Ernie Fletcher
Net Worth: Approximately $3 Million. Ernie Fletcher maintained a relatively y clean-cut image. Not just a preacher, Fletcher is remarkably also a medical doctor and a politician, having served in the United States House of Representatives and later as the 60th governor of the state of Kentucky.
Eventually, his work as a Baptist minister gave way to his political career. While Fletcher was embroiled in some controversies – one pertaining to his budget and unconstitutional spending, the other relating to a minor security scare triggered by his private aircraft (that’s right) – Fletcher has maintained a pretty clean profile in the community.
Clifton Davis
Net Worth: Approximately $3 Million Clifton. Davis is a man of many talents, as recognizable for his preaching and proselytizing as he is for his acting and singing. Davis is highly educated in theology, holding both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, earned from Oakwood University and Andrews University respectively. In his musical capacity, Davis has written songs for Broadway and for super famous groups like The Jackson 5. As an actor, he’s appeared in numerous films and television shows, including The Love Boat, Grace Under Fire, and The Jamie Foxx Show.
Blending his creative mind, performance skills and theological education together has also made Davis an unstoppable force in the world of televangelism. He regularly stops by as a guest host for the Trinity Broadcasting Network and was host of Gospel Superfest for a good eight years, his tenure running from 2000 to 2008.
Reinhard Bonnke
Net Worth: Approximately $4 Million. Here’s a millionaire pastor whose mission for God led him all the way to Africa. The German-born missionary obtained his education in Swansea before returning to his homeland to preach. He didn’t stay in Germany long though, as he felt inexplicably drawn to Africa. While his efforts were a bit of a failure early on, Bonnke claims he continued to receive visions and messages from God instructing him to persevere.
He founded the organization, Christ for all Nations (CfaN) and, in the wake of its successful spread, now claims to have preached to more residents of our planet than any other evangelical pastor in the world. Bonnke became embroiled in a humanitarian crisis in 1991 when rumors were spread that he intended to blaspheme against Muhammad during his visit to a predominantly Islamic region of Nigeria. Riots broke out during his visit, many Christians were injured and Bonnke wasn’t safely able to return to Nigeria until the 2000’s.
Leroy Jenkins
Net Worth: Approximately $4 Million. There’s no denying Jenkin’s evangelical roots. The South Carolina local took a dark path into the Lord’s teaching, starting with arson and conspiracy to assault, and then becoming a born-again Christian after his conviction in the late ’70s. It took a while before Jenkins actually mended his devious ways though. In the ’90s, along with more criminal activity, the man attempted to marry a 77 year old woman who had the charming features of being both senile and in possession of about $4 million in lottery winnings. Irresistible, right? Fortunately, a court ruled that the poor old lady was incapable of making a rational choice to marry and the union was annulled.
From such lowly beginnings, Jenkins built a faith healing ministry based around his special “miracle water.” Yep. Leroy Jenkins Ministries obtains this elixir of the Lord from a well on his compound (are you getting the Jonestown vibes yet) which he’s called “the Healing Waters Cathedral.”
Noel Jones
Net Worth: Approximately $5 Million. Far less controversial man of God: Noel Jones. At 19 years of age, when his contemporaries were focused on girls and underage drinking, Jones had enrolled himself in Aenon Bible College. He went on to graduate with a bachelor of science degree, majoring in theology.
Jones went on to become a minister for the Greater Bethany Community Church, located in Los Angeles. The charismatic preacher proved to be such a draw card that the congregation of the church ballooned to such a degree that a new location had to be obtained. His flock is now more than 17,000 people strong and Jones has even released a gospel album that topped the Billboard 200 Gospel Album chart in 2007.
John Hagee
Net Worth: Approximately $5 Million. Did you know there was such a thing as megachurches? While the title sounds pretty boss, it simply describes a church with a regularly attending congregation of 2,000 or more people. Your boy, John Hagee, presides over just such a megachurch in San Antonio, Texas.
Hagee completed his theological education in the ’70s and went on to lead San Antonio’s Trinity Church. He then created the Castle Hill Church, before moving on to his grand project: Cornerstone, which is the megachurch we spoke of just moments ago. Hagee is a Christian-Zionist whose sermons are television and broadcast over the radio.
