20 Famous Megachurch Pastors and the Churches That Built Their Influence
Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, Rick Warren, Joyce Meyer, and Brian Houston are among the famous megachurch pastors whose ministries have reshaped modern Christianity. Through churches like Lakewood, The Potter’s House, Saddleback, Joyce Meyer Ministries, and Hillsong, they’ve combined faith, media, and humanitarian outreach to impact millions.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Key takeaways
- List of megachurch pastors
- 1. Joel Scott Osteen
- 2. T.D. Jakes
- 3. Rick Warren
- 4. Creflo Dollar
- 5. Billy Hybels
- 6. Andy Stanley
- 7. Joyce Meyer
- 8. Kenneth Copeland
- 9. David Oyedepo
- 10. Brian Huston
- 11. Enoch Adeboye
- 12. Joseph Prince
- 13. Steve Furtick
- 14. Craig Groeschel
- 15. Chris Hodges
- 16. Jentezen Franklin
- 17. A.R. Bernard
- 18. Robb Thompson
- 19. Matt Chandler
- 20. Mark Batterson
- Final Word
Key takeaways
- Megachurch pastors, including Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes and Rick Warren use media, live streams, and satellite campuses to spread Christian teachings across continents.
- With advanced technology, contemporary music, and dynamic preaching, megachurches have redefined worship to appeal to younger, more diverse audiences.
- Many megachurches run extensive programs, such as food banks, disaster relief, and counseling services, directly supporting local and global communities.
- Their size and visibility allow megachurches to shape public discourse, promote faith-based values, and advocate for social change on a large scale.
List of megachurch pastors
In the past several decades, Megachurches have exploded in number and influence. These churches have transformed the global religious landscape and are often led by pastors who have grown their influence beyond the pulpit through TV, books, social media, and international ministries. Here’s the list of famous megachurch pastors.
| Pastor | Church |
| Joel Scott Osteen | Lakewood Church |
| T.D. Jakes | The Potter’s House |
| Rick Warren | Saddleback Church |
| Creflo Dollar | Christian World Changers Church |
| Billy Hybels | Willow Creek Community Church |
| Andy Stanley | North Point Community Church |
| Joyce Meyer | Joyce Meyer Ministries |
| Kenneth Copeland | Eagle Mountain International Church |
| David Oyedepo | Living Faith Church Worldwide ( Winners Chapel) |
| Brian Huston | Hillsong Church |
| Enoch Adeboye | The Redeemed Church of God |
| Joseph Prince | New Creation Church |
| Steve Furtick | Elevation Church |
| Craig Groeschel | Life Church |
| Chris Hodges | Church of the Highlands |
| Jentezen Franklin | Free Chapel |
| A.R. Bernard | Christian Cultural Center |
| Robb Thompson | Family Harvest Church |
| Matt Chandler | The Village Church |
| Mark Batterson | National Community Church |
1. Joel Scott Osteen
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: March 5, 1946
- Church: Lakewood Church
- Year established: 1959
- Headquarters: Houston, Texas
Evangelist Joel Osteen is the senior pastor at Lakewood Church, arguably the largest church in the United States. It has a capacity of 16,800 congregants and boasts over 40,000 attendees weekly. The American pastor serves as a co-pastor with his wife, Victoria. They are well known for their weekly televised services and several best-selling books.
Does Joel Osteen get paid to be a pastor? Lakewood Church does not pay Joel Osteen a salary, and his earnings primarily come from book sales.
2. T.D. Jakes
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: June 9, 1957
- Church: The Potter’s House
- Year established: 1996
- Headquarters: Dallas, Texas
Thomas Dexter Jakes is an evangelical, non-denominational Christian pastor whose services and evangelistic sermons are also broadcast on Potter’s Touch. In 2008, The Potter’s House was ranked as the 10th largest church, with a capacity of about 8,000 and a weekly attendance of 17,000.
As the leader of one of the world's megachurches, Bishop T.D. Jakes receives preferential treatment and has reportedly flown in and used private Jets.
3. Rick Warren
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: January 28, 1954
- Church: Saddleback Church
- Year established: 1980
- Headquarters: Lake Forest, California
Richard Duane Warren is an evangelical Christian pastor who founded the Saddleback Church. It’s an evangelical, non-denominational Christian megachurch in California with a weekly attendance of 30,000 congregants.
The church boasts several campuses worldwide and in California, with Andy Wood as the senior pastor. Rick Warren is one of the few ultra-wealthy pastors with a net worth of about $25 million. He is one of the pastors who prominently preach that self-worth and net worth are not connected.
4. Creflo Dollar
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: January 28, 1962
- Church: Christian World Changers Church
- Year established: 1986
- Headquarters: College Park, Georgia
Creflo Augustus Dollar Jr. is an American pastor, televangelist, and head of the Creflo Dollar Ministerial Association. He is also the founder of the Christian World Changers Church International, which hosts four services each Sunday and a weekly TV show and radio broadcast, Changing the World.
