Kenneth Copeland

Background

Kenneth Max Copeland was born on December 12, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas, U.S. to Aubrey Wayne and Vinita Pearl Copeland. He was raised in West Texas, close to a United States Air Force airfield, and aspired to be a pilot. In 1959, Copeland realized his dream and started working for an airline. In 1963, he married Gloria Neece. In 1966, they started to entertain the idea of establishing a church. In 1967, the couple founded the Kenneth Copeland Ministries, and he enrolled at Oral Roberts University. During this period, Copeland worked as Oral Roberts’ chauffeur and an airplane pilot.

Copeland always believed in reaching out to as many people as possible through various means. In 1973, he founded a magazine, “Believer’s Voice of Victory,” to spread his sermons to a wider audience. In 1975, he stepped up, and to take his preaching to even more people, established a radio ministry. He started airing his sermons across multiple radio stations, which provided him with a reach that most churches lacked.

In 1989, Copeland turned into a televangelist and launched the “Believer’s Voice of Victory Broadcast.” The program continues to reach millions of people worldwide. With the advent of the internet, he decided to create a church website to connect with people all over the globe. In 1996, the website made his sermons and other programs available to the public at large. Throughout his career, Copeland has accumulated substantial wealth and has referred to himself as a “very wealthy man.”