The Top 20 Highest-Earning Pastors and Televangelists (and What They Bring Home)

Televangelists make an absurd amount of money in some cases. These "pastors" and "religious leaders" are among the richest people in the world and are often accused of perverting religion for personal monetary gain because of it. Some of the wealthiest pastors in the world have net worths in the millions and bring home hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. However, in the United States, that's not a particularly unusual situation. The average salary of a clergyperson in the United States is $108,000 and some change annually. That's more than double the median salary of most entire households. Let's examine which pastors in the world make the most money.

Since financial details are not always published, especially in non-American countries, it can be difficult to ascertain which churches are the richest and which members among them make the most money. The data we've compiled is based on public records, which may not be entirely up-to-date as some of them were published a few years ago. However, we did not want to publish information that could not be verified. Some of the figures on this list may have changed in the most recent years, but are a good starting point for understanding the wealth amassed by pastors and televangelists around the world.

Hailing from Singapore, Joseph Price is the founder of the New Creation Church, one of the biggest churches in all of Asia. Price acts as the pastor for the physical location of the New Creation Church in Singapore. However, he also hosts a television program—"Destined to Reign"—which airs in over 150 countries and attracts foreign members to his church. In 2021, Price reported an income of $550,000 and had a net worth of around $5 million, putting him on this list as one of the richest pastors and televangelists in the world. Price has also published several books, including two best-sellers. He has made Christian Retailing's list for "Top 100 Books" on at least one occasion with his religious publications.

Coming in at number 19 is pastor, televangelist, and filmmaker T.D. Jakes. Jakes has been a pastor for several churches over the years, including the Potter's House in the 80s and Emanuel Temple of Faith since leaving the Potter's House. He also hosts the "T.D. Jakes Show," which is a faith-based television program. In more recent years, Jakes has established a publishing firm for books. Jakes has an estimated net worth of $20 million. However, his yearly income, while sizable, was not available publicly. Thus, we aren't able to make a determination on how much he makes each year. Jakes is known for spending the majority of his fortune on luxuries like houses and cars. However, he's also known for charitable giving, such as the fund he started with his daughter to empower Black businesswomen.

American pastor and author Rick Warren is thought to have a net worth of at least $25 million. He became interested in pastoring at the tender age of 19 years old. From there, he co-founded the Saddleback Church with his wife, where he became the primary pastor of the congregation. Currently, the Saddleback Church, based in Lake Forest, California, is one of the top ten largest churches in all of America. In addition to running his church, Warren also publishes books about pastoring and religion. His famous books, "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life" are aimed at bringing the tenets of his church to wider audiences and reinforcing the beliefs of existing believers.

As the leader of the World Changers Church International non-denominational church, pastor, author, and teacher, Creflo Dollar, makes a significant amount of money through his ministries. His earnings have been great enough to get him an estimated net worth of $25 million. While the vast majority of Dollar's earnings come from his ministries, he is also a successful publisher. He publishes a quarterly magazine called "Change" and a bimonthly newsletter called "The Max." Dollar has also authored and published several books on faith and religion. One of the major criticisms of Creflo Dollar is his prosperity theology and luxurious lifestyle, which are seen as perversions of religious faith and irresponsible spending.

Homegrown pastor Ray McCauley is a South African religious leader, pastor, and author. He founded a branch of the Rhema Bible Church out of his parents' home in South Africa. At first, just 13 people attended his services. However, his reach soon began to grow and McCauley began changing his venue to accommodate the larger crowds. McCauley's church has a lot of attendees and remains his primary source of income. Outside of his pastoral activities, he also writes books about religion and is listed as an author of 12 books on GoodReads.

Nigerian pastor Enoch Adeboye is the 15th richest pastor in the world. He has an estimated net worth of $29 million. Adeboye is a pastor and the general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God but unlike many of the pastors on this list, he is not the founder of the church he works for. He previously worked as an interpreter for the church before his pastoral ordainment. The church has several branches around the world, many of them in Nigeria, which contributes to his large fortune. Since becoming rich, Adeboye has started "Dove TV," his religious television station and founded the Redeemer's University.

