Best Paid Pastors Make Hundreds Of Thousands To Millions Of Dollars Annually

From church closings and foreclosures of houses of worship across the nation to the limited number of clergy jobs for new rabbis, imams and pastors, the recession has hit religious Americans just as it has affected the tens of millions of the country's jobless.

Even before the recession, most spiritual leaders of small towns and big cities across the United States earned meager salaries, with annual pay for Catholic priests and imams ranging from $25,000 to $30,000 and the average Protestant pastor making $40,000 a year, according to a recent survey.

Yet, even in difficult times, some churches and pastors are soaring. While not a definitive guide, HuffPost Religion has has compiled a slideshow of some of the best paid pastors in America. For several, their high income comes not only from employment as pastors, but also from TV appearances, book sales and charity management.

For the lucky few, being a pastor can mean being a multi-millionaire.

Comments

[furpurr]

10:07 PM on 04/10/2013

Why is Rev. Jeremiah Wright not mentioned?? He lives in a $1 mil + home, & has a $10 mil line of credit!! OH, wait... Could it be that he was not mentioned because he is a liberal {allegedly}?? http://hotair.com/greenroom/archives/2010/06/29/obamas-shorebank-jeremiah-wrights-10-million-cash-machine/

[heartfocus]

04:43 PM on 03/19/2013

You missed Greg Laurie of mega church Harvest in Southern California! He is wealthy.

[j little]

01:54 PM on 02/20/2013

These preachers are false & running a hustle however its not illegal and the govt. needs to mind its business. Truth is the people giving the $$ are looking to get rich or get something too. The govt. has it lottery & the false preachers have their false gospel. The govt wants the money to waste. Back off gov. there's a sucker born every minute. Many of these suckers don't want the real Gospel. Only in America does this occur--only in America is this a problem.

[heartfocus]

04:45 PM on 03/19/2013

What do you mean, they don't want the "real Gospel." Its all the same junk, that a diety came down to earth to save everyone from himself and his anger, and tortured himself. Its all basically that idea.

[Talmag]

11:16 AM on 02/02/2013

I think the government is missing out on a lot of money as many of these so called preachers get a tax exempt form quite easily and some just call themselves preachers or ministers and do not have to prove their church or background. I have seen it personally when I worked in retail and many got these no tax forms with no problems and some were not ministers or pastors or clergy.....but they had a no tax form .

[Talmag]

11:13 AM on 02/02/2013

Yeah...why is this? Preaching giving to the poor and such and yet they receive a splendid and luxurious salary and live a pretty good life for a preacher. The living quarters isn't so bad either and not sure if they pay the mortgage on the homes they live in or if the community does. Either way...aint a bad life for these preachers.

[Andyroo 88]

03:57 PM on 01/23/2013

As one of those pastors pulling in $25,000/year I can say that nothing destroys ones heart more than greed and hatred of the marginalized, two things which walk hand in hand. Let us be free to have just enough so that we may live without unnecessary discomfort. And encourage everyone in the community of faith to do with a little bit less, so that others may live a more fulfilling and less impoverished existence.

[heartfocus]

04:47 PM on 03/19/2013

You are still much wealthier than many millions of seniors and people on disability. That's still a good chunk of moola to be peddling the bizarre idea of a blood sacrifice by a diety. The only reason why the whole idea doesn't look bizarre to us is because we all grew up with it in America. Dare to question authority!

[Andyroo 88]

01:14 AM on 03/27/2013

Ohhhh look at you. You can smack talk over the internet.

[Redmenace Martin]

10:41 AM on 10/11/2012

And most are "non profit" organizations. I think they had a typo, they should be called non prophet as their messages have little to do these days with anything other than politics, prosperity pyramid schemes and the impending Islamic revolution in America. I want to start wearing a tricorn hat with crosses stapled to it carrying a sign saying "I want my religion back" Or a flag with a bible on it saying "Don't tread on me" I wonder if any members of their congregations went to bed hungry or on the street while they dined on steak and slept in their million dollar mansion. Jesus was the original 99 percenter. WWJD? I guess they will all find out one day!