Joseph Prince
Net Worth: Approximately $5 Million. Stepping outside of the states for a moment, allow us to introduce you to Joseph Prince, a pastor for Singapore’s New Creation Church. Like Hagee’s Cornerstone, New Creation is a megachurch. Prince also acts as the church’s executive chairman and he earns what many would call an obscene amount of money for his efforts. Hence his multi-millionaire status.
In the wake of receiving a $50,000 per month pay raise, Prince admitted to The Sunday Times that he was, indeed “well paid.”
Eddie Long
Net Worth: Approximately $5 Million. Coming from a background as a car salesman, Long started his ministry in a small church in Georgia. He worked his way up from there to the position he enjoys now as the senior pastor at yet another megachurch: the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.
Like most, Long’s controversies all center around sex and money. A long investigation took place looking into just how Long’s ministry made the millions of dollars it was bringing in and whether the distribution was fair. While no charges were ever laid, donations did drop after news of the inquiry spread. Long is also a proponent of programs purporting to “cure” homosexuality. He has also been the center of sexual allegation charges, though he denied these stringently and the lawsuits were settled out of court. Whatever the truth may be, Long’s secrets are now forever sealed as the charismatic preacher passed away in 2017. According to his church, Long was afflicted with an aggressive form of cancer.
Kay Arthur
Net Worth: Approximately $5 Million. Kay Arthur is both a multi-millionaire and an internationally acclaimed bible teacher. She has won multiple awards as an author and is the co-founder of Precept Ministries International. Before her success, Kay had a tumultuous life. Her first husband suffered from bipolar disorder and eventually committed suicide. However, as she was raised in a Christian family, Kay found that, no matter how far she strayed from the path she was taught as a child, she always felt the draw to return to it.
When Kay returned to what she feels is the calling of her life, she returned with gusto. She now regularly travels both nationally and internationally to teach from the bible. She also hosts a daily bible-teaching radio program called Precepts for Life.
John MacArthur
Net Worth: Approximately $5 Million. John MacArthur has been an evangelical preacher since the 1960’s. He is highly educated and has published more than 150 books so far, the most popular of which being, the MacArthur Study Bible. This bestseller has sold more than a million copies worldwide (and counting) and has also received prestigious awards from within the Christian literature community.
California-born, John MacArthur commenced his ministry at the Calvary Bible Church in the temperate climate of Southern California. Throughout his career, MacArthur has stuck to his home turf and now presides over the Grace Community Church in his hometown of Los Angeles.
Paula White
Net Worth: Approximately: $5 Million. This pastor looks as innocent as can be, yet she has created a remarkable amount of contention in her time. Over her years as non-denominational minister, she has drawn criticism for various statements that orthodox Christians feel go against the teachings of the bible. For example, she was quoted as saying that Jesus Christ was not the only son of God.
Paula White
Net Worth: Approximately: $5 Million. This pastor looks as innocent as can be, yet she has created a remarkable amount of contention in her time. Over her years as non-denominational minister, she has drawn criticism for various statements that orthodox Christians feel go against the teachings of the bible. For example, she was quoted as saying that Jesus Christ was not the only son of God.
In addition to this, White is a proponent of seed faith, a form of theology in which people are asked to send money to the ministry and have faith that this donation will act as a seed to create prosperity in their lives. The idea is that you will receive exponentially more back from God than what you donated, so the more money you give, the more you’ll get back when your “seed” flourishes. Think what you will of this, but White is monstrously popular, particularly because she is known to include humor in her sermons.
Ravi Zacharias
Net Worth: Approximately $7.5 Million. Ravi Zacharias is one of the most colorful characters on the list. The Indian-born Christian apologist claims he was an atheist up until the age of 17, despite having been raised in an Anglican family in Delhi. Ravi attempted to take his own life by swallowing poison. He was brought a bible while recovering in hospital and from there, he says, his Christian awakening was spawned.
Ravi has authored many books, some of the award-winning. While he is an immensely popular evangelical preacher, Ravi has been called out for a number of inaccuracies in the stories he tells. For example, he supposedly adds the title “Dr” before his name on the regular, despite not having a medical degree nor a PhD in any field. There was also the matter of an awkward legal situation regarding possibly explicit communications between Ravi and a Canadian woman. The matter was settled out of court and Ravi denied any wrongdoing.
