Joseph Prince
| Joseph Prince | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 15, 1963 Singapore |
| Nationality | Singapore |
| Spouse(s) | Wendy Prince |
| Children | Jessica and Justin Prince |
| Congregations served | New Creation Church |
| Title | Senior pastor |
| Website | |
| Joseph Prince Ministries, Inc. | |
Joseph Prince (born May 15, 1963, Singapore) 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[edit]
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, 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]
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 for viewers.[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 October 29, 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 USA. It started in the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on Friday, November 1, 2013. Next was the Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, CA on Wednesday, November 6, 2013. Then he preached the weekend services of Lakewood Church, America's largest church, in Houston, TX on Saturday, November 9, 2013 and Sunday, November 10, 2013. The last stop on this tour was the Verizon Theatre in Grand Prairie, TX on Wednesday, November 13, 2013.[15]
Criticisms[edit]
There has been criticism about the church's quantum of salary paid to Joseph Prince. On 5 October 2008, in an interview with the Sunday Times, Joseph 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". He dismissed allegations that his salary was $50,000 a month, saying "It could have been $50,000 if I had not voluntarily taken all the pay cuts through the years. There was a system of payment that would actually enrich me greatly but as the church grew, I refuse to accept that system of payment."[3]
On 30 March 2009, The Straits Times reported that a check revealed that New Creation Church paid one employee between $500,001 and $550,000 in its last financial year of 2008. Under the recommendations of the Code of Governance for charities then,[16]all charities and non-profit organizations in Singapore are encouraged to disclose the salary bands of their top executives to the Commissioner of Charities. The church did not confirm if the amount in question was paid to Joseph Prince, but it told The Straits Times 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] The New Creation Church's income was reported to be Singapore $55.4 million (approximately 44.7 US dollars) for the financial year ended March 2008.[19]
On 15 April 2009, Matthew Kang, the Honorary Secretary of the New Creation Church, posted a reply to The Straits Times on the church's website stating that the New Creation Church was not a public charity and did not solicit public donations. Kang asserted 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."[20]
On June 7, 2010, The Straits Times and Channel News Asia reported that Joseph Prince has not been on the church payroll since 2009.[21][22]
Personal life[edit]
Joseph Prince is married to Wendy Prince.[3] They have a daughter, Jessica Shayna Prince, and a son, Justin David Prince.[23]
References[edit]
- ^ "Joseph Prince at Hillsong Conference 2007 Sydney, Australia". Hillsong Church. Archived from the original on 2007-03-10. Retrieved 2007-07-05.
- ^ "History - New Creation Church". New Creation Church. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
- ^ a b c d e "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. Retrieved 2010-08-08.
- ^ http://whengodtouches.com/grace-favor-seminar-live-at-hillsong-australia-2-dvd-by-joseph-prince/
- ^ "Special Guests". Hillsong Church London (Hillsong London). Archived from the original on 2007-06-22. Retrieved 2007-05-17.
- ^ "Mega Pastors to Lead Conferences Overseas". The Christian Post (Singapore Edition). Retrieved 2010-08-08.
- ^ "Joseph Prince Ministries - Broadcast - Full Listing". Retrieved 2010-07-09.
- ^ "Joseph Prince Ministries - About - The Ministry". Joseph Prince Ministries. Retrieved 2011-09-19.
- ^ "Resources - Online Catalogue". Destined to Reign. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
- ^ "Destined To Reign (Hardcover)". Joseph Prince Resources. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
- ^ "CHRISTIAN RETAILING TOP 100 BOOKS". Strang Communications. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
- ^ "Unmerited Favor (Hardcover)". Joseph Prince Resources. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
- ^ "Prince of Grace". Charisma. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
- ^ http://events.josephprince.org/events/
- ^ Singapore's Code of Governance for charities
- ^ $500,000 pay for New Creation Church leader
- ^ Singapore church pays princely sum to leader
- ^ http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/BgSty_277387_1.html Church's Income was SGD55.4million for year ending March 2008
- ^ Reply To The Straits Times Forum Online (Business And Religion: Where Do You Draw The Line?)
- ^ "New Creation Church talks about its affiliated companies". Retrieved 2010-06-07.
- ^ "New Creation explains". Retrieved 2010-06-07.
- ^ "Joseph & Wendy Prince". New Creation Church. Archived from the original on 2007-05-16. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
External links[edit]
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