While you have likely heard the term televangelist before or seen them on television as you flip through the channels, who are they?
Televangelists are evangelical preachers, official or self-proclaimed, who conduct regularly televised religious programs to spread the good word. And some of them seem to have amassed great wealth. How is that?
How do televangelists make money?
Many people may wonder about this when it has been understood that churches often make little to no money for their services.
In this article, we will discuss how televangelists make money and the different ways they can be compensated for their work.
How Do Televangelists Make Money?
Televangelists have been very creative in how they make money. Along the way, many have found ways to profit from their preaching and build enormous fortunes.
Here are some of the most common methods with which televangelists make money:
- Donations
- TV Networks
- Paid Speaking Engagements
- Cashing in on Fame
- Compensation through Perks
Let’s look at each of these more closely.
#1. Donations
First on our list of ways televangelists make money is through donations. Like many other religious services, televised or not, televangelists often make money from the donations of large congregations, individuals, and other churches.
Additionally, in the age of social media, televangelists can leverage their public persona on social media to reach a greater audience than those that tune in to their TV broadcast. It is also a great, low to no-cost way to further build their following, which can increase the number of donations they can collect.
#2. TV Networks
Likely one of the most obvious ways televangelists make money is through TV networks. Just like your favorite late-night programs, televangelists are providing a televised service on an episode basis.
Televangelists are paid by the networks they appear on, the airtime they use, as well as for the number of viewers their episodes receive. Also, they can make money from royalties and selling their show to other networks or streaming platforms.
#3. Paid speaking events
Paid speaking events are another way in which televangelists can make money. While fame and press are not requirements for this paid opportunity, they surely help.
When televangelists gain popularity, they may receive requests for speaking engagements, including university graduations and religious retreats. These events can be held in any location from churches to stadiums. Generally, the more popular one is, the higher their compensation will be per speaking event.
#4. Fame
This category is a bit abstract, but it is because it covers a lot. Once televangelists amass some popularity and fame, this tends to open the door to other opportunities to make money.
With a faithful audience base, many televangelists can feel confident that they have a market that would support them if they created products for profit. Televangelists choose to write books, sell faith-based products, and others start podcasts.
Books and podcasts are popular mediums to choose once your fame has increased because it gives televangelists the opportunity to reach more people. It also gives you the ability to share more of your life and backstory with your followers.
#5. Compensation through perks
A logical follow-up to the previous point is compensation through perks. While this isn’t making money in the traditional sense, it is a way in which televangelists are compensated for their work.
An example of this is when a televangelist is booked for a speaking engagement or to host an event and the trip is all-expensive paid.
Not only does the televangelist receive actual payment for the service rendered but, in this scenario, they would also receive free transportation, food, lodging, and possibility other free amenities and accommodations.
Conclusion
As you’ve seen in this article, televangelists are evangelical preachers who preach to large masses of people traditionally via television and now also through social networks. Many of them are very successful in building a large following and making a lot of money.
How do they do it? How do televangelists make money?
It turns out that they have many opportunities to make money. In this article, we reviewed five such opportunities. Donations make up a key component of their money-making strategies. TV Networks that carry their programs also compensate them for their time and talent. Additionally, they get paid to speak at events and their fame opens other doors to make money by writing books and selling products.
While some are more obvious than others, all five methods play a role in how these public figures amass their fortunes.