Israeli speaker and televangelist Benny Hinn is best known for his association with the World Healing Center Church. Hinn initially rose to fame in the 1980s when he went public with his new faith, which included revival meeting summits called "Miracle Crusades." Outside of his summits, Hinn also began running a religious television program called "This Is Your Day," which aimed to preach Christianity to the masses using the airwaves. "This Is Your Day" took off in the 1990s and Hinn became one of the richest pastors in the world from it. He now has an estimated net worth of $40 million. Hinn got into many disagreements with other televangelists, most notably Greg Locke, who referred to him as a "false prophet." Since then, Locke has apologized for his comments and they seem to have made amends.

Founder and chief pastor of the non-denominational North Point Ministries in Alpharetta, Georgia, Andy Stanley has made a fortune off of preaching. His estimated net worth is around $45 million. Stanley's father was also a pastor but for the First Baptist Church of Atlanta and later founded In Touch Ministries, instilling a strong sense of faith and how to share it with his son. Outside of brick-and-mortar preaching, Stanley has become one of the most influential pastors in the United States through his television program, "Your Move with Andy Stanley." He has also published over 20 books on the intersection of faith with other parts of the modern experience.

Founder and minister of the Covenant Church Jesse Duplantis first began preaching sermons in 1976 when he was introduced to the scene by Trinity Broadcasting Network through John Hagee. In 1978, Duplantis became a full-time evangelist for TBN. His sermons are popular both in and outside of the United States, in no small part due to his witty sense of humor that he injects into his sermons to make them more entertaining. In 2018, Duplantis came under fire when he asked his followers to donate money so he could purchase a $54 million private jet. He claimed the jet was so he could spread the mission of his church worldwide. However, his followers were confused because at the time he already owned three jets. Despite the controversy, Duplantis remains popular and continues to benefit from his ministry's activities.

Now-pastor Paul Adefarasin was born into a wealthy Nigerian family. In his younger days, he used his family's wealth to fuel his drug addiction. In 1994, he found religion and became "saved." Thus, he gave up his drugs and began to lead a Godly life. He enrolled in a diploma in Christian Ministry and began his studies to become a pastor. After completing his studies, Adefarasin founded the House on the Rock, his ministry, and began preaching. His church took off and now has 77 branches in Africa and Europe. Outside of preaching, he is the author of several religious books and the host of the television show, "Something Is About To Happen." His ventures took off and he now enjoys a net worth of around $50 million.

With a net worth of $60 million, British-Zimbabwean pastor Uebert Angel is the tenth richest pastor in the world. Angel is known for his charismatic preaching, and he is the founder of the Spirit Embassy in the United Kingdom. As a Zimbabwean ambassador, Angel has had his share of scandals and controversies, such as allegedly smuggling gold. However, this was not his first controversy and scandal seems to have followed this pastor wherever he has gone. Angel was wealthy before becoming a pastor, as he was a successful businessman before becoming a preacher. He previously founded Club Millionaire Limited and the Uebert Angel Foundation, which provides scholarships to poor students. He also started the Free Earth Humanitarian Organization, which helps vulnerable populations meet their basic needs.

American televangelist Joel Osteen is one of the richest pastors in the world. He was ordained in the Lakewood Church as a minister in the 1990s, where he slowly built his following. The Lakewood Church was his father's church and his father served as the main minister of the church until his passing. When Osteen's father passed, Osteen became the main minister and has served in this role ever since. An estimated 10 million people watch Osteen's televised sermons and they are popular both in the United States and also in at least 100 other countries. Besides preaching, Osteen has also begun a prosperous writing career. Osteen is the author of the best-selling book, "Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential." He has an estimated net worth of around $100 million.

Formerly based in South Africa, Malawian pastor Shepherd Bushiri enjoys the fortune that he made from preaching, amassing a net worth of $110 million. He established the Enlightened Christian Gathering church in South Africa, which now has branches all over Africa, including in Malawi, South Sudan, and Ghana. Bushiri runs the YouTube channel "Prophet Shepherd Bushiri" where he shares his mission and teachings online, which has 740,000 subscribers at the time of this article's writing.

In addition to church earnings, Bushiri also owns and operates the Bushiri Investment Company, which deals in mining, oil, hospitality, and many other industries. He and his wife have been accused of several crimes, including fraud, and have been forced to auction off some of their property, including houses and cars. However, despite the financial losses from his controversies, Bushiri remains one of the richest pastors in the world at the time of writing this article.

