When you think of the richest pastors in South Africa, pastors like Pastor Alph Lukau, Shepherd Bushiri, and Prophet Uebert Angel come to mind. You are not wrong because these men are on the list of the top five richest pastors in South Africa. Most of the richest pastors in South Africa and Africa started as poor men but have become some of the richest men in the country.
This is contrary to what pastors used to be known for. Pastors used to be known for living low profile and average lives. Well, that’s in the past. Today, pastors are now millionaires and some billionaires. It’s noteworthy to add that owning a church is not their only source of income for some of them. Learn more below.
Richest Pastors In South Africa
This article outlines the top five richest pastors in South Africa, how rich they are, and how they make their money. These are the top five richest pastors in South Africa:
- Pastor Alph Lukau
- Prophet Shepherd Bushiri
- Prophet Uebert Angel
- Pastor Ray McCauley
- Pastor Tshifinwa Irene
Here is what you need to know about the wealth of these rich pastors.
1. Pastor Alph Lukau
- Net Worth: $1 Billion
- Church: Alleluia Ministries International
- Position: 1st
- Other Sources of Income: Television, Author, YouTube
Sources around the web record the net worth of Alph Lukau to be $1 billion. If this is accurate, then it would mean that he is the richest Pastor in Africa and arguably the world at large. He is the general overseer of Alleluia Ministries International, a church founded in 2002.
Today the church owns branches in countries like Congo, Zambia, Namibia, and Angola. He also has church branches in South America and Europe. He is a tele-evangelist who owns a television channel called AMI TV. He is also an author and a spiritual leader to thousands of people worldwide.
He owns a YouTube channel called ‘Pastor Alph Lukau,’ and this channel has videos with millions of views. Many people appreciate his church and channel for his miracles and prophecies on display. Pastor Alph Lukau has been involved in controversies regarding his miracles. One of the biggest miracle scandals he has faced is the resurrection scandal in 2019.
2. Prophet Shepherd Bushiri
- Net Worth: $150 Million
- Church: Enlightened Christian Gathering
- Position: 2nd
- Other Sources of Income: Real Estate, Telecommunications, Agriculture, and Hotels
Prophet Shepherd Bushiri has a net worth of $150 million. He is the founder and senior Pastor of Enlightened Christian Gathering. His church is regarded as one of the fastest-growing churches in the world. Bushiri is one of the richest pastors in Africa and the world at large.
He owns a television station, farms, real estate companies, and telecommunications companies, to mention but a few of his sources of income. He is one of those pastors who did not start as a rich man as he was born in Malawi and moved to South Africa for greener pastures. There are a lot of controversies surrounding Bushiri. There are even reports that his real name is Chipiliro Gama and not Shepherd Bushiri.
Currently, Bushiri is on the run in Malawi. He had to leave South Africa against court order after seeing that his life and that of his wife were at stake. He is currently facing 8 charges of rape, 2 counts of money laundering, and 2 counts of fraud. Despite the court cases he is facing, his online church gathering on YouTube is still functional.
3. Prophet Uebert Angel
- Net Worth: $100 Million
- Church: Good News Church
- Position: 3rd
- Other Sources of Income: Real Estate, The Angel Organisation, Online Bible School
Prophet Uebert Angel has an estimated net worth of $100 million. He is the founder of Spirit Embassy. Aside from being well known as a pastor, Uebert Angel is also famous for being a businessman. His church was founded in 2007 as ‘Spirit Embassy.’ However, in 2015, he changed the name to ‘Good News Church’ while ‘Spirit Embassy’ is now the general name for his ministry.
He is into real estate and is the founder of The Millionaire Academy, an academy through which he teaches people how to make money and excel in business. He is also the CEO of The Angel Organisation, a parent company for his other businesses and investments like Brits Bank and Atom Mobile. Uebert Angel is the President of Osborn Institute of Theology, an online Bible school that was launched in 2012.
4. Pastor Ray McCauley
- Net Worth: $29 Million
- Church: Rhema Bible Church
- Position: 4th
- Other Sources of Income: Author
Pastor Ray McCauley is the leader and former Senior Pastor of Rhema Bible Church. He has an estimated net worth of $29 million. He served as the President of the International Federation of Christian Churches and a co-chair of the National Interfaith Council of South Africa.
After attending Rhema Bible Training Center between 1978 and 1979, Ray McCauley decided to start Rhema Bible Church under Rhema Ministries South Africa. It is important to add that Kenneth Hagin founded Rhema Bible Training Center. Pastor Ray started Rhema Bible Church using the house of his parents, Jimmy McCauley and Doreen McCauley.
The church began to grow to the point where the house could no longer accommodate its members; as such, they had to move to a 5,000-seater capacity auditorium located in Randburg, Johannesburg. Today, Rhema Bible Church is the single largest auditorium in South Africa with 45,000 members, and its Pastor is one of the wealthiest Pastors in South Africa.
He is also an author and tele-evangelist. Ray McCauley has been criticized for living a millionaire’s lifestyle and for his association with the ANC political party.
5. Farmer Angus Buchan
- Net Worth: $1 Million to $1.9 Million
- Church: Shalom Ministries
- Position: 5th
- Other Sources of Income: Agriculture
Farmer Angus Buchan is a Scottish Zimbabwean, and he has an estimated net worth of between $1 million to $1.9 million. In 1980, he started his ministry called Shalom Ministries, and he aimed to travel around Africa to preach the Gospel.
Before starting the ministry, he used to farm maize and rear cattle. When Angus became a full-time evangelist, he handed over the running of his farm to his sons. Angus Buchan is still into full-time evangelism as he travels across the world to preach. In April 2017, he started a prayer meeting in Bloemfontein, and by 2018, his prayer meeting recorded up to a million people in attendance.
Like every other Pastor on this list, Angus Buchan has faced controversies. One of such controversies has to do with his position on the LGBTQ community and gender equality. He believes members of the LGBTQ community are sick and need to be cured.
