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

[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!!

[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

[bensonwood]

01:16 AM on 02/12/2012

WHEN YOU GIVE TO THE POOR......PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
BUT GOD DOES. SO GOD MEETS YOUR EVERY NEED.

BEEN THERE.

[bensonwood]

01:13 AM on 02/12/2012

WHY.......DO THESE GUYS LIVE SO GOOD?

GOD SAYS, LUKE;
"GIVE ..........AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN UNTO YOU....
PRESSED DOWN
SHAKEN TOGETHER......RUNNING OVER...
MEN ..........WILL GIVE UNTO YOU.

BASICALLY;
SOW AND REAP.

-THANK YOU VERY MUCH LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

[bensonwood]

02:36 PM on 02/11/2012

HARD TO BELIEVE;

Gods original plan in the Garden...... no man worked for any man. All men followed their passion(hearts). So all other men needed what any man produced. The same thing goes on today...... except........only a few men pursue their passions......where God is.

Other men make the mistake of going get a job. Where they will work for other men.
That was not Gods original plan. If you have a passion ....pursue it. The college educated will work for you. What ever is inside of you....(God and good) is God. Chase it.

(Making a distinction. Chase NO evil, you will catch hell).

The good passions will produce for you.
God says your gift will make room for you.

Remember ....... I speak from the first two good chapters Gen. where men were still good. Good in nature.......you know the dna.

Not after the fall of human NATURE Gen. 3.

[bensonwood]

01:58 PM on 02/11/2012

The original A'dum, Adam in his nature was perfectly good. No flaws in his nature. The nature that men see now is the only NATURE they know .....broken. So they say "hat amount of money impossible."

When you have been trained and taught some form of poverty by the clergy.... what else can you see?

I have watched these kind of people be dismissed in my face by God.
God has never ever been broke.

WHEN ONE GETS SAVED. THEY WILL READ IN THE WORD, "RENEW YOUR MIND." TO WHAT? GODS ORIGINAL PLAN. WHICH IS WHERE GOD WANTS TO TAKE HIS PEOPLE. "THE BORN OF GOD PEOPLE." BETTER KNOW AS BORN AGAIN.

God and read the dismissal. Study Isa. 41:10 - 16. Ah man GOD.

[Deos]

01:03 AM on 02/09/2012

I understand that in order to have a so called descent life, you will need a steady source of financial income...but millions...come on...??? Im I the only one that see this a$$$ to much for the message that they are trying to preach???

[bensonwood]

08:09 AM on 02/07/2012

When you are good at something...... you have to go on. humans outside of God are jealous, hateful AND LOST LOST. Jesus said you gift will make room for you.

[jgdyogiangel]

05:58 PM on 02/05/2012

Saint Bernadette couldn't touch money it burned her hand and she had to drop it. Her little brother was making money off her visions by selling her likeness and she slapped him in the face and told him to never do it again. She lived in an old abandoned jail with her family, in poverty. Looking towards Fatima, the kids were from very poor families as were the kids in Medjugoria who saw the divnine mother. Poverty isn't necessary to find God, but simple living and being desire free are. You can't serve God and money together it doesn't work. That these ministers do love money so much, speaks to the immaturity of some Christian churches in America today and the warped message they are giving others.

[bensonwood]

11:11 AM on 02/06/2012

Awful ungodly story.
No one......wants to live life that.....that....is not God. That is misrepresentation of God. In fact...that is the devil.
Awful ungodly story

Opinions are not truth. Just a misguided OPINION.

[jgdyogiangel]

11:52 PM on 02/07/2012

I really have no idea what you're talking about. Are you calling Saint Bernadette ungodly. A simple child who had visions of the virgin Mary, proven by miracles. Who lived her life as a holy nun and after death her body was incorrupt. That is not ungodly it is as Godly as it gets.

[Todd Tomasella]

04:39 PM on 02/06/2012

Saint Bernadette? Is she yet another catholic idol? No Bernadette in God's Word. Want to encourage you to read and heed the Bible which is God's Word friend.

[jgdyogiangel]

11:50 PM on 02/07/2012

Let me see, she had visions of the virgin Mary at a young age, and spent her life as a nun in a holy monastery. When she died her body was incorrupt and may still be viewed. She isn't an idol, she is someone who lived Christ's teachings to the maximum, a living example as are Saint Francis, Padre pio, and Therese Neumann, all who had the stigmata. Want to encourage you to start reading about people who, like those in the BIble, knew God, spoke to him and were spoken to by Him and have a message of love, humility and goodness for us all. Your view is narrow and although the Bible is wonderful there are other sources of God's presence in this world.l

[bensonwood]

06:05 PM on 02/08/2012

Saint Who.............Jesus!!!!!