MinistryWatch List: Highly Paid Christian Ministry Executives
Below is a list of highly paid Christian ministry executives. The information was derived from the Form 990 prepared by the ministry itself.
We are not calling this list the “Highest Paid Christian Ministry Executives” because we know that many pastors and other church leaders who might make more are not on this list, because churches are not required to make their Form 990s available to the public.
Also, MinistryWatch has identified a growing trend among Christian ministries to identify as churches and thereby withhold their Form 990s. Among the fifty largest Christian ministries in the country who have made this election include: CRU/Campus Crusade for Christ, The Navigators, Gideons International, Willow Creek Association, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, Joyce Meyer Ministries, and Ethnos360/New Tribes Mission. In addition, many megachurches and their related radio and television ministries. These organizations and individuals include: Joel Osteen, David Jeremiah, Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, and Kenneth Copeland.
A word about timing: This information comes from the most recent Form 990 available on Guidestar.org. For some ministries the most recent year available was 2016. For most years, the most recent year available was 2017. For a few ministries, the most recent year is 2018.
Finally, a few executives have asterisks by their name. That means they received compensation that year from two or more organizations. In the case of Franklin Graham, only his Samaritan’s Purse compensation is listed. He also serves as president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and (for the reason cited above) we were not able to determine what compensation he receives from BGEA. Carlos Campos received compensation from both Regent University, where he had previously served, as well as from Ashland University, where he now serves as president.
In the case of the Inspiration Networks: Some executives receive their salaries from a for-profit subsidiary. The for-profit subsidiary, INSP LLC, is wholly owned by the non-profit organization The Inspirational Networks, Inc.
| Name | Title | Organization | Tax Year | Salary | Other Comp | Total Comp | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Cerullo* | President | The Inspiration Networks | 2017 | $3,281,387 | $494,183 | $3,775,570 |
| 2 | Dale Ardizzone* | General Counsel | The Inspiration Networks | 2017 | $1,474,063 | $47,678 | $1,521,741 |
| 3 | Jay Sekulow | Founder | American Center for Law and Justice | 2017 | $- | $1,421,188 | $1,421,188 |
| 4 | Marc Favaro* | Former Officer | The Inspiration Networks | 2017 | $1,377,466 | $22,913 | $1,400,379 |
| 5 | Kim Sekulow | Spokesperson | American Center for Law and Justice | 2017 | $- | $1,053,432 | $1,053,432 |
| 6 | Jerry Falwell, Jr. | President | Liberty University | 2016 | $959,802 | $58,725 | $1,018,527 |
| 7 | Gary Sekulow | CFO/COO | American Center for Law and Justice | 2017 | $734,117 | $251,730 | $985,847 |
| 8 | Mark Kang* | Former Officer | The Inspiration Networks | 2017 | $932,874 | $41,678 | $974,552 |
| 9 | Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein | President/CEO | International Fellowship of Christians and Jews | 2017 | $616,618 | $251,116 | $867,734 |
| 10 | Kevin Washington | President | YMCA | 2017 | $777,294 | $51,961 | $829,255 |
| 11 | Jeffrey Arthur* | Former Officer | The Inspiration Networks | 2017 | $744,647 | $18,528 | $763,175 |
| 12 | Colby May | Director | Trinity Broadcasting Network | 2017 | $751,414 | $- | $751,414 |
| 13 | Franklin Graham* | CEO | Samaritan's Purse | 2018 | $636,451 | $59,742 | $696,193 |
| 14 | Carlos Campo* | President | Ashland University | 2016 | $527,997 | $138,661 | $666,658 |
| 15 | Matthew Crouch | President | Trinity Broadcasting Network | 2017 | $505,671 | $131,506 | $637,177 |
| 16 | John Russo* | Former Officer | The Inspiration Networks | 2017 | $576,608 | $24,000 | $600,608 |
| 17 | Michael Novak | CEO | Educational Media Foundation (K-Love) | 2017 | $553,284 | $27,344 | $580,628 |
| 18 | Barry Corey | President | Biola University | 2016 | $522,645 | $56,817 | $579,462 |
| 19 | Gordon Robertson | President | Christian Broadcasting Network | 2018 | $550,290 | $28,690 | $578,980 |
