Billy Graham Net Worth: Beloved Evangelist was Reportedly a Millionaire
The world mourns as Billy Graham, the beloved Christian evangelist, died in his sleep at 99 years old.
On Feb. 21, one of America's most influential pastors passed away at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, according to spokesman Jeremy Blume.
For six decades, Graham preached to full stadiums in 185 of the world's 195 countries and evangelized nearly 215 million people. He was a known advisor to presidents and has prayed with former leaders Harry Truman to Barack Obama.
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Often referred as "America's pastor" or the "Protestant pope," he is known for his long-standing friendship with Queen Elizabeth II.
Graham was a wealthy man and left behind not just millions of supporters but also millions in real estate holdings and book royalties. According to TheRichest.com, the pastor's net worth at the time of his death was an estimated $25 million, making him one of America's richest pastors. This puts him at the same net worth as Pastor Rick Warren, but much lower than Joel Osteen ($40 million) and Kenneth Copeland ($760 million).
The two non-profits associated with the late pastor — U.S. Samaritan's Purse and Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) — are among the country's biggest charities, posting revenues of $635 million in 2016 and $101 million in 2010, respectively.
Both organizations have been turned over to Graham's son William Franklin Graham III, who reportedly receives a lot of compensation for this role.
When the father Graham was still leading the BGEA, he was said to have been paid $450,000 annually. Many say that he has turned down offers to earn more money, and it is unknown how much of his annual compensations he actually kept.
Graham leaves behind five children — Gigi, Anne, then Ruth (formerly called Bunny), Franklin, and Ned. His wife Ruth passed away in 2007. There were some reports that Billy prioritized his evangelization over his own family, and his children grew up barely knowing who their father was.
In a 2005 interview, daughter Ruth claimed her father has always had an awkward relationship with their family. "Because he has two families: BGEA and us. I always resented that," she shared. "We were footnotes in books — literally. Well, we're not footnotes. We are real, living, breathing people."
