Contrary to appearances, the terms “Religious Leader” and “stinkin’ rich” frequently refer to the same thing. True, sharing the gospel calls for a person-to-person approach, and doing God’s work, as some of them put it, doesn’t come cheap. See our ranking of the richest religious figures in the world. You’ll no doubt be familiar with the third highest.
Walter Mercado – $5 Million
The late spiritual leader Walter Mercado talked to a crowd that listened intently to every word he said. His Latin audience adopted the Puerto Rican’s nonconformist views on gender as their own. In the latter half of 2019, the dancer, singer, astrologer, and spiritual guide passed away from kidney disease. His ornate capes have sold for a hefty sum at auction.
Walter Mercado – $5 Million
Eddie Long – $5 Million
In DeKalb County, Georgia, Eddie Long was a remarkable man who served as a megachurch pastor. He was so dedicated to spreading the message that the church saw growth that had never before been seen. He enjoyed spreading the idea that living a dedicated life is the key to success, and he could undoubtedly live the talk. He lived in a million-dollar estate, had a private plane, and a fleet of pricey vehicles.
Eddie Long – $5 Million
Paula White-Cain – $5 Million
The megachurch in Apopka was led by nondenominational preacher Paula White-Cain. She finally succeeded, although it took some effort to get there. Her father had passed away while she was a little kid, and she had to deal with several issues from her friends. She sought solace in religion, and the rest is history.
Paula White Cain – $5 Million
Juanita Bynum – $10 Million
Juanita Bynum is a spiritual leader with extraordinary talent. She enhances the occasion with her great singing voice despite the fact that the majority of her coworkers are preachers and authors. She chose to postpone a speaking engagement after discovering that a pastor committee member had broken into her hotel room. She gained notoriety most recently in this manner. Being a representative of the church, the pastor ought to have at the very least knocked first.
Juanita Bynum – $10 Million
Joseph Prince – $5 Million
Joseph Prince, a young preacher, not only shares the Bible’s message through best-selling books but also via sermons that are broadcast to millions of viewers around the world. He was appointed senior pastor of the church that Joseph helped build, the New Creation Church. His ardent involvement in the church contributed to its popularity across the country.
Joseph Prince – $5 Million
Reinhard Bonnke – $4 Million
An evangelical named Reinhard Bonkke won a reward for participating in the Crusade event, which gathered over 6 million spectators from all around Africa. He claimed to have received a call to preach in Africa in his early years, although he later visited Wales and Germany. In Africa, he was well-known as a preacher until his passing in 2019.
Reinhard Bonnke – $4 Million
T.D. Jakes – $18 Million
T.D. is the Potter’s House Church’s pastor in Texas. Jakes, as its pastor, To ensure that all 30,000 of his church’s members are fully aware of his literary accomplishments, he makes sure they all purchase his books. He frequently takes a break from preaching to talk about his daughter’s book. He helped the megachurch become the $45 million piece of land it is now as one of its founding members in 1996.
T.D. Jakes – $18 Million
Kirk Cameron – $20 Million
Kirk Cameron’s rise to fame as an actor has been aided by Growing Pains. Prior to becoming a Christian at the age of 17, during the height of his acting career, he claimed to have been an atheist as a child. For the sake of his religious convictions, he requested that any offending scenes from Growing Pains be cut and that an effort be made to incorporate religion into the show.
Kirk Cameron – $20 Million
Clifton Davis – $3 Million
Clifton Davis is recognized as the Jackson 5’s 1971 phantom writer. He had a strong reputation in the music business and frequently participated in Broadway productions. He even shared hosting duties for a gospel music festival for four years. His rise to fame in the religious scene was facilitated by his musical experience, and audiences were drawn to him by his charisma and innate talent.
Clifton Davis – $3 Million
Rick Warren – $25 Million
Pastor Rick was a key figure in the establishment of the Saddleback Church as well as Pastors.com. Since it was founded in Lake Forest, Saddleback has grown to include up to 30,000 weekly participants spread over 19 different locations, four of which are overseas. On addition to teaching the gospel, he uses Church.com to train aspiring bishops in how to carry out their duties.