| 20 | Philip Ryken | President | Wheaton College | 2016 | $376,765 | $162,072 | $538,837 |
| 21 | Thomas Monaghan | Senior Counsel | American Center for Law and Justice | 2017 | $508,376 | $29,364 | $537,740 |
| 22 | Richard Stearns | President | World Vision | 2016 | $456,503 | $78,002 | $534,505 |
| 23 | Kent Johnson | COO | YMCA | 2017 | $468,391 | $48,130 | $516,521 |
| 24 | Cary Summers | Chief Relationship Officer | Museum of the Bible | 2017 | $493,012 | $17,030 | $510,042 |
| 25 | Tony Zeiss | Executive Director | Museum of the Bible | 2017 | $490,602 | $7,786 | $498,388 |
| 26 | Dennis Rydberg | President Emeritus | Young Life | 2016 | $441,659 | $54,652 | $496,311 |
| 27 | Robert Brace* | CFO | The Inspiration Networks | 2017 | $447,212 | $38,491 | $485,703 |
| 28 | Robin Mahfood | CEO | Food For The Poor | $445,463 | $24,191 | $469,654 | |
| 29 | Alan Sears | Founder | Alliance Defending Freedom | 2017 | $433,856 | $33,475 | $467,331 |
| 30 | Pierre Ferrari | CEO | Heifer Project | 2017 | $429,483 | $29,083 | $458,566 |
| 31 | Keith Woodard* | Former Officer | The Inspiration Networks | 2017 | $402,588 | $43,984 | $446,572 |
| 32 | Roy Peterson | President & CEO | American Bible Society | 2016 | $378,189 | $59,268 | $437,457 |
| 33 | Andrew Calhoun | SVP | YMCA | 2017 | $383,220 | $47,074 | $430,294 |
| 34 | Santiago Mellado | CEO | Compassion International | 2018 | $364,964 | $52,350 | $417,314 |
| 35 | Angela Williams | EVP/CAO | YMCA | 2017 | $361,174 | $46,801 | $407,975 |
| 36 | Randall Smith | EVP/COO | Liberty University | 2016 | $365,591 | $37,305 | $402,896 |
| 37 | Michael Farris | President/CEO | Alliance Defending Freedom | 2017 | $382,973 | $19,826 | $402,799 |
| 38 | Reinhard Bonnke | Director | Christ For All Nations | 2018 | $363,343 | $35,044 | $398,387 |
| 39 | Jonathan Reckford | CEO | Habitat for Humanity | 2017 | $348,816 | $45,748 | $394,564 |
| 40 | Edgar Sandoval | COO | World Vision | 2016 | $348,600 | $34,309 | $382,909 |
| 41 | George Mamo | EVP/COO | International Fellowship of Christians and Jews | 2017 | $351,821 | $25,894 | $377,715 |
| 42 | Charles Stanley | President | In Touch Ministries | 2016 | $237,054 | $138,618 | $375,672 |
| 43 | Benjamin Cerullo* | EVP | The Inspiration Networks | 2017 | $274,877 | $100,055 | $374,932 |
| 44 | Yael Eckstein-Farkas | SVP | International Fellowship of Christians and Jews | 2017 | $357,766 | $16,834 | $374,600 |
| 45 | Philip Bowen | CEO | In Touch Ministries | 2016 | $361,527 | $9,613 | $371,140 |
| 46 | Barbara Cerullo* | EVP | The Inspiration Networks | 2017 | $336,579 | $34,183 | $370,762 |
| 47 | Travis Arnold | CEO | Feed The Children | 2017 | $349,385 | $17,929 | $367,314 |
| 48 | James Ackerman | President/CEO | Prison Fellowship Ministries | 2017 | $340,072 | $26,912 | $366,984 |
| 49 | Don Stephens | President | Mercy Ships | 2017 | $293,186 | $70,000 | $363,186 |
| 50 | Gerson Moreno-Riano | EVP | Regent University | 2016 | $326,422 | $36,218 | $362,640 |
| 51 | Chris Doornbos | CEO | David C. Cook Publishers | 2016 | $345,053 | $16,479 | $361,532 |
| 52 | Michael Lindsay | President | Gordon College | 2016 | $293,614 | $60,419 | $354,033 |
| 53 | Louis Isakoff | N/A | Regent University | 2016 | $304,765 | $40,260 | $345,025 |
| 54 | Scott Miller | COO | David C. Cook Publishers | 2016 | $328,121 | $8,639 | $336,760 |
| 55 | Robert Owen | CFO | Regent University | 2016 | $299,234 | $37,479 | $336,713 |
| 56 | Phyllis Payne | Vice President | Samaritan's Purse | 2018 | $285,628 | $45,922 | $331,550 |
| 57 | Susan Rowan | CEO | Bible Study Fellowship | 2017 | $215,382 | $115,807 | $331,189 |
| 58 | Arthur Brown | Vice President | International Fellowship of Christians and Jews | 2017 | $257,417 | $72,038 | $329,455 |
| 59 | Gary Haugen | CEO | International Justice Mission | 2017 | $292,267 | $34,398 | $326,665 |
| 60 | Ryan Dunham | President | Integrity Music | 2016 | $295,432 | $17,187 | $312,619 |
| 61 | Shane Williamson | CEO | Fellowship of Christian Athletes | 2017 | $243,972 | $65,858 | $309,830 |
| 62 | Jim Daly | President | Focus on the Family | 2017 | $271,240 | $32,885 | $304,125 |
| 63 | Mark Hanlon | SVP | Compassion International | 2018 | $265,135 | $37,346 | $302,481 |
