Should a pastor have millions of dollars? What about hundreds of millions?
It’s difficult to pinpoint just how many pastors have extravagant net worths, but some of the United States’ most popular religious figures are also extremely wealthy. In fact, some people have issues with these pastors and how they spend their money, and say they’re not following the humble example set by Jesus by owning multi-million dollar mansions, half-million dollar cars, and even private jets.
Many of the wealthiest pastors got so rich by practicing prosperity gospel, a controversial belief that wealth and material success is an explicit sign of God’s favor. Prosperity preachers solicit donations from followers in exchange for God’s blessings and approval. The movement was popularized during the 1960s, but truly came to national prominence during the 1980s with the widespread availability of television and the emergence of prosperity preaching televangelists on TV airwaves.
Let's look at some of the wealthiest pastors, how they got rich, and how they spend their money.
Kenneth Copeland
Televangelist Kenneth Copeland is believed to be the wealthiest pastor in America with a whopping net worth of $760 million. Copeland lives in a $7 million, 18,000 square foot mega mansion in Texas, situated on 24 acres of lakefront property. He pays zero dollars in property taxes because he claims the mansion as “clergy residence” on his taxes. Copeland’s ministry also owns a $20 million private jet, as well as another smaller jet, situated on a private airport on mansion grounds. Copeland once stated he can’t fly on commercial flights because they are “long tubes [filled] with a bunch of demons.”
Copeland preaches prosperity gospel, the belief that there is a direct link between faith and financial success. Prosperity preachers say that thriving physically, mentally, and especially financially is God's will, and that all believers have to do to achieve abundance is send money to them. This is called seed-faith, and prosperity preachers liken it to planting a financial “seed” which will grow into monetary blessings. Copeland has come under fire many times for these controversial teachings. For example, during COVID, he encouraged followers to continue tithing (or donating the first 10 percent of their income back to the church), even if they lost their jobs or didn't have money to spare.
Joel Osteen
Like Copeland, Joel Osteen is a familiar household name, his sermons broadcast to more than 100 countries and his massive arena-sized Lakewood Church filled to the brim every Sunday. Osteen’s net worth is believed to be $100 million. Osteen also preaches prosperity gospel, though he takes no salary from the church. Instead, it is estimated he makes some $50 million per year from donations from the church body, speaking engagements, and book sales. Osteen owns two mansions, his Houston home valued at $2.9 million, and his River Oaks mansion worth about $10.5 million.
Similar to Copeland, Osteen’s also had his share of controversies over the years. In 2017, Osteen received heavy criticism for initially refusing to open his 17,000 capacity megachurch’s doors to evacuees (though he later relented). In 2024 he came under fire for posting on X imploring his followers to appreciate “the simple things in life,” prompting accusations of greed and hypocrisy.
Steven Furtick
Only in his 40s, Furtick is one of the youngest ultra wealthy pastors. But his youthful age hasn’t stopped him from amassing a net worth of $61 million. Furtick’s wealth comes from donations from church members, as well as other faith-oriented entertainment ventures like his YouTube channel and book deals. However, it is believed most of Furtick’s wealth comes from the popular Christian music group he founded, Elevation Worship. He takes a $38k salary from the church he pastors, Elevation Church.
Like other pastors on this list, Furtick preaches prosperity gospel. Some of his critics have argued he’s more concerned with fostering a celebrity persona and lifestyle rather than preaching the gospel, and he was the subject of controversy when he built a 16,000 square foot mansion situated on 19 acres for $1.7 million. The massive home boasts lavish amenities like a tennis court, swimming pool, and basketball court, and prompted heavy scrutiny from the public over its size. Furtick reassured his congregation that the mansion was a “gift from God” paid for by his book sales, not church donations.
Jesse Duplantis
Jesse Duplantis is a popular televangelist with a net worth of $20 million. Duplantis owns a tax-exempt 40,000 square foot mansion and has his own private jet, and often boasts about how much his followers give him; He once stated his ministry’s been given $500 million dollars from followers over his 40 years in ministry.
Like other uber wealthy pastors, Duplantis preaches prosperity gospel. He believes these hundreds of millions in donations are a direct reflection of God’s favor for and belief in him, and he has claimed poverty is a “curse” in the past. In 2018, he made headlines for asking his followers to help him purchase his fourth plane, a Dassault Falcon 7X, a private jet valued at $54 million. He dismissed his critics by stating “I really believe that if Jesus was physically on the earth today he wouldn't be riding a donkey.”
Rick Warren
Rick Warren is an evangelical pastor worth $25 million, and is one of the few ultra wealthy pastors who isn’t a proponent of prosperity gospel. In fact, Warren regularly preaches that self-worth and net worth are not connected. Though he’s pastored at Saddleback Church since 1980, much of his wealth comes from his global speaking engagements and book sales; In 2006, Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life has sold 50 million copies and been translated into more than 85 languages.
Following that massive success, Warren said he wanted to “reverse the tithe” and opts to donate 90% of his income and no longer take a salary from Saddleback. Warren lives in a relatively modest California home, owns no yachts or planes, and drove a 15-year-old Ford pickup for a decade after making the bulk of his fortune.
Should Pastors Be Multi-Millionaires?
Most of the United States’ wealthiest pastors preach prosperity gospel, and would thus argue that that their extravagant wealth is not only morally justified, but is in fact perfectly biblical, material proof of God’s divine blessings. But their critics contend that it’s simply hypocritical to preach the gospel of Jesus while flying via private jet and living in multi-million dollar mansions. How can they ask struggling parishioners to donate their last dollar when living such lavish lives, critics ask?
These church leaders all found massive wealth and success in their ministry. Whether you hope to minister to ten people or ten thousand, you can take the first step by getting legally ordained online!