With over 30,000 members and $70 million in revenue, Dollar has been criticised for living an expensive and lavish lifestyle with a net worth of $27 million.
5. Billy Hybels
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: December 12, 1951
- Church: Willow Creek Community Church
- Year established: 1975
- Headquarters: South Barrington, Illinois
William Hybels is an American figure and a pioneer of the seeker-sensitive church model. He is a former Willow Creek Community Church pastor and the Willow Creek Association founder.
He has also authored several Christian books on the subject of Christian leadership. In April 2018, Hybels was forced to resign from his position after sexual misconduct allegations were made against him. The allegations were found to be true after an independent review, despite him denying all the allegations.
6. Andy Stanley
Source: Instagram
- Date of birth: May 16, 1958
- Church: North Point Community Church
- Year established: 1995
- Headquarters: Alpharetta, Georgia
Charles Andrew Stanley is an American non-denominational evangelical Pastor of a Christian Church with several campuses across the northern metro Atlanta area.
Stanley is the senior pastor and founder of North Point Community Church. It’s a megachurch with an attendance of 43,830 people in eight different locations. In 2017, Stanley was identified as one of the ten most influential pastors in America by a survey by Outreach Magazine.
7. Joyce Meyer
Source: Instagram
- Date of birth: June 4, 1943
- Church: Joyce Meyer Ministries
- Year established: 1985
- Headquarters: Fenton, Missouri
Pauline Joyce Meyer is a charismatic Christian speaker, author, and president of Joyce Meyer Ministries. In 2005, she was listed in Times Magazine's "25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America." Meyer is one of the richest pastors and has been criticised for her expensive lifestyle, which includes several homes and a private jet.
8. Kenneth Copeland
Source: Instagram
- Date of birth: December 6, 1936
- Church: Eagle Mountain International Church
- Year of establishment: 1986
- Headquarters: Newark, Texas
Kenneth Max Copeland is an American televangelist and the founder of Eagle Mountain International Church. Copeland is part of the Word of Faith movement and preaches prosperity theology. He is also known for his broadcast, The Believer's Voice of Victory.
In May 2019, Copeland was criticised for using church contributions to buy a $20 million jet and fund his lavish lifestyle.
9. David Oyedepo
Source: Instagram
- Date of birth: September 27, 1954
- Church: Living Faith Church Worldwide ( Winners Chapel)
- Year established: 1981
- Headquarters: Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria
Pastor David Olaniyi Oyedepo is regarded as a pioneer of the African Charismatic Christian movement. His Living Faith Church, also known as Winners' Chapel International, has over six million members in 147 countries.
In 2011, Oyedepo was named by Forbes magazine as the richest pastor in Nigeria despite being accused of a tax evasion scheme through the network of churches in different countries.
10. Brian Huston
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: February 17, 1954
- Church: Hillsong Church
- Year established: 1983
- Headquarters: Sydney, Australia
Brian Charles Houston is an Australian-New Zealand pastor and evangelist who founded Hillsong Church. The church is known for its contemporary worship songs, with groups such as Hillsong United, Hillsong Worship, and Hillsong Young & Free, which have many hits and criticisms.
Amid controversies in 2022, Houston stepped down from his role as the global senior pastor of the church after being found to have breached the church's moral code.
11. Enoch Adeboye
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: March 2, 1942
- Church: The Redeemed Church of God
- Year established: 1952
- Headquarters: Ebute Metta, Lagos, Nigeria
Enoch Adejare Adebayo is the second Nigerian pastor to be listed as the most influential Megachurch pastor in the world. He is the current General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and was the national president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria between 1992 and 1995.
The Redeemed Christian Church of God is in over 197 countries. It has over nine million members worldwide, including over five million in Nigeria alone. Pastor Adeboye is one of the megachurch pastors with jets.
12. Joseph Prince
Source: Instagram
- Date of birth: May 15, 1963
- Church: New Creation Church
- Year established: 1983
- Headquarters: Singapore
Joseph Prince is an evangelist and senior pastor of the New Creation Church, a Christian megachurch based in Singapore. The New Christian Church is a member of the National Council of Churches of Singapore. Its church services are held at the Star Performing Arts Centre, which has a capacity of 5,000 seats and a weekly attendance of 14,700 congregants.
According to a 2019 survey by The Straits Times, the church made it to Singapore's 10 largest charities. It also manages Rock Productions Pte Ltd. This business arm owns and operates a shopping mall, a performing arts Centre, and a travel agency, Omega Tours and Travels.
