Joseph Prince

Joseph Prince is a Singaporean evangelist and the senior pastor of New Creation Church, based in Singapore. He was born Xenonamandar Jegahusiee Singh on 15 May 1963 in Singapore, into a family with a Sikh father of Indian origin and a Chinese mother. In that setting, his early life joined different cultural and religious backgrounds, and at age 12 he converted to Christianity.

Prince studied at Commonwealth Secondary School and later completed his A levels at the private school Our Lady of Lourdes. Before becoming a pastor, he worked as an IT consultant. It was during that period, just before his appointment as senior pastor in 1990, that he adopted the name Joseph Prince. By then, he was already tied closely to New Creation Church, having been one of its founders in 1983.

He is best known for his leadership of New Creation Church. His public profile has grown from that role: founder, senior pastor, and, as reported in 2008, executive chairman of the church council. The available record does not list books, films, or public offices, but it does place Prince firmly in the world of Singaporean church life, where his name is associated above all with the growth and leadership of his church.

Public attention has also included questions about compensation. In an interview with the Sunday Times on 5 October 2008, Prince acknowledged that he was “well-paid,” with his salary going up $50,000 a month. In 2009, The Straits Times reported that the church had paid one employee between $500,001 and $550,000 in the previous financial year. The church did not confirm the employee’s identity, but said its policy was to recognize and reward key contributors, and described Senior Pastor Prince as the main pillar of the church’s growth and revenue.

The church chairman, Deacon Matthew Kang, responded in April 2009 that New Creation Church was not a public charity and did not solicit public donations. He said there was “absolutely no compulsion” to give, whether in tithes or offerings, and that giving was done from a willing heart. Later, in October 2014, the church denied a report alleging Prince’s net worth at S$6.4 million, saying the actual amount was “substantially lower” and personal in nature. The Straits Times also reported that, according to a 2012 tax document, Prince had not received compensation from Joseph Prince Ministries or related organisations, and that the church council said he had not received a salary from New Creation Church since 2009.

Prince’s public words often speak in direct, practical terms. One quote attributed to him says, “Don’t use all your health chasing wealth, only to spend all your wealth later trying to get your health back.” It fits the plainspoken tone that draws many readers to short quotations: a simple warning, easy to remember, about priorities. Away from public reports and church titles, he is also a husband to Wendy Prince and a father to a daughter and a son.