Kenneth Copeland

Kenneth Copeland was married to Ivy Bodiford from 1955 to 1958 and to Cynthia Davis from 1958 to 1961. He has been married to Gloria Neece Copeland since 1963.

Copeland and Gloria have three children, including John Copeland, Kellie Copeland and Terri Copeland Pearsons. Gloria has co-hosted The Believer's Voice of Victory with him, while Terri has preached at Eagle Mountain International Church alongside her husband, George Pearsons.

Copeland began his public career as a recording artist on Imperial Records. His 1957 recording of "Pledge of Love" reached No. 17 on the Billboard Top 40 and remained on the chart for 15 weeks. He also performed the song on American Bandstand.

His early interest in aviation led him to begin flying in 1959. After a 1966 car crash in which he and Gloria, along with their two children, escaped with minor injuries, Copeland committed himself to Christian ministry and enrolled at Oral Roberts University in 1967.

At Oral Roberts University, Copeland served as pilot and chauffeur, and later as copilot, for evangelist Oral Roberts. His work with Roberts exposed him to healing evangelism and faith-based teaching, while seminars led by Kenneth E. Hagin helped shape the beliefs that became central to Copeland's ministry.

Copeland and Gloria founded Kenneth Copeland Ministries in 1967. The ministry later developed the Believer's Voice of Victory newsletter, a radio ministry and a broad network of television programming. Its first television program, The Word of Faith, began in 1971, followed by The Prayer Group in 1972.

In 1989, The Word of Faith was replaced by the daily series Believer's Voice of Victory, which became the ministry's flagship broadcast. KCM also holds multi-day conventions, operates international offices and distributes prayer and teaching resources.

KCM launched the Believer's Voice of Victory Network in 2015. The network was renamed Victory Channel in 2019 and has carried faith-based programming focused on subjects including healing, relationships and finances. Copeland also founded Eagle Mountain International Church in Texas, and Kenneth Copeland Bible College was established on the ministry's property for ministry training.

Copeland is associated with the Word of Faith movement and prosperity gospel theology. His teaching holds that faith in God's Word can bring healing, physical well-being and material blessing, and that donations to ministries can participate in that divine provision.

His use of private aircraft, luxury residences and church resources has drawn sustained criticism. In 2007, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee investigated several televangelists, including Copeland, over the use of religious-organization resources. The inquiry did not conclude that the Copelands had done anything wrong.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Copeland urged pastors not to cancel services and continued encouraging financial support for his ministry. In a March 2020 televised sermon, he declared that the coronavirus was finished and that the United States was healed, and in a later sermon he said that the virus had been destroyed by the wind of God. KCM's 2020 Southwest Believers' Conference in Fort Worth drew criticism because it took place during restrictions on large public gatherings.

Copeland and Kenneth Copeland Ministries have publicly supported Israel for decades. He has also addressed abortion, religious liberty and the role of Christianity in public life through his preaching and ministry events.

Copeland helped fundraise for Mike Huckabee's 2008 presidential campaign and joined Donald Trump's evangelical executive advisory board during the 2016 presidential campaign. He later spoke at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania and participated in a White House Easter Dinner hosted by the White House Faith Office.