13. Steve Furtick
Source: Instagram
- Date of birth: February 19, 1980
- Church: Elevation Church
- Year established: 2006
- Headquarters: Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Larry Stevens Furtick Jr. is an American pastor, composer, and author. He founded and is also the General Overseer of Elevation Church, based in North Carolina. Furtick is well known for his philanthropic campaign of donating clothes and furniture to needy families. He is also a New York Times best-selling author.
On October 2, 2020, Furtick's program began airing on Trinity Broadcasting Network, replacing Kenneth Copeland's program Believer's Voice of Victory. In 2024, the weekly church attendance was 17,601, with over 20 campuses.
14. Craig Groeschel
Source: Instagram
- Date of Birth: December 2, 1967
- Church: Life Church
- Year established: 1996
- Headquarters: Edmond, Oklahoma, United States
Groeschel is a senior pastor at Life Church, an evangelical church in 12 U.S. states. Outreach magazine listed Life Church as the most innovative Church in 2007 and 2008, with its YouVersion Bible app hitting over 500 million downloads. The church's weekly attendance of 76,000 people in 2024 affirms its influence.
15. Chris Hodges
Source: Instagram
- Date of birth: June 21, 1964
- Church: Church of the Highlands
- Year established: 2001
- Headquarters: Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Chris W. Hodges is the senior pastor and founder of the Church of Highlands, a nondenominational multisite megachurch in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 2001 with just 34 people, Hodges expanded to an average weekly congregation of 60,000 attendees.
In February 2022, the Highlands church listed 25 campuses in Georgia and Alabama. While he is praised for his leadership coaching, many have criticised his centralised control and business church culture.
16. Jentezen Franklin
Source: Instagram
- Date of birth: July 21, 1962
- Church: Free Chapel
- Year established: 2001
- Headquarters: Gainesville, Georgia
Televangelist Jentezen Franklin is an American author and senior Free Chapel pastor based in Gainesville, Georgia. He has authored several books, including Right People, Right Place, Right Plan, Fear Fighter, and Fasting.
Franklin became a pastor in 1989 at Free Chapel, and it has grown from a congregation of 300 people to over 3500 people as of 2023.
17. A.R. Bernard
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: August 10, 1953
- Church: Christian Cultural Center
- Year established: 1978
- Headquarters: Brooklyn, New York
Alfonso R. Bernard is a megachurch pastor and founded the Christian Cultural Center (CCC) in Brooklyn, New York. It has one of the largest congregations in the city. Bernard has become a leading voice at the intersection of faith, race, economics, and urban life. His church has over 37,000 members and is located on an 11.5-acre campus.
CCC is modelled around community development and spiritual growth, with its influence going beyond church services to social initiatives that uplift communities.
18. Robb Thompson
Source: Instagram
- Date of birth: April 1953
- Church: Family Harvest Church
- Year established: 1994
- Headquarters: Tinley Park, Illinois
Robert Thompson is the founding and senior pastor of Family Harvest International in Tinley Park, Illinois, which draws over 4000 weekly attendees. Thompson experienced a transformative conversion on October 28, 1975. He later founded Midwest Christian Center in 1983 and rebranded it as Family Harvest in 1994.
Beyond the pulpit, Thompson leads the International College of Excellence and co-chairs The Gabriel Call, shaping entrepreneurs and pastors globally.
19. Matt Chandler
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: June 20, 1974
- Church: The Village Church
- Year established: 1978
- Headquarters: Flower Mound, Texas
Matt Chandler is the charismatic lead pastor of The Village Church in Flower Mound, a Southern Baptist megachurch. He joined in 2002 when attendance was just 160, and under his leadership, it grew to over 14,000 weekly attendees.
Chandler leads the global Acts 29 church-planting network and is known for his compelling, gospel-centered preaching. He has maintained a significant influence in evangelical circles despite facing personal and institutional challenges of unguarded online messaging.
20. Mark Batterson
Source: Getty Images
- Date of birth: November 5, 1969
- Church: National Community Church
- Year established: 1996
- Headquarters: Washington, D.C
Mark Batterson is the visionary and lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington, D.C. NCC began in 1996 with just three people meeting and has since grown into a multisite megachurch that houses theatres, coffeehouses, and community venues across the city.
Under his leadership, the church now owns Ebenezer's Coffeehouse, Miracle Theatre, and D.C Dream Center. Paterson is also a New York Times bestselling author of The Circle Maker. He equips believers through gospel-centred innovation, creativity, and outreach.
Final Word
Famous megachurch pastors have surely shaped modern Christian culture. Their methods and messages may vary, but they’ve gathered thousands of believers, reflecting their unique blend of vision, leadership, and cultural resonance.
Source: Original
Tuko.co.ke has shared an article about the most famous people in the world. The debate about who the most famous people in the world are continues to stir conversations.
Although fame is difficult to measure, you can use metrics such as social media followers, internet searches, and the number of news articles about them. So, who are the most famous? Read this article for details.
Proofreading by Masolo Mabonga, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