Rick Warren – $25 Million
Louis Farrakhan – $3 Million
Louis Farrakhan has served as the Nation of Islam’s leader since 1977. He constantly assigns blame to members of various racial and religious groups, demonstrating how constrictive his understanding of religion is. He started out as a musician, dancing and appearing in cabarets and orchestras in Boston. Elijah Muhammad, a former NOI leader who had dedicated his life to furthering religion, was preaching, and he was aware of this.
Louis Farrakhan – $3 Million
Jack Van Impe – $2.5 Million
The Impe Ministries International website provides access to Jack Van Impe’s whole collection of TV broadcasts. He and his wife talk about both current affairs and religious topics on the newsroom set. Their divisive anti-Islamic stance, which has gotten so bad that the network TBN has prohibited one of their programs on “Chrislam” from running, is one of their main selling features.
Jack Van Impe – $2.5 Million
Benny Hinn – $25 Million
The televangelist Benny Hinn has written numerous books, hosted numerous TV programs, and even created an app to assist his followers in using technology to practice their religion. The Canadian-born Israelian bishop made his home there in the late 1960s, and in 1972 he began working there as a full-time priest. This is when, according to his biography, he felt compelled to spread the Gospel. He asserts that his life’s work is to stop people from being thrown into an inferno after witnessing it.
Benny Hinn – $25 Million
N.T. Wright – $4 million
One of the most thoughtful theologians is Bishop Wright. He started out as a junior research fellow at Merton College in Oxford and worked his way up to become a professor. He held the position of dean of Lichfield Cathedral for a year before being chosen the canon theologian of Westminster Abbey. He is the author of several of the best-selling Christian religious books in the country.
N.T. Wright – $4 Million
Joel Osteen – $100 Million
Instead of relying on his more-than-sufficient salary from the Lakewood Church, Osteen chooses to rely on the sales of his best-selling books. His estimated net worth is $100 million, and his wife Victoria is also a televangelist. Some contend that a pastor shouldn’t be wealthy because they believe religious leaders should lead modest lives. Joel faced new criticism in 2017 for shunning disaster victims.
Joel Osteen – $100 Million
Mark Driscoll – $2.5 Million
At first, Mark Driscoll didn’t take his Catholic faith seriously, but after receiving “a gorgeous Bible” from a coworker, he changed his mind. As he turned the pages, he was captivated by the biblical story and eventually converted to Christianity. Also the Trinity Church’s family ministry in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the Mars Hill Church in Washington both bear his name. He has been on significant news programs during his career in religion.
Mark Driscoll – $2.5 Million
Kanye West – $240 Million
He is unquestionably not a religious leader in the slightest, but so what? We have more than enough from the Sunday services he has been leading. These “services,” as his wife Kim calls them, are incredibly spiritual even though there isn’t a single sermon. As his followers will have heard by listening to his music, Kanye is unquestionably a Christian. On the other hand, his $240 million in earnings come from music deals rather than his work with the church.
Kanye West – $240 Million
Kenneth Copeland
One of the most well-known and hated televangelists in the entire globe is undoubtedly Kenneth Copeland. It is commonly known that he asks his listeners for financial help in order to continue his cause. Kenneth Copeland and his wife have been preaching for nearly 50 years, the majority of which was spent on the television program Believer’s Voice of Victory, according to the Kenneth Copeland Ministries website. They also used publications including books, periodicals, radio shows, and other media to convey their message.
Kenneth Copeland
George Foreman – $300 Million
George Foreman endured a terrible childhood and was frequently bullied by his friends. This changed when he started boxing as a way of expressing himself, and it quickly became apparent that he was a skilled fighter. After his second professional loss in 1977, he had a religious encounter in the locker room. He acquired wealth by sponsoring the Foreman Grill after his boxing career came to an end.
George Foreman – $300 Million
Al Sharpton – $500,000
Al Sharpton was viewed as a rising star within the Christian community. He preached his first sermon to the little congregation of his local church in Brooklyn when he was four years old and had just begun to walk and talk. Less than five years after getting his license, he was appointed to be the Pantecostal minister for the church. At that point, he started his civil rights work.
Al Sharpton – $500,000