R. R. Soares, also known as Romildo Ribeiro Soares, is the founder and pastor of the International Church of God's Grace, a Brazilian televangelist church. After reading a book by T.L. Osborn in the 1960s, Soares decided to become a televangelist and first founded his church in the 1980s. In the modern day, the International Church of God's Grace has branches in Brazil, the United Kingdom, and other countries. Sorares also runs a YouTube channel called "Missionário RR Soares," which has over 450,000 followers at the time of this article's writing. Soares also owns Graça Artes Gráficas and Editora Ltda, a gospel record label. In addition to running a record label, Soares has also written books about faith and gospel. He has written 10 books in Portuguese, which have largely been translated into English to broaden their audience. His ventures have netted him a wealth of at least $125 million.

Another Nigerian televangelist, Chris Oyakhilome is both a televangelist and a faith healer. He founded the Believer's LoveWorld, a Christian ministry. Believer's LoveWorld has several arms of operation, including Rhapsody of Realities, the Healing School, Innercity Missions (an NGO), and three faith-based television channels, LoveWorld TV, LoveWorld SAT, and LoveWorld Plus. The ministry is the primary source of Oyakhilome's $126 million net worth. However, he does earn some of his money through writing and publishing books. One book, the Rhapsody of Realities, is a daily devotional bible that he requires all members of his church to own, making it a steady source of income from this publication.

Nigerian preacher, businessman, and author, David Oyedepo, is the founder of the Living Faith Church. Before he began preaching, he worked for the Federal Ministry of Housing in Ilorin, Nigeria. In 1981, he claimed that God reached out to him in an 18-hour vision and mandated that he start the Living Faith Church. Oyedepo would be ordained as the church's bishop five years after its founding. The church has achieved great success and Oyedepo now owns private jets, large houses, and cars, with his estimated net worth totaling at least $150 million. In addition to preaching, Oyedepo also owns Dominion Publishing House, which publishes his books to advance and spread his gospel. Recently, there has been a lot of speculation about Oyedepo's relationship with his son, but his son, Isaac, denies estrangement from his father and the family's church.

Leader of the World Church of the Power of God, Valdemiro Santiago is a Brazillian pastor who enjoys an estimated net worth of $350 million. Before becoming the leader of the World Church of the Power of God, Santiago worked at the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God as a preacher. Allegedly, Santiago was expelled from the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God due to disagreements between himself and the church's management. However, his expulsion transformed his life, spurring him to found the World Church of the Power of God and propelling him to fame and wealth. Since starting the World Church of the Power of God, Santiago has gone on to start several other churches worldwide. In 2013, he had a net worth of $220 million, but in the decade since, that has ballooned to what it is today.

American televangelist, public speaker, author, and musician Kenneth Copeland is the third richest pastor in the world. He has a net worth of at least $760 million from his ministry and other business ventures. Most interested parties refer to Copeland as being the face and prime example of the prosperity gospel. Before converting to Christianity and becoming a prosperity gospel preacher, Copeland was a recording artist on the music scene. He has brought his love of music to his preaching putting an emphasis on musical performances during his church services. His single, "Pledge of Love" even charted well among people who were not followers of his church. Most of his income comes from church donations. Through donations, Copeland managed to amass enough wealth to purchase a $20 million private jet, among other things.

Founder and leader of the Alleluia Ministries International in South Africa, Alph Lukau has Congolese roots and enjoys a net worth of around $1 billion. He founded his ministry in 2002 and since then it has become one of the most popular churches in the world. The ministry's YouTube channel has 1.5 million followers, which is only one of the platforms Lukau uses to spread his message to the world. Having thousands of followers worldwide, Lukau has opened branches of his church in other countries, such as Zambia, Angol, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Namibia. Lukau's primary venture is his church. However, he has invested in many other industries, such as energy, mining, and travel, which helped him amass such a massive fortune.

The richest pastor in the world is Edir Macedo, who had a net worth of around $1.2 billion at the time of writing this article. However, despite being a pastor, Macedo doesn't make most of his fortune through preaching like the others on this list. Instead, Macedo's primary fortune comes from his work as a media mogul. Macedo is the founder of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. The name might be recognizable as the place where another pastor on this list, Valdemiro Santiago, got his start as a preacher. Since the church was founded in 1977, it has slowly become one of the largest churches in the world with thousands of worldwide followers.

Using the earnings from the church's operation, Macedo was able to buy Rede Record, Brazil's third-largest television network. This purchase is the primary source of his wealth. However, without his work as a religious leader and church owner, it would have never been possible for him to acquire the network. After acquiring and operating Rede Records, Macedo opened another television network, W67IC, based in Atlanta, Georgia to further his mission and build his empire.