Net Worth: $1.6 million Born in 1958 in Rio de Janeiro, Silas Malafaia is a Pentacostal pastor, author, and a televangelist, with a degree in psychology. He’s the leader of the Assembleia de Deus Vitoria em Cristo (Assembly of God Victory in Christ), a branch of the broader Pentacostal Assembleias de Deus movement in Brazil.
While Forbes estimated his worth at $150 million (US dollars), Malafaia has denied this, stating his worth is closer to $6 million Brazilian, which is about $1.6 million US. Malafaia is known as a political figure, and has helped elect twenty-four mayors and sixteen city councilmen in seven states.
Ray McCauley
Net Worth: $28 million One of South Africa's richest pastors at an estimated worth of $28 million, Ray McCauley was born in 1949, and is the President of the International Federation of Christian Churches, the Senior Pastor of Rhema Bible Church, the co-chair of the National Interfaith Council of South Africa, an author, and even a former champion bodybuilder.
He has drawn some controversy of being a proponent of the prosperity gospel (think Joel Osteen), but he has denied the criticism. More controversy came his way in 2000, when his wife Lyndie instituted divorce proceedings, which caused a large portion of the congregation to depart.
Valdemiro Santiago
Net Worth: $220 million Born in 1963 in Brazil, Valdemiro Santiago's total estimated net worth is $220 million, and he has been a Brazilian minister for more than thirty years. Santiago was allegedly expelled from the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, though Santiago claims he left the church of his own free will after misunderstandings with Bishop Edir Macedo.
Soon after he left the UCKG, Santiago created the World Church of the Power of God. After just a short period, the church had locations full of members in all Brazilian states, and ten locations in the Rio de Janeiro state. He is another prosperity gospel aficionado.
R.R. Soares
Net Worth: $125 million Soares is yet another Brazilian entry, and is even related to Edir Macedo by marriage. He became a televangelist and faith healer in the late 1960s after reading a book by T.L. Osborn, and founded the International Church of God's Grace in 1980. Soares averages about a hundred hours of screen time on Brazilian television.
Soares has written almost a dozen books, produced a number of music CDs, and written several songs. Forbes has estimated his net worth at $125 million. Like plenty of the other members of this list, he is a preacher of the prosperity gospel.
Dalai Lama
Net Worth: $150 million When you think of the Dalai Lama, “rich” might not come to mind, but this spiritual leader's net worth is estimated to be around $150 million. His holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, describes himself as a simple Buddhist monk, living as a refugee in India.
The Dalai Lama is the title given by the Tibetan people for the foremost leader of the Gelug or “Yellow Hat” school of Tibetan Buddhism. Though the title was formed in 1391, it's the newest of the classic schools of Tibetan Buddhism. While fortunate monetarily, the Dalai Lama once said: “If you realize that you have enough, you are truly rich.”