Who are the 100 highly-paid ministry executives in the United States? Ministry Watch compiled a list with publicly available information derived from the latest Form 990 prepared by each ministry.
“We are not calling this list the ‘Highest Paid Christian Ministry Executives’ because we know that many pastors and other church leaders who might make more are not on this list, because churches are not required to make their Form 990s available to the public,” writes Warren Smith, founder of Ministry Watch.
The organization also identified what it describes as a “growing trend among Christian ministries” to legally declare themselves as churches, giing them the ability to keep their 990 forms from the public. Smith says that among the 1000 ministries who follow this practice several well-known ministries are included, including The Navigators, Gideons International, Willow Creek Association, CRU/Campus Crusade for Christ, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, and Joyce Meyer Ministries.
The report says many ministries with substantive digital broadcast ministries also keep their 990s private including Joel Osteen, David Jeremiah, Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, and Kenneth Copeland.
The list also reveals several ministries have multiple executives on the list including, Inspiration Ministries, YMCA of the USA, K-Love, and American Center for Law & Justice to name a few.
MinistryWatch believes withholding Form 990s is an unwise practice. You can read a more complete explanation of their position here.
According to Ministry Watch, the list does not include salaries from Christian colleges and universities which will be published soon.
The 15 highest-paid individuals on the list include:
| Person name | Organization name | Title | Total compensation | Period ending | Sector | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Cerullo | Inspirational Network / Inspiration Ministries | Director/President & CEO | $4,520,383 | 12/31/2021 | Radio/ TV Stations |
| 2 | Dale S Ardizzone | Inspirational Network / Inspiration Ministries | Gen Counsel & Corp Secretary | $2,463,700 | 12/31/2021 | Radio/ TV Stations |
| 3 | Charles D Pierce | Glory of Zion International Ministries | President/Director | $2,084,437 | 3/31/2022 | Foreign Missions |
| 4 | Anthony (Tony) Evans | The Urban Alternative | President | $1,407,218 | 12/31/2021 | Educational Media |
| 5 | Keith Evans | Westminster Schools | President and CEO/Board Trustee | $1,286,604 | 7/31/2022 | K-12 Schools/Academies |
| 6 | John Allman | Trinity Episcopal Schools | Head of School | $1,219,791 | 6/30/2022 | K-12 Schools/Academies |
| 7 | Thomas J. Locke | The Episcopal Academy | Head of School | $1,103,135 | 6/30/2022 | K-12 Schools/Academies |
| 8 | Cindy Trimm | Cindy Trimm Ministries | Chairman | $984,549 | 12/31/2021 | Christian Growth |
| 9 | Marissa Streit | Prager University Foundation | CEO | $978,263 | 12/31/2022 | Advocacy |
| 10 | Pierce John Mark | Glory of Zion International Ministries | Dir Special Projects | $902,382 | 3/31/2022 | Foreign Missions |
| 11 | William Franklin Graham III | Samaritan’s Purse | President | $832,738 | 12/31/2022 | Relief and Development |
| 12 | Matthew Crouch | Trinity Broadcasting Network | President | $829,697 | 12/31/2021 | Radio/ TV Stations |
| 13 | Yael Eckstein-Farkas | International Fellowship of Christians and Jews | President and CEO | $776,301 | 12/31/2021 | Advocacy |
| 14 | David Baad | The Episcopal School of Dallas | Head of School | $775,595 | 6/30/2022 | K-12 Schools/Academies |
| 15 | Jo Lynn Lindsey | Hal Lindsey Website Ministries | President | $750,000 | 12/31/2022 | Radio/ TV Stations |
For the full list, visit MinistryWatch.com.
–Metro Voice with info provided by MinistryWatch