Kenneth Copeland is one of the richest pastors in the world. The senior pastor at Eagle Mountain International Church has made millions through donations, book proceeds, and TV appearances. In 2023 his net worth exceeds $700 Million. His fortune includes private jets and an airport valued at $20+ million, a multimillion-dollar car collection, and massive book deals.
Copeland has owned several private jets. The last total was calculated in 2008 at around 18 million. He also was criticized for begging for donations to fund the purchase of a Gulfstream V jet. He also owns a private airport. Once he purchased it, he asked followers to donate millions to upgrade the airport’s runway. When he was accused of using the jet for personal vacations, he responded by saying that he “doesn’t want to get into a tube with a bunch of demons”, so he could not fly commercially.
Kenneth Copeland has a fortune in real estate as well. The Houston Chronicle found that he lives in a $7 million mega-mansion. Because his ministry owns the house, he’s never paid taxes on it. According to NY Post, since he claims it to be a ‘clergy residence’, he will never pay taxes on the house. In 2015 he gave a speech at the Southwest Believers’ Convention addressing the controversy.
Copeland said that, when people drive by the mega-mansion, “they will know there is a God”. He also explained God told him to build a dream home his wife wanted. Copeland has also owned a number of exclusive cars from brands like Aston Martin, Porsche, and Rolls Royce. He said to reporters: “You may think that house is too big. You may think it’s too grand. I don’t care what you think. I heard from heaven. Glory to Good, hallelujah!”
While Rev. Copeland has been active as a preacher since the 60s this was not his first public career. Initially, he was a recording artist signed with Imperial Records. His first single “Pledge of Love” was released in 1967, and remained on the Billboard Top 40 list for 15 consecutive weeks. He began preaching in 1962 and married his 3rd wife Gloria. The pair established the Kenneth Copeland Evangelistic Association, which in 1967 was rebranded as Kenneth Copeland Ministries.
Kenneth Copeland Ministries (KCM) launched a radio ministry in May 1975. Initially, the program was broadcast on ten stations however within the year, it reached over 500 stations in Canada and the US. KCM sold over 171,000 cassette tapes. Now the pastor is still active on podcasting platforms. The KCM podcast has had over 3.8 million downloads since 2015.
His first major TV appearance as the pastor was on “Praise the Lord”, a series that aired in 1982. He also featured as a televangelist and guest on “The Jim Bakker Show” and “Commander Kellie and the Superkids”. He was catapulted into in fame 1979 when the ministry aired a one-hour weekly TV broadcast. He expanded into television preaching on GodTV, Daystar Television Network, and other Christian TV stations.
His most significant program is “Believer’s Voice of Victory.” According to Copeland, the program has reached 2.3 billion viewers. In 1996 he established kcm.org. The website provides access to articles from the magazine, video feeds from Victory Campaigns, Faith Healing Summits, and Believers’ Conventions, and access to every TV broadcast.
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