Wealthy Black Pastors Are Accused Of Not Doing Enough For COVID-19 Relief

Since the start of the COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus pandemic, numerous organizations and institutions have come forward to provide relief to the millions of Americans impacted by the virus. While many brands and even celebrities are stepping up to do their part to help, some are wondering if wealthy pastors within the black church community are doing the best they can to help their congregations in their time of need.

This week, many of the wealthiest pastors across the country found themselves the topic of conversation when a Twitter user made a comment listing the net worths of the richest pastors and their lack of contributions toward COVID-19 relief. User @stonecold2050, who boasts 112,000 followers on the social media platform, calls out pastors like Bishop T.D. Jakes, who leads The Potter’s House church in Dallas, and Creflo Dollar, the pastor behind World Changers Fellowship Churches, accusing them of donating $0 to relief efforts.

Here are the richest pastors in America:

Kenneth Copeland $760M
Pat Robertson $100M
Benny Hinn $60M
Joel Osteen $40M
Credulous Dollar $27M
Rick Warren $25M
Franklin Graham $25M
T.D. Jakes $18M
Joyce Meyer $8M

Total: $1.06 Billion

Total donated to COVID-19 assistance $0.00 pic.twitter.com/LNDlVqfu4T

— Stone (@stonecold2050) April 8, 2020

While there are no confirmed reports of the pastor’s donations toward virus relief efforts, many users on the platform began to wonder if these pastors were doing everything they could to help the community. African Americans have been accounting for an increasing number of new coronavirus cases in major cities such as Chicago and Milwaukee. They also account for a high percentage of workers that have been laid off as a result of businesses dealing with severe revenue loss. With Easter coming this weekend, many are wondering if some churches will open their doors to their congregation despite the health risks involved.