Chris Okotie
Net Worth: Approximately $7.5 Million. Nigerian-born televangelist, Chris Okotie, is a Pentecostal preacher who currently resides in Lagos, Nigeria. While Chris is hugely popular in Nigeria, his three runs for presidency of the nation have all proven unfruitful for him. Okotie’s last attempt was back in 2007. He put politics aside after his third time, and focused on his church – The HouseHold of God International Ministries – and its affiliated programs.
Recently, however, Okotie’s flock were delighted to hear his announcement that he would once again delve into the world of politics with yet another presidential run in 2019. Okotie feels that Nigeria is in desperate need of a trustworthy leader and, with his seemingly impeccable character and strong Christian morals, Okotie hopes he can be the man for the job.
Matthew Ashimolowo
Net Worth: Approximately $10 Million. Another Nigerian-born pastor for the list. Unlike Chris Okotie, Matthew Ashimolowo left his home nation for the Western world, settling in London, England. There, Ashimolowo presides over the Kingsway International Christian Centre. He has a daily radio program which airs, not just in London, but all throughout Europe and back in his homeland of Nigeria.
According to Forbes magazine, most of Matthew Ashimolowo’s fortune has been amassed through the sale of Christian literature and income from his media company, which bears the straight-forward title, Matthew Ashimolowo Media. The charity behind Ashimolowo’s church (which Ashimolowo is in charge of) has been investigated for improper use of charitable funds.
Jesse Jackson
Net Worth: Approximately $10 Million. Here’s a pastor you’re sure to have heard of before today. Along with his Christian ministry, Jesse Jackson is a civil rights activist and politician. While he was ordained way back in 1968, Jackson is perhaps better known for his political activism and civil rights work. Jackson shared Chris Okotie’s conviction that strong Christian morals were an important foundation for any presidential candidate. Just as Okotie ran for leadership in Nigeria, Jackson ran for presidency of the United States in 1984 and then again in 1988.
While Jackson was unsuccessful in his presidential bids, he did serve from 1991 to 1997 as a shadow US senator. The man is highly respected for all the work he has done for the American people and has received numerous awards over the years, including a Jefferson Award in 1979 for Greatest Public Service Benefiting the Disadvantaged. In 2006, a black voices poll determined Jackson to be not just one of but the “most important black leader.”
Joyce Meyer
Net Worth: Approximately $10 Million. Joyce Meyer’s faith is a little different to those you’ve seen so far on this list. The woman is a charismatic Christian minister, a movement that has affected a variety of different Christian denominations and that centers around proponents having “gifts” from the Holy Spirit, such as healing, divination and the ability to speak in tongues or cast out demons.
Meyer has authored several books and, like Paula White, she tends to add humor to her speaking engagements, even poking fun at typical Christian behavior. Through her television shows, radio programs, public speaking tours and publications, Meyer has amassed a considerable fortune. When criticized for the lavish lifestyle (she has a penchant for private jets, among other extravagances), Meyer has been known to respond with: “there’s no need for us to apologize for being blessed.”
Peter Popoff
Net Worth: Approximately $10 Million. Peter Popoff is the quintessential televangelist. While he was born in Berlin, Popoff emigrated to the US and, by the late ’70s, had kicked of a career as a TV minster. Popoff’s seemingly miraculous faith healing “gift” made him a sensation and people marveled at his ability to somehow know what ailments people were suffering from and even there names.
Turns out it wasn’t God whispering in Popoff’s ear, but his wife, Elizabeth. She would get a list of attendees before each show, including the ailments they were hoping to have healed. She would then communicate these details to Popoff through an earpiece. It was all just smoke and mirrors and theatrics. When the hoax was revealed in the ’80s, Popoff disappeared for 10 years: long enough for the dust to settle and for people to forget his deceit. The fraudulent healer had a second coming in the ’90s with the same shtick repackaged for a new audience.
Ed Young
Net Worth: Approximately $11 Million. Now for a pastor who has done a lot of genuine good in the world: Edwin Barry Young. Armed with his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Young founded the Fellowship Church back in 1990. From humble beginnings in a rented office space, Young gradually built the church, adding international ministry and aid work along the way.
