Kenneth Copeland

Kenneth Copeland is an American minister, author, and broadcaster who has spent nearly six decades spreading the Christian message of faith across the globe. Born on December 6, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas, Copeland's early life was shaped by a passion for aviation, sparked by growing up near a U.S. Army Air Forces airfield, and a love for music nurtured during his years at Polytechnic High School in Fort Worth.

Before entering ministry, Copeland pursued a career in entertainment. In 1957, his single "Pledge of Love" climbed to No. 17 on the Billboard Top 40, earning him an appearance on American Bandstand and comparisons to Elvis Presley. His music career was cut short by an Army draft notice, and after completing his military service, he worked as a commercial airline pilot.

Copeland's life took a decisive turn on November 2, 1962, when he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, roughly six months after marrying Gloria Neece. The couple faced significant financial hardship in their early years together, but their shared faith became the foundation for everything that followed. In 1967, Kenneth attended Kenneth E. Hagin's Pastor Seminars and experienced what he describes as a divine call to preach the gospel to the nations while praying in a dry Arkansas riverbed near Tulsa. That same year, he enrolled at Oral Roberts University, where he served as Oral Roberts' personal co-pilot and chauffeur, gaining firsthand ministry experience in prayer tents and crusades.

Kenneth and Gloria formally established Kenneth Copeland Ministries in Fort Worth, Texas, in September 1967. From those humble beginnings, the ministry grew steadily through strategic media outreach. In 1973, KCM launched the Believer's Voice of Victory newsletter, a four-page publication sent to around 3,000 people that eventually became a 32-page monthly magazine distributed to over 400,000 subscribers worldwide. The radio ministry launched in 1975 on just 10 stations and expanded to more than 500 stations within a single year. By 1989, KCM had transitioned from a weekly television program to a daily Believer's Voice of Victory broadcast reaching millions of viewers.

KCM's headquarters sits on a 33-acre campus near Fort Worth, formerly the Marine Corps Air Station Eagle Mountain Lake. The property includes Eagle Mountain International Church, production facilities, distribution centers, and Kenneth Copeland Airport. The organization employs between 500 and 1,000 people globally, with international offices in Canada, Australia, Africa, Europe, Ukraine, Germany, and Latin America. Ministry materials are translated into at least 14 languages and reach 159 countries.

In 2015, KCM launched its own 24-hour television network, now known as the VICTORY Channel, which reaches over 25 million television subscribers. The ministry also maintains a strong digital presence through the GoVICTORY app, a YouTube channel with over 1.3 million subscribers, and a Facebook following exceeding 4 million.

Copeland is the author of more than 72 books, including the foundational The Laws of Prosperity and the bestselling daily devotional From Faith to Faith, co-authored with Gloria. The ministry has also produced 32 music albums, including the Grammy-nominated song "Only the Redeemed."

Beyond media, Copeland's ministry is deeply involved in charitable work. KCM commits to giving at least 10 percent of every donation to other ministries and outreaches. The organization operates a disaster relief team that has responded to Hurricane Katrina, Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Harvey, and numerous other emergencies. A prison ministry supplies over 50,000 inmates monthly with devotional materials, and EMIC donated $6.7 million in 2022 to help Ukrainian Jewish refugees resettle in Israel.

The Southwest Believers' Convention, established in 1981, has become a flagship annual event drawing thousands of attendees from all 50 states and dozens of countries. In 2018, Copeland founded Kenneth Copeland Bible College to train new generations of ministers.

Now in his late 80s, Copeland continues to travel worldwide, preaching and ministering with the same message he started with: Jesus is Lord.