Joseph Prince (born 15 May 1963) is a Singaporean evangelist and the senior pastor of New Creation Church, which is based in Singapore.[1] He was one of the church's founders in 1983.[2]
Joseph Prince | |
|---|---|
 Joseph Prince in 2015 | |
| Title | Senior pastor |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 15 May 1963 |
| Nationality | Singaporean |
| Spouse |
Wendy Prince (m. 1995) |
| Children | 2 |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Christianity (Nondenominational) |
| Church | New Creation Church |
| Website | www |
Background
editPrince was born in Singapore, the son of a Sikh priest of Indian origin and a Chinese mother.[3] He converted to Christianity at age 12. Prince studied at Commonwealth Secondary School and completed his A levels at a private school, Our Lady of Lourdes.[4]
He adopted the name Joseph Prince while serving as an IT consultant, just before being appointed senior pastor in 1990.[4]
Aside from Singapore, Prince has preached at churches in Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Italy, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, and the United States.[5][6]
Compensation
editOn 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" with his salary going up $50,000 a month.[4]
On 30 March 2009, The Straits Times reported that the church had 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,[7] all charities and non-profit organisations in Singapore were 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."[8][9] On 15 April 2009, Deacon Matthew Kang, the church chairman, 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."[10]
In October 2014, New Creation Church denied a report that alleged Prince's net worth as S$6.4 million, claiming that his actual net worth was "substantially lower" than the reported figure and that it regarded Prince's net worth as "personal in nature".[11][12]
On 28 October 2014, The Straits Times reported that according to a 2012 tax document filed, Prince had not received any compensation from Joseph Prince Ministries or any related organisations. The report further stated that the New Creation Church council had stated that Prince had not received any salary from the organisation since 2009.[12]
Personal life
editJoseph Prince is married to Wendy Prince.[4] They have a daughter and a son.[13]
References
edit- ^ "Joseph Prince at Hillsong Conference 2007 Sydney, Australia". Hillsong Church. Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 5 July 2007.
- ^ "History – New Creation Church". New Creation Church. Archived from the original on 23 July 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ Yong, Clement (21 November 2019). "New Creation buys Star Vista for $300m: 9 things to know about the church, Pastor Prince and the mall". The Straits Times.
- ^ a b c d "Church Pastors Like None Other – From stutter to charisma". The Sunday Times. Singapore. 5 October 2008.
- ^ "Pastor Prince's Past Speaking Engagements – Year 2009". New Creation Church. Archived from the original on 21 August 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
- ^ "Prince of Grace". Charisma. 1 June 2010.
- ^ "Singapore's Code of Governance for charities" (PDF).
- ^ "$500,000 pay for New Creation Church leader". Archived from the original on 21 September 2013.
- ^ "Singapore church pays princely sum to leader: report". www.msn.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2009.
- ^ "New Creation Church | Beholding Jesus And His Grace". www.newcreation.org.sg.
- ^ "Church rejects report on pastor's net worth". Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ^ a b "Singapore pastor Joseph Prince goes worldwide". The Straits Times. 28 October 2014.
- ^ "Joseph & Wendy Prince". New Creation Church. Archived from the original on 16 May 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2007.