In addition to massive international projects, like helping the survivors of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, Young is responsible for outreach work back home in the States. His church now has a number of in-prison campuses to provide support to inmates. The clean-cut Baptist preacher can be seen on Ed Young Television, Fellowship Live and C3 Global and has also authored a number of books.
T.B. Joshua
Net Worth: Approximately $15 Million. Temitope Balogun Joshua is an evangelist for the new era. In fact, if you subscribe to his teachings, he’s not just an evangelist but an all-out prophet. With a social media following of more than 3.5 million people, and a huge following throughout Latin America and Africa, the Nigerian minister certainly has a knack for convincing people of his spiritual legitimacy.
Along with declaring prophecies on the regular, T.B. Joshua has purportedly been responsible for a number of miracles. Many claim to have been healed by his anointing water, and there are even videos available supposedly showing the preacher healing people from blindness, cancer, open wounds and even AIDS. As you might expect of a charismatic minister who claims to have such power, Joshua’s Synagogue Church of All Nations has a monumental following and, according to Forbes magazine, this has helped the man ascend to being the third richest Nigerian preacher.
Cindy Trimm
Net Worth: Approximately $15 Million. Trimm is a woman who identifies herself as many things: motivational speaker, life coach, business strategist, entrepreneur and CEO of Trimm International Inc. While her LinkedIn profile shows no official theological certifications and doesn’t advertise herself as a pastor, even on her website, Cindy Trimm certainly does teach from the Gospels in her YouTube videos and at her numerous public speaking engagements.
Trim has worked in politics, becoming a senator in Bermuda when she was just 30 years old. Through the business-related aspects of her work, the life-coaching, and the public speaking, Trimm has amassed a considerable wealth. She now apparently serves as a pastor at the Embassy Worship Center in Florida and short sermons are regularly published online by Cindy Trimm Ministries.
Ernest Angley
Net Worth: Approximately $15 Million. Buckle up for another figure, so epic its contentious- Ernest Angley. While this American evangelist ostensibly spreads the word of the lord through his books, sermons and in broadcasts on the television station he owns, he is perhaps best known for the scandals that keep piling up against his name.
Angley has been taken to court and forced to pay damages and back paid wages to people who were treated as “unpaid volunteers” at his restaurant. A restaurant that was making a profit for the church. A profit that contributed to Angley’s own wealth. At the same contentious restaurant, in 1999, one of Angley’s staff members murdered a 15-year-old volunteer. Angley has also come under fire for claiming that Jesus heals AIDS through him since he’s failed to offer anything by way of proof. Finally, and most alarmingly, the man has been at the center of a number of sexual abuse allegations. Yikes.
T.D. Jakes
Net Worth: Approximately $18 Million. Here’s another pastor in charge of a megachurch: Thomas Dexter Jakes. This American preacher is also an accomplished musician, filmmaker and author who has won numerous awards for his works, and has been granted honorary degrees and even doctorates. His megachurch, The Potter’s House, has an astounding 30,000 members and, while it is non-denominational, Jakes holds the position of Bishop. He commenced his ministry in 1980 at the tender age of 23.
Kenneth Copeland
Net Worth: Approximately $26.5 Million. Another of the more famous preachers on our list, Kenneth Copeland has also been at the center of a fair amount of controversy over the course of his career. The televangelist falls under the banner of the Charismatic Movement and preaches the infamous prosperity gospel, also known as seed faith, which we described before (aka: send us your money and the Lord will send you abundance, we promise). Unsurprisingly, this lucrative form of ministry cops a fair amount of heat from all walks of society, brought into question by atheists as much as other Christians.
Meet The Wealthiest Religious Leaders In The World
John Danforth
Net Worth: Approximately $30 Million. Isn’t it interesting that politics and religion seem so often to go hand in hand? As with many of the pastors on this list, John Danforth’s career took him as far into the realm of politics as it did into the world of religion. Danforth served as Missouri’s Attorney General for seven years, his tenure spanning from 1969 to 1976. From there, he went on to serve for 19 years in the US senate. Danforth, in fact, had a remarkably illustrious political career, having also headed up the investigation of the 1993 Waco siege, and later working as Ambassador to the United Nations for the US from 2004 to 2005.
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