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Kenneth Copeland has come a long in his journey with decades of preaching and speaking prosperity gospel. The American televangelist Kenneth Max Copeland was born on December 6, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas. His parents Aubrey Wayne and Vinita Pearl raised him in West Texas nearby the airfield of United States Army Air forces, where he was inspired to be a pilot. He is famously known for his association with the Charismatic Movement. He is commonly called the preacher of the prosperity gospel, where he established himself an organization of his own called Kenneth Copeland Ministries. The ministry he built is based in Tarrant Country, Texas.
During their teenage years, he has attended the Polytechnic Senior High School, and after he graduated in 1954, he then continued his studies and enrolled at Oral Roberts University. Just before he was able o graduate from the university, he was offered a job to be one of the pilots and chauffeur at the Oral Roberts. Right around the same time, he also became a recording artist and then signed a contract with the label Imperial Records. His first ever single titled Pledge of Love which was released in 1967, became a hit and reached Billboard's Top 40, and stayed on the charts for 15 consecutive weeks.
How Copeland Amassed $800 Million Net Worth
The American author, gospel teacher, and speaker Copeland has written around twenty books in the last seven decades and has also starred in a lot of television shows which include his own TV series Believer's Voice of Victory. He currently has an estimated net worth of $800 million. The evangelist has been identified as the preacher of the prosperity gospel. Kenneth Copeland can thank his own television series called Believer's Voice of Victory for his wealth today. His wealth came mostly from his TV series, which started airing in 2010. The televangelist has had two unsuccessful marriages to Ivy Bodiford and Cynthia Davis before meeting and later married his current wife Gloria in 1963.
With the helping hand of Gloria, the two of them founded the organization Kenneth Copeland Ministries. The organization's famous line, Jesus is Lord from the bible verse Romans 10:9, has been thriving among its followers since the organization's creation. With over 120 million people the couple worked with, the two of them were able to make about $2 million annually. The couple felt that their organization was still not enough, so they decided to venture into the TV industry, with Copeland becoming a TV personality. The American evangelist also had some sporadic radio appearances. His first-ever television debut was in 1982 on the series Praise The Lord. After his work on the said series, he also appeared in similar TV series such as Beverly's Voice of Victory, The Jim Bakker Show, and Commander Kellie and the Superkids. Just these TV appearances alone made him accumulate a wealth of about $20 million in the year 2010.
Kenneth Copeland’s Mass Appeal Lead To His Success
Kenneth Copeland is famously known for his service as a prosperity gospel speaker and teacher across the world. He is charismatic, which can be attributed as the main reason he is so successful and loves the public. Since the new millennium years, Kenneth Copeland can be considered one of the most successful religious leaders in America. For several decades now, his ministry has organized conventions across the world that can last from three to six days.
Most of the events they have organized are also live-streamed on his website, and some Christian TV stations, later on, show his events as well, including GodTV and Daystar Television Network. Before his show Believer's Voice of Victory started in 2010, he appeared in different TV films and productions, including Covenant Rider, The Rally, Superkid Academy, and The Treasure of Eagle Mountain.
Personal Life And Controversies
Kenneth Copeland was married twice before meeting his wife, Gloria. His marriage to Ivy Bodiford in October 1955 resulted in one child, Terri Copeland Pearsons. After his divorce from Bodiford, he later married Cynthia Davis in 1958 and lasted for just three years. With the hope of finally finding a lasting love for the third time's a charm, he married Gloria in 1963, and they have been together ever since. The couple has two children, John Copeland and Kellie Copeland. Gloria helps him grow The Believer's Voice of Victory, where she also hosts as well alongside her husband.
In 2010, right after they founded Kenneth Copeland Ministries, it was criticized for failing to fly a disaster relief mission to the Haiti earthquake victims. They reportedly promised relief assistance aviation called Angel Flight 44. In 2006 Copeland announced that they would need funding for the Angel Flight 44, and a lot of people gladly donated to the cause. However, the promised relief assistance was unsuccessful because the aircraft had some airplane repairs and was not in the best condition to fly.
Sources: Christian Today, Wealthy Genius, KCM