The many multimillionaire pastors popping up within the Christian community have certainly given one reason to pause and reflect on the faith of the founding fathers.
In fact, today, one is forced to conclude that the spirit of mammon has overtaken some churches.
The truth is men of the cloth are using the church to get rich and moreover are not bashful about their lavish, extravagant, and ostentatious lifestyle.
Now, there is nothing wrong with getting wealthy or rotten rich, but the question is should it be at the expense of exploiting the poor, brokenhearted, the blind or those that are bruised?
These days some preachers seem to be experiencing heaven on earth whilst members of their congregation are meeting hell in all areas of their lives.
The pastors with megachurches seem to have taken their vocation to new levels. Reports have shown that some of them have private jets, fancy suits, million dollar houses, luxurious cars, expensive yachts, and the like.
In a report written by Bandana Babu on financialjuneteenth.com, he listed some of the wealthiest preachers as:
Creflo Dollar
He noted that the televangelist Creflo Augustus Dollar, Jr., founder of the non-denominational church known as World Changers International net worth is $27 million.
Dollar hosts a television show called “Changing Your World.”
He said that Dollar has often been criticized for his lavish lifestyle and pointed to his assets which include two Rolls-Royces, a private jet, and a $2.5 million apartment in Manhattan.
Bishop David Oyedepo
He charged that David Oyedepo, a Nigerian preacher, is one of the richest preachers in the world with reported net worth of $150 million.
Oyedepo is Bishop and founder of Faith Church World Wide, also known as Winners’ Chapel, having its headquarters in Ogun State in Nigeria.
Press report suggests that Oyedepo owns a mansion in London and the U.S., along with four private jets.
He is also said to own Dominion Publishing House which publishes all his books, which are mostly on the subject of prosperity.
More than half (i.e. 168,8333,776) the population of Nigeria— Oyedepo’s home country— live below the poverty line on under $2 a day.
Eddie Long
Eddie Long is a senior pastor of New Birth Baptist Missionary Church in Georgia.
Babu noted that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in its 2005 publication, reported that Long received more than $3.07 million of compensation and benefits from his non-profit charity, Bishop Eddie Long Ministries, Inc.
He also said newspaper investigation concluded that Long’s assets included a real estate property of $1.4 million, a $350,000 Bentley car and a salary of more than $1 million, including $494,000 in 2000.
The average annual income of residents of the church’s hometown, Lithonia, Ga., is $25,154.
Christian Oyakhilome
This Nigerian minister is the founding president of Believers’ Love World Incorporated, headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria.
Oyakhilome’s assets are said to worth about $50 million.
His congregation is made up of successful business executives and politicians.
The main source of Oyakhilome income is through his business, which comprises of newspapers, magazines, a television station, satellite TV, hotels, and real-estate.
Bishop T.D. Jakes
Thomas Dexter Jakes, Sr. (popularly known as T.D. Jakes) is the bishop of The Potter’s House.
This is a non-denominational mega-church with about 30,000 members.
The Texan pastor’s net worth is said to be $18 million.
Babu reported that Jakes has earned his wealth from being the chief pastor of The Potter’s House. He also noted that Jakes was called America’s Best Preacher by Time magazine and has been featured on its cover.
Jakes lives in a $1.7 million mansion in suburban Dallas.
The average median annual income of the community he serves is $56,954.
T.B. Joshua
Temitope Balogun Joshua is the founder of the Synangogue Church of all Nations (SCOAN).
He is said to be one of the richest Black preachers in the world with a net worth of $15 million.
His congregation numbered over 15,000 members with branches in Ghana, UK, South Africa and Greece.
SCOAN also runs on a Christian television station called Emmanuel TV.
Charles Blake
Bishop Charles Edward Blake, Sr. is the current bishop of Church of God in Christ (COGIC), a 6 million member denomination.
He is said to earn a salary of $900,000 and lives in a 10,000 square-foot mansion in Beverly Hills.
His church boasts 20,000 members per week.
The median annual salary income in South Los Angeles is $27,907.
Matthew Ashimolowo
Matthew Ashimolowo is the senior pastor of Kingsway International Christian Centre in London.
His net worth is reported to be around $10 million.
He is also said to earn his wealth from various businesses such as Matthew Ashimolowo Media, which sells documentaries and Christian literature.
His home country is Nigeria where 55% of the population lives below the poverty level of under $2 a day.
Yvad Billings, Readers Bureau, Fellow
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