8 Black Pastors Whose Net Worth is 200 Times Greater Than Folks in Their Local Communities

Creflo Dollar Creflo Dollar is senior pastor of World Changers Church International with a net worth of $27 million. He leads one of the nation's largest mega-churches, located in College Park, Georgia. Dollar also hosts a television show, Changing Your World, on cable networks. The New York Times reported that Dollar owns a million-dollar Atlanta home, drives a Rolls-Royce, is transported by a private jet and has a $2.5 million Manhattan apartment. The average annual income in College Park, Ga., is $29,640. Bishop David Oyedepo Nigeria preacher David Oyedepo is one of the wealthiest preachers in the world, with a reported net worth of $150 million. In 1981, he founded the Living Faith World Outreach Ministry in Ogun State, Nigeria, and it has grown to become Africa’s largest congregation. The worship center has a seating capacity of 50,000. Oyedepo reportedly owns homes in London and the United States and has four private jets. He also owns Dominion Publishing House, a thriving company that publishes all his books -- which are often on the subject of prosperity. Almost 55 percent of Nigeria's citizens live below the poverty level on under $2 a day. Nigeria has a population of 168,833,776 people. Eddie Long Bishop Eddie Long preaches at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga., a suburb outside of Atlanta. Long has a net worth of $5 million dollars. According to a 2005 Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation, "During the period between 1997 to 2000, Long received more than $3.07 million worth of compensation and benefits from his non-profit charity, Bishop Eddie Long Ministries Inc." The newspaper investigation concluded that Long was given a "$1.4 million six-bedroom, nine-bath home on 20 acres in Lithonia; use of a $350,000 luxury Bentley automobile" and "more than $1 million in salary, including $494,000 in 2000." In Lithonia, Ga., the residents' average annual income is $25,154. Christian Oyakhilome Nigerian Chris Oyakhilome has a net worth of $50 million. He preaches at Christ Embassy in Lagos, Nigeria, a mega-church that boasts more than 40,000 members, several of whom are successful business executives and politicians. Oyakhilome accumulates his wealth through his businesses, which include newspapers, magazines, a television station, a record label, satellite TV, hotels and extensive real estate. In Nigeria, where 54.98 percent of citizens live below poverty level, the median income is under $2 a day. Bishop T.D. Jakes T.D. Jakes is a Texan pastor with a net worth of $18 million. T.D. Jakes has earned his wealth as chief pastor of The Potter's House, a non-denominational mega-church, with 30,000 members, located in Dallas. The Trinity Broadcasting Network and Black Entertainment Television both air his services and evangelistic sermons. Jakes has been called America's best preacher by Time magazine and has been featured on its cover. He reportedly lives in a $1.7 million mansion in suburban Dallas. The average median annual income in the community he serves is $56,954. Temitope B. Joshua Temitope B. Joshua who heads the Synagogue Church of all Nations in Lagos, Nigeria, is one of the richest Black preachers in the world with a net worth of $15 million. SCOAN accommodates over 15,000 members on Sundays and currently has branches in Ghana, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Greece. Joshua also owns a Christian television network, Emmanuel TV. In Nigeria, over half of the population live on under $2 a day – under the threshold of poverty. Charles Blake The Memphis Flyer reports that Bishop Charles Blake of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ "earns a $900,000 salary and owns a 10,000-square-foot mansion in Beverly Hills, while most of his congregation lives in impoverished South Central Los Angeles." The church boasts 20,000 members weekly. In South Central Los Angeles, the median annual income is $27,907. Matthew Ashimolowo Nigerian pastor Matthew Ashimolowo and has a net worth of $10 million and sits at the helm of Kingsway International Christian Center in London. The church is reportedly the largest Pentecostal church in the U.K. In 2009, the church posted profits of close to $10 million. Ashimolowo earned much of his wealth from various businesses, including Matthew Ashimolowo Media, which sells documentaries and Christian literature. In Ashimolowo's home country Nigeria, 54.98 percent of the citizens live below the poverty level at under $2 a day.

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