Kenneth Copeland was given the 1,500-acre property where his self-titled ministries are based back in the early 1980s. The property, located near Fort Worth was gifted by the oil baron Paul Pewitt. Copeland met him when he was working as the pilot for Oral Roberts. In 2023 his net worth exceeded $700 Million. His fortune includes private jets and an airport valued at $20+ million, a multimillion-dollar car collection, and massive book deals.
Across from this sprawling property is Copeland’s vast religious campus. You can see the massive Eagle Mountain International Church and shiny new ministry headquarters. To one side is a $10 million “children’s building.” The tract also hosts Copeland’s 18,000 square-foot lake-front parsonage. The 1,500-acre property also holds the ministry’s private airport and planes.
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 owns several 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!”
However former workers for the ministry report that they lost their faith in Copeland after working inside the mail department. Workers there sit for hours on end in front of a computer reading letters from “Partners,” processing hundreds of prayer requests a day. One former mail room worker told CBS about his experience at Eagle Mountain International Church.
The employee explained “It’s all pre-programmed choices that I had on my computer,” he said. “When someone wanted a prayer for their mother’s arthritis, I could make a choice – mother and arthritis. And when the letter would go to where it was generated … the computer knew where to put, ‘We’re praying for your mother’s arthritis.‘”
This disgruntled former employee said that Kenneth Copeland never uttered a prayer. “Kenneth Copeland never sees a letter. He doesn’t know what these people think of him. People write letters and they write as if he’s their best friend. He never sees any of those letters.” The massively wealthy pastor has long been controversial with many people criticizing his excessive wealth.