[OldTulsan]

07:13 PM on 11/19/2012

Acts 4:35

"And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need". (KJV)

"From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs." -- Karl Marx

[Tracy Elise]

10:36 PM on 05/04/2012

Abundance for our spiritual leadership does have an upper limit in my eyes; there is comfortable and there is opulent! If these pastors are representing Jesus, what happened to His directive to 'sell all you have and give the proceeds to the poor, and this day you shall be with me in heaven'. My biggest gripe isn't their abundance, it's how these same bible teachers pick and choose what they will follow when it comes to Jesus instructions. If you're going to re=interpret scripture for the modern era, then don't be a 'viper and a hypocrite' and go after gays, female spiritual authority, or other people who worship differently. If they are loving God and loving one another, Jesus was clear; you have fulfilled my Father's commandments. With the light density all around from the 2012 Photon band positioning of earth, we can all draw in more abundant living....ask long as they share and their donors approve, this personal wealth is okay, but NOT while they condemn others!!

[heartfocus]

04:50 PM on 03/19/2013

"....the light density from the 2012 Photon band positioning of earth."
What kind of woo woo is that?

[gregorymill]

05:39 PM on 04/07/2012

The church has not been truthful in its teaching of tithes and offerings if you truly study it you will see. They place heaven burdens on the people and use scriptures such as malachi 3 to place individuals in condemnation for not giving 10 percent of there salary. We spend in excess of billions of dollars on church buildings when God says he does not dwell in temples made with mans hands. Pure and undefiled religion is taking care of the homeless and the widows. There was a time when I tithed faithfully and in doing so i never had to give to those in need. Every time the church doors would open my wallet and my wifes purse would to. If a man doesnt work let him not eat.

[WHarris]

08:10 PM on 04/06/2012

It never ceases to amaze me! When the minister is made wealthy for serving God and the people, s/he becomes labelled as greedy unless s/he gives the majority of their money away. When other professionals are made wealthy from their endeavors, we celebrate their accomplishments, have no expectation for them to give the majority of their money away, and urge our children to copy their work ethic. Yet, the All-Sufficient God who is King of the Universe, cannot or should not financially prosper those who work for Him and are considered to be His children/heirs, BUT He can and should financially prosper those who work in other jobs or professions AND those people should be given charge for keeping the minister poor. Does anyone other than me see anything inherently wrong with this picture? Every pastor profiled is entrepreneurial with multiple streams of income and has made good investments.

[RTEGonline]

01:51 PM on 05/07/2012

You make a great point, however, I only see a handful of them surrendering their pastoral salaries to live solely off of their entrepreneurial salaries. If they are making $10 million per year on private ventures, then why deprived the church establishment of the $500k to $1mil that they're receiving and that could easily be used in other areas of the ministry. In essence, what can't they do with $11 million that they can't do with $10 million?

There's no need for them to live the lifestyles that they do when most of their membership is wondering how the mortgage will get paid. As Christians, we are obligated to tithe and I have no problem with that. I also have no problem with where the tithe money goes because at the end of the day, truth comes to the light and if they're abusing it, they will also answer for it.

[martha high]

12:48 AM on 03/07/2012

Kenneth Copeland is a billionaire and so is Pat Robinson

[DeAdra Phillips]

08:45 AM on 03/03/2012

Every now and again we NEED to be reminded how much God loves others more than he loves us! SMH There is a thin black line between the word PIMP and Preacher! Only God can/will judge!

[bensonwood]

06:15 AM on 02/19/2012

Sow corn you get corn. sow money you get money........been there since 1993.
Never had a bill that could not be paid. Never have gone without.
Love ya

[bensonwood]

06:13 AM on 02/19/2012

LUKE says, " Give and men will give unto you." God uses men on earth to give unto your cause.
See if God sent money to earth it would be counterfeit. So........ God uses men on earth.

Rich people know this...so they give to charity's and stay rich. Poor people don't know this so they stay --- poor bless their little hearts.

[postieprice]

10:10 AM on 02/14/2012

Whoops that was a bit embaressing about Rick Warren wasn't it