Net Worth: $500 million Our second wealthiest pastor on the list is almost as well known for his mouth as he is for his monumental fortune. Pat Robertson got his start, back in the early ’60s as minister of the US-wide Southern Baptist Convention church. However, he is better known for his TV program, The 700 Club; and more specifically, for the extreme declarations he makes on said show.
Pat Robinson isn’t a fan of non-Baptist denominations (of which there are a fair few) and, in the past, has declared that the Protestant faith harbors the antiChrist, Islam is Satanic, and Hinduism is demonic. In an interview just after the September 11 terror attacks, Robertson told the interviewer that “the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays, and the lesbians helped it happen.” That’s just one of many golden quotes that have, over the years, stirred up furious reactions from the public.
David Oyedepo
Net Worth: $150 million David Oyedepo is a man of many skills: preacher, author, architect, shrewd businessman and megachurch founder. He serves as the Bishop for Living Faith Church Worldwide. The clever businessman in him was clearly behind its other title: the Winners’ Chapel. Who wouldn’t want to go there? Oyedepo’s pursuits have led him into quite lucrative fields of work, allowing him to amass a wealth that puts him in the top echelon of wealthy preachers the world over.
Oyedepo also holds the honor of being Faith Tabernacle’s senior pastor. Featuring a massive, 50,000 seat auditorium, Faith Tabernacle was recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest church in the world.
Richard Rossi
Net Worth: $1 million Inspired by his jazz guitarist father, Rossi got into the music scene at a young age. Even during these tumultuous early years, Rossi harbored a fascination for faith healers. After his father’s hospitalization for bi-polar disorder, and Rossi’s own subsequent drug overdose, the young man decided it was time for a drastic change. Rossi became a Christian and then set to work getting qualified to preach. He then blended his two passions by touring as a “rock ‘n’ roll preacher.” In the early '80s, Rossi started his own church which bore the technically innocent, yet somehow deeply ominous name, The Fellowship. A decade later, in 1994, that its impossible to pin down darkness manifested in the form of outright violence.
Rossi’s wife was found beaten half to death in a ditch by the side of a road. The investigation and attempted murder trial were nothing short of a circus, with stories constantly changing and accusations being made and then withdrawn. After the jury failed to reach a unanimous decision, Rossi agreed to a plea deal and served a sentence for second-degree aggravated assault. His congregation during this time dropped from 300 to 12. However, Rossi was able to stage a remarkable turnaround, rebuilding his church and regaining his fortune by working in the entertainment industry.
Edir Macedo
Net Worth: $1.1 billion Those of you who have been observing the patterns on this list were probably expecting our top Bible-slinging preacher to be from Nigeria or the US. However, the richest pastor in the world, who is a confirmed billionaire, is actually from Brazil. Edir Macedo is founder of a church with the most grandiose name we’ve encountered so far: the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. The evangelical leader also owns Rede Record, Brazil’s second biggest TV network.
While he breaks the location pattern of the list, he most certainly conforms to the seed faith pattern we’ve seen emerge as the net worths shot up. Macedo has used the funds obtained from this money-making ministry to purchase his television network, radio stations, real estate, a health insurance company, and a flipping airline. As you might have expected, Macedo has been criticized for using money from vulnerable people to buy things like mansions and airlines. However, he glibly countered: “if I preach prosperity and my clothes are ragged, who will follow me?” Clearly the takeaway here is, if you want to be mega wealthy, don’t simply follow the prosperity gospel, preach it.
Walter Mercado
Net Worth: $10 million Walter Mercado was a Puerto Rican astrologer, also known by his stage name Shanti Ananda. Born in 1932, Mercado believed he had spiritual abilities, even as a child, and studied pedagogy, psychology, and pharmacy. His debut as an entertainer came in the sixties, when television produced Elin Ortiz asked Mercado to take up fifteen minutes, making astrological predictions in colorful costumes. He soon received his own regular program, including astrology, tarot cards, and other occult disciplines.
At his death, Mercado (who changed his name to Shanti Ananda, Sanskrit for “Peace Happiness” in 2010) had an estimated net worth of ten million.