Joseph Prince

For the farmer, rancher and political figure in Saskatchewan, see Joseph Benjamin Prince. For the American athlete, see Joseph E. Prince.
Joseph Prince
Born (1963-05-15) 15 May 1963
Singapore
Nationality Singapore
Spouse(s) Wendy Prince (m: 1994)
Children Jessica Shayna and Justin David Prince
Website Joseph Prince Ministries, Inc.
Congregations served
 New Creation Church
Title Senior pastor

Joseph Prince (born 15 May 1963) is the senior pastor of New Creation Church in Singapore, one of Asia's biggest churches.[1] He was one of the church's founders in 1983.[2]

Background

Joseph Prince, the son of a Sikh priest of Indian origin and a Chinese mother,[3] spent his primary school years in Perak, Malaysia.[3]

Prince changed his birth name to Joseph Prince during his previous occupation as an IT consultant.[3]

Prince has been invited to preach at churches in Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Italy, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa and the United States.[4] Notably, he was invited to preach at the Grace & Favour Seminar at Hillsong Church Sydney,[5] and Hillsong London[6] in 2006. In 2007 and 2008, he was invited to speak at the Hillsong Conferences in Sydney and London. In 2009, he was invited to speak, alongside Joel Osteen from Lakewood Church, at the 2 Days of Hope Conference held in Johannesburg, South Africa.[7] He also preached two sessions at the 2015 Hillsong Europe conference in London during July 2015.

Prince's TV program Destined to Reign is broadcast in more than 150 countries.[8] His broadcast program is also streamed online through Internet and podcasts.[9]

Prince publishes books, CDs and DVDs.[10] In 2007, his book Destined to Reign: The Secret to Effortless Success, Wholeness and Victorious Living, which contains teachings from his ten years of preaching from 1997 to 2007, was published in Singapore [11] and the US. Six months after the book's US release, it was listed as one of Christian Retailing's Top 100 Books.[12] In 2010, Prince's latest book Unmerited Favor, was published worldwide by Charisma House.[13]

Prince was featured in the cover story of the June 2010 issue of Charisma magazine, which covered his preaching and teaching ministry.[14]

On 29 October 2011, Prince ministered in the US for the first time at Lakewood Church, America's largest church, in Houston, Texas. He also preached at two more services the day after.

In his 1st United States tour, The Power of Right Believing, he spoke in 4 cities all across the US. It started in the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on 1 November 2013. Next was the Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, CA on 6 November 2013. Then he preached the weekend services of Lakewood Church, America's largest church, in Houston, TX on 9 and 10 November 2013. The last stop on this tour was the Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie, TX on 13 November 2013.[15]

Criticism and controversy

On 5 October 2008, in an interview with the Sunday Times, Prince, also the executive chairman of the church council, acknowledged that he was "well-paid" but also added that "money doesn't have a hold on me", dismissing allegations that his salary was $50,000 a month.[3]

On 30 March 2009, The Straits Times reported that the church paid one employee between $500,001 and $550,000 in its last financial year. Under the recommendations of the Code of Governance for charities then,[16] all charities and non-profit organisations in Singapore are encouraged to disclose the salary bands of their top executives to the Commissioner of Charities. While not confirming the identity of the employee, the church responded that its policy is to "recognize and reward key contributors to the church and Senior Pastor Prince is the main pillar of our church's growth and revenue."[17][18] On 15 April 2009, Matthew Kang, the Honorary Secretary of the church, responded that it was not a public charity and did not solicit public donations, asserting that "there is absolutely no compulsion to give whether in tithes or offerings, and any giving is done out of a willing heart", and that "every giver is appreciated and it is taken in good faith that he believes in the elected leadership and will trust them to make good decisions for the particular church he has chosen to attend, whether as a member or a visitor."[19]

On 7 June 2010, it was reported that Prince has not been on the church payroll since 2009.[20][21]

In October 2014, a list published by entertainment website richestlifestyle.com placed Prince as the 10th richest pastor in the world, with a reported net worth of S$6.4 million (£3.13 million).[22] New Creation Church dismissed the report, claiming that his actual net worth was 'substantially lower' than the reported figure.[22]

Personal life

Joseph Prince is married to Wendy Prince.[3] They have a daughter, Jessica Shayna Prince, and a son, Justin David Prince.[23]

References

  1. ↑ "Joseph Prince at Hillsong Conference 2007 Sydney, Australia". Hillsong Church. Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
  2. ↑ "History – New Creation Church". New Creation Church. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Church Pastors Like None Other – From stutter to charisma". The Sunday Times (Singapore). 5 October 2008.
  4. ↑ "Pastor Prince's Past Speaking Engagements – Year 2009". New Creation Church. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  5. ↑ http://whengodtouches.com/grace-favor-seminar-live-at-hillsong-australia-2-dvd-by-joseph-prince/
  6. ↑ "Special Guests". Hillsong Church London (Hillsong London). Archived from the original on 22 June 2007. Retrieved 17 May 2007.
  7. ↑ "Mega Pastors to Lead Conferences Overseas". The Christian Post (Singapore Edition). Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  8. ↑ "Joseph Prince Ministries – Broadcast – Full Listing". Retrieved 9 July 2010.
  9. ↑ "Joseph Prince Ministries – About – The Ministry". Joseph Prince Ministries. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  10. ↑ "Resources – Online Catalogue". Destined to Reign. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
  11. ↑ "Destined To Reign (Hardcover)". Joseph Prince Resources. Retrieved 17 August 2007.
  12. ↑ "CHRISTIAN RETAILING TOP 100 BOOKS" (PDF). Strang Communications. Retrieved 19 June 2008.
  13. ↑ "Unmerited Favor (Hardcover)". Joseph Prince Resources. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  14. ↑ "Prince of Grace". Charisma. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  15. ↑ http://events.josephprince.org/events/2013/Right-Believing-Tour
  16. ↑ Singapore's Code of Governance for charities
  17. ↑ $500,000 pay for New Creation Church leader
  18. ↑ Singapore church pays princely sum to leader
  19. ↑ Reply To The Straits Times Forum Online (Business And Religion: Where Do You Draw The Line?)
  20. ↑ "New Creation Church talks about its affiliated companies". Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  21. ↑ "New Creation explains". Retrieved 7 June 2010.
  22. 1 2 Church rejects report on pastor's net worth
  23. ↑ "Joseph & Wendy Prince". New Creation Church. Archived from the original on 16 May 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2007.

External links

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