Pulpit Pimps?
Some mega-church pastors are living large. From T.D. Jakes' $45 million sanctuary to Creflo Dollar's two Rolls-Royces. Take a look at some of the high-rollers in the pulpit.
Print
Email-
1 of 8
Eddie LongFounder of 30,000-member New Birth Missionary Baptist Church just outside of Atlanta. His virulent homophobia and $250,000 Easter services in the Georgia Dome have garnered him yearly pay of up to $5 million and made him a revered pastor by the family of Martin Luther King Jr. Long gives back to the community via his Christian School and summer program for youngsters. He says that homosexuality is a “spiritual abortion.”
-
2 of 8
Kenneth Copeland“Dean” of the “Word of Faith movement,” which suggests that salvation only comes via faith in the biblical word of God. Once claimed that God was 6’ 2” or 6’ 3” and just over 200 pounds. He reportedly travels on a private jet but also has his own general aviation airfield. Attended Oral Roberts University.
-
3 of 8
Creflo DollarFounder of 30,000-member World Changers Church International in College Park, Ga. that has a 5,000-member satellite church in NYC. Reportedly owns two Rolls Royces, a $2.5 million NYC apartment, a million-dollar home in Atlanta and a private jet. He preaches a “prosperity” gospel that suggests that ownership of material goods is a symbol of the power of one’s faith. Dollar holds an honorary degree from Oral Roberts University.
-
4 of 8
Randy and Paula WhitePaula White has her own ministry and left Without Walls International Ministry in Tampa to her ex-husband, Randy. Paula was the most popular preacher on BET for years and has become the personal life coach to Tyra Banks. She has been known to say to black women, “Slap somebody right upside their weave and say 'Get in the Flow.'" She drives a Mercedes, has a private jet and has a home worth over $1 million.
-
5 of 8
Joyce MeyerRuns Joyce Meyer Ministries out of a suburb of St. Louis, Mo. Many regard her as a female version of Kenneth Copeland. Meyer has overcome sexual abuse as a child, an abusive first husband and breast cancer. She is seen and heard on over 800 radio and television stations worldwide. She lives in a $2 million home and reportedly flies on a $10 million aircraft.
-
6 of 8
Fred PriceBlack “Dean” of the “Word of Faith” Movement and founder of the “Ever Increasing Faith Ministries,” which runs out of his Crenshaw Christian Center in Los Angeles and has almost 20,000 members. He is the architect of the “Name it and claim it” rhetoric used by so many Christians today. He once claimed to drive in a Rolls Royce in order to follow Jesus’ steps.
-
7 of 8
T.D. JakesEstablished the 35,000-member Potter’s House in Dallas in 1996. The $45 million sanctuary and the $11 million Clay Academy private school were both built by Jakes. The entrepreneurial pastor has been on the New York Times best-seller list, written and produced a Hollywood movie and penned a Grammy winning song.
-
8 of 8 Benny HinnCharismatic televangelist healer and worldwide miracle worker, Hinn was born in Israel and raised in Canada. He often speaks to audiences of over 100,000 people and claims to have healed thousands. This ultra-rich white-suited preacher once claimed God would destroy homosexuals in America. He holds an honorary doctorate from Oral Roberts University.
Comments