.

In 2010, several young men of Long's New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in US state Georgia, sued staunchly anti-gay Long for alleged grooming and sexual abuse, some of which allegedly happened in New Zealand.

By 2011 four lawsuits resulting from those allegations, according to US media, were all subsequently dismissed, unable to proceed in court.

The four former members of a youth group Long ran had accused him of repeatedly coercing them into homosexual sex acts, and of abusing his moral authority over them while plying them with cash, new cars, lodging and lavish trips overseas trips including, for one of the four, a trip to New Zealand.

Maurice Robinson's lawsuit alleged Long lavished attention on him. Robinson was rewarded with a Chevy Malibu before him and Long travelled to New Zealand in 2008 – during that trip where Robinson turned 18, they began a sexual relationship.

Manager of Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Ken Clearwater says the unresolved historic allegations against Long are concerning and Bishop Brian Tamaki is turning a blind eye.

In 2010, Tamaki, who considers Long his 'spiritual father', says he is shocked by the allegations but has reserved judgment on Long.

On Saturday Tamaki's spokespeople refused media access to the 'Invasion' event which borrows its theme from Long's approach to mentoring young men.

In an effort to get a response from Tamaki and Long Stuff attended the Manukau, South Auckland event, but was once again refused an interview with the men.

"Let's face it, all churches are good at covering this stuff up, so I suppose they don't see it as anything wrong," Clearwater, a sexual abuse survivor himself, says.

It was easier in America for people in positions of power to bargain their way out of such cases, he says.

Clearwater says because Long has never been convicted it is difficult to stop him appearing in public.

"You can only go on hearsay."

Brian Tamaki had "definitely turned a blind eye. It's no different to how the Catholic church has turned a blind eye to child abuse...they don't want to know that stuff. If this guy is a mentor of his he's definitely not going to say anything bad against him."

He says when celebrities accused of sex abuse continued to appear in public it was "massively" tough for the victims. "It re-traumatises them. They get angry and think, 'what's the point of coming forward?'"

Meanwhile, Destiny continue to seek new revenue streams, releasing mobile phone covers for sale at the conference this week.

The his and hers models feature quotes from Hannah and Brian Tamaki.

"I don't just blend into the crowd," says Hannah's, while Brian's says: "I'm not born to live and do nothing."

- Sunday Star Times