It’s not a coincidence that Christianity is one of the world’s most popular religions. It has been thousands of years since the religion founded by Jesus Christ spread throughout the world and many different denominations have emerged as a result.
People go to church to worship God by turning to His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Christ’s teachings are the foundation of Christianity’s numerous denominations and modes of worship, which are all based on his teachings.
As commanded by Christ in the Bible, the Church is a holy place where Christians pray, worship, and engage in holy activities. Most of these historically significant churches are well-known for their astronomical monetary worth.
The World’s 10 Richest Churches & Their Total Asset Value (2022).
It doesn’t matter what order they’re in, here are the top 10 richest churches in the world, along with their respective headquarters and net worth.
- The Catholic Church
The apostles of Jesus founded the Catholic Church, the world’s largest and oldest Christian denomination. About 2 billion people have been baptized, and it has had a significant impact on the world’s history.
There are more than 3000 dioceses in nearly every continent and country of the world under the leadership of Pope Francis, who Forbes ranks as the 4th most powerful person in the world. Vatican City is the organization’s headquarters.
- Anglican (Church of England)
In 1534, King Henry VIII led the Anglican church or Church of England to break away from the Catholic church. King Henry’s request for a divorce from Catherine of Aragon had been denied by the pope at the time. During this period, the Church of England lost its ties to Rome and the papacy.
The Anglican church now has a membership of over 25 million people, making it one of the richest religious organizations in the world. Most countries where the Anglican church exists have separated themselves from the Archbishop of Canterbury, England who is the primate and the Queen who is recognized as the Supreme Governor, but their ideas are still in use to this day.
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The headquarters of this American religious sect, also known as the LDS or Mormon Church, are located in Salt Lake City, Utah. They have about 17 million members worldwide and are present in more than 176 countries with 120,000 missionaries and congregations.
In 1830, in Fayette, New York, the Prophet Joseph Smith established the Mormon Church. The Mormons believe in Jesus Christ, but they have a different understanding of the nature of God and human potential. The Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price form the basis of their teachings.
With a $40 billion market value and $4 billion annual revenue, they are among the wealthiest religious organizations, according to Wikipedia.
- Episcopalian Church
After the American Revolution, the Episcopal church broke away from the Church of England. This religious movement was founded in 1785 and sees itself as both protestant and catholic. No one in their clergy swears allegiance to the Archbishop of Canterbury or to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Church headquarters are at 815 Second Avenue in New York City. The current primate is Michael Curry. In places like Micronesia, Taiwan, South America, and even Europe, more than a million Episcopalians have been baptized. The majority of the members of this church are also wealthy.
- Protestant Churches.
These are Christian denominations that were in opposition to the Papacy and Roman Catholicism before it was established. The pope’s additions to the Bible are rejected by them, and they base their faith on the Bible alone.
The number of Protestant denominations has grown to more than 30,000 as of this writing. In fact, they can be traced back to Martin Luther, who spoke out against the Catholic Church in 1517. They are also among the wealthiest people in the world.
Between the Catholic Church and the Protestant movement, it can be hard to tell which is the wealthiest. Protestant churches have millions of dollars worth of buildings, schools, and other assets around the world.
- Pentecostal Churches
Pentecostal pastors make up the majority of the world’s wealthiest pastors. These are the newer churches that have sprung up, preaching a variety of doctrines that tend toward materialism. Bishop T.D. Jakes, Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar, Benny Hinn and Bishop David Oyedepo are just a few of the preachers in this movement.
The richest pastor in the world is Pentecostal pastor David Oyedepo, who has a net worth of more than $150 million. Aside from his investments in various schools, companies, and the Living Faith Church Worldwide (also known as Winners Chapel), he is also a Nigerian, according to Forbes.
- Scientology Church.
This church doctrine combines science and spirituality and places more emphasis on the here and now than most religions do. Established in 1953 at Gilman Hot Springs, California, the Scientology Church has grown to be one of the world’s wealthiest religious organizations since its founding. There are between ten and fifteen million people who belong to it all over the world.
They have assets in excess of $1.3 billion, and this religious group makes money through their scientology courses. In addition, the church pays a 10% commission to its recruiters. These people have a reputation for bringing in new members to the organization.
- Episcopalian Church
One of the richest churches in the world, it broke away from the Anglican Communion. Episcopalian doctrine is based solely on Jesus Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. Currently, the Episcopalian church has 90 million members worldwide, with more than 1.6 million members in the United States alone.
According to some estimates, the Episcopalian church’s financial worth may be in the $1 billion range, given its growing number of parishes and missions around the world.
- Free Masonry
The Grand Lodge of England was founded in 1717, making Freemasonry a centuries-old occult practice. Almost all of the world’s richest men and billionaires are members of this religious organization, and it is claimed that they control and dictate most countries’ political and economic decisions.
For the most part, the Masons assert that they operate under the guiding principle of doing good to those who belong to their fraternity. Historically, membership in the fraternity of freemasonry has been restricted to males. The first female lodge was approved in 1908. The Freemasons are known to have occult and magical powers, as well as secret rituals and styles that help them rise to the ranks of the world’s ten richest religious groups.
- Porvoo Communion.
Our list of the world’s richest churches includes the Porvoo Communion. The Porvoo Communion was founded in 1992 and consists of 15 mainly northern European and a few southwestern European Anglican and Evangelical Lutheran churches.. In other words, they don’t have anyone in charge of leading them.
The majority of the church’s assets consist of universities, schools, hospitals, and other similar institutions. One Anglican bishop and one Lutheran bishop are in charge of the church. As a result, they are able to share responsibilities for monitoring the activities of the church’s members on either side.
