Over time, televangelist Joni Lamb acquired six residential properties worth $11 million, according to research by Trinity Foundation.
Joni Lamb owns four houses in Texas, a home in Georgia and beach condo in Miramar Beach, Florida. This week, Trinity Foundation discovered that Joni still owned the Grapevine, Texas, home she purchased in 1991 along with her husband, Marcus, who died in 2021. Ownership of the property was hidden by the county.
The six properties are worth an estimated $11 million, based off recent sales amounts and estimates on real estate websites.
How Much is Joni Worth?
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, “In 2020, home equity and retirement accounts composed the majority (64.0 percent) of aggregate household wealth. Specifically, 36.2 percent of household wealth was held in retirement accounts, and home equity accounted for 27.8 percent of household wealth.”
If home equity accounted for 27.8 percent of Joni’s wealth, her total net worth would be close to $41 million.
Net worth is calculated by compiling a person’s total assets and then subtracting liabilities (debts).
Getting Wealthy from Daystar, and Housing Allowances?
None of the more recent Lamb properties involved bank loans. It appears that each of them was paid off with cash.
Joni’s new husband Doug Weiss also owns a home in Colorado which was not included in this total.
How did Joni afford the properties?
Unsealed court documents obtained by Trinity Foundation reveal that Word of God Fellowship provided $1,671,324 in tax-exempt clergy housing allowances to Marcus and Joni Lamb from 2002 through 2011.
In March 2004 the Lamb couple purchased property in Colleyville. So, from 2004 through at least 2011, they were receiving a housing allowance for a second home, while they already owned one home.
Church Law & Tax asks the question, “Can a housing allowance cover two homes?” and then answers, “Yes, under certain circumstances. The Tax Court has ruled that a housing allowance can apply to expenses for two homes, provided both serve as residences for the minister and are not used for commercial purposes.”
Joni could still be receiving a clergy housing allowance but doesn’t disclose it.
If Word of God Fellowship didn’t claim church status and filed a Form 990, it would disclose on Schedule J the ministry’s use of a private jet and clarify whether a housing allowance was provided, like TBN does in the screenshot below.
Joni’s Florida Beach house and second Colleyville property were purchased after Marcus’ death. These properties were likely purchased with money from a Marcus life insurance policy.
Trinity Foundation previously reported that Word of God Fellowship invests in high value life insurance policies and had been involved in litigation over a $10 million life insurance policy.
Daystar TV Network, Classifies Themselves a Church, No Form 990
Word of God Fellowship, the parent organization of Daystar Television, network does not file a Form 990 which discloses compensation for non-profit executives. The religious broadcaster has not joined the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) which requires its members to provide audited financial statements.
Reporting Net Worth
In recent years, a growing number of celebrity net worth estimating websites have emerged, spreading highly inaccurate information about the wealth of American televangelists. Some of the articles appear to be generated by artificial intelligence.
Besides flawed financial data, one celebrity website reported that Joni Lamb was born in Colleyville, Texas, when she was born in Greenville, South Carolina. Another website reported that Daystar Television Network, Trinity Broadcasting Network and Christian Broadcasting Network are “worth over $250 billion combined” which is off by over $245 billion.
The late Marcus Lamb once told a church audience, “Daystar [Television Network] was recently appraised at over $1 billion.” Trinity Broadcasting Networks assets in America are less than $2 billion and Christian Broadcasting Network reported almost $347.5 million in assets on a consolidated financial statement provided to the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
The celebrity net worth websites rarely disclose how they derive their estimates of net worth.
Estimates for Daystar Television Network president Joni Lamb’s net worth range from $1 to $5 million by Best Toppers to $50 Million by Worth Explainer with the most common estimates for Joni Lamb being $16 million and $40 million.
Retirement Benefits with Compensation
Marcus created Word of God Fellowship in 1981 and the following year married Joni. In 1984, the couple started their first TV station.
With 40 years of experience in religious broadcasting, Joni is approaching retirement age, turning 65 in the summer of 2025.
Non-profit organizations often use compensation studies to recommend compensation (including retirement benefits) for their executives, relying on reports of what similar executives are paid.
If Joni is paid similarly to Matthew Crouch, president of TBN, she could be receiving $60,000 annually in retirement benefits and a housing allowance and other non-taxable benefits of $160,000.
(Screenshot: Trinity Broadcasting of Texas, 2023 Form 990)
Other Revenue Streams
Joni is both an author and musician, receiving royalties from book and music sales. Joni’s latest book Through the Storm: Courageous Faith in Turbulent Times was published by Stephen Strang’s company Charisma House.
Joni has recorded albums with the Daystar Singers & Band and sings with the worship team during broadcasts of the TV program MinistryNow.
Donors should Support Ministries That Report Finances
Most donors are not wealthy and donor money often comes from people who are struggling to make ends meet.
With that in mind, donors should consider financially supporting ministries whose leaders don’t live extravagantly and regularly make personal flights on ministry aircraft.
“One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.” – Proverbs 22:16
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