Rich Wilkerson Jr. Biography

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Richard Preston Wilkerson Jr. (born March 28, 1984, in Tacoma, Washington) is an American pastor, author, speaker, and television personality best known as the co-founder and lead pastor of VOUS Church in Miami, Florida.

A fourth-generation Pentecostal preacher from one of American Christianity’s most recognizable ministry families, he rose to global prominence in 2014 when he officiated the wedding of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian in Florence, Italy.

Since planting VOUS Church with his wife DawnCheré in 2015, he has built a culturally influential, multi-campus congregation in the heart of Miami while logging millions of air miles as one of the most widely traveled young preachers in the United States.

He is the author of three books published by Thomas Nelson, and the son of evangelist Rich Wilkerson Sr., a cousin of the late David Wilkerson, author of the Christian classic The Cross and the Switchblade.

At a Glance

Personal
Full name	Richard Preston Wilkerson Jr.
Born	March 28, 1984 — Tacoma, Washington, USA
Age	42 (as of 2026)
Nationality	American
Spouse	DawnCheré Wilkerson (m. 2006)
Children	Wyatt Wesley, Wilde, Waylon, Wolfgang (four children)
Parents	Rich Wilkerson Sr. (father); Robyn Wilkerson (mother)
Siblings	Jonfulton Wilkerson, Graham Wilkerson, Taylor Wilkerson
Notable family	David Wilkerson (second cousin of Rich Wilkerson Sr., author of The Cross and the Switchblade)

Education
University	Lee University, Cleveland, Tennessee (B.Sc.)

Ministry
Title	Co-Lead Pastor and Founder
Church	VOUS Church, Miami, Florida
Founded	September 2015 (as independent church)
Denomination	Non-denominational (Pentecostal heritage)
Previous ministry	The Rendezvous at Trinity Church, Miami (2007–2015)
Conference	Annual VOUS Conference, South Beach, Miami
Reality TV	Rich in Faith (Oxygen Network, 2015–2016, 10 episodes)
Website	vouschurch.com

Career
Books	3 (published by Thomas Nelson / HarperCollins Christian)
Net Worth	~$1.5 million (est.)
Air miles	2+ million (logged through speaking ministry)

Early Life and Family Heritage

Rich Wilkerson Jr. was born into something unusual: a ministry family that goes back four generations on both his mother’s and father’s sides. His parents, Rich Wilkerson Sr. and Dr. Robyn Wilkerson, are long-time evangelists and co-pastors of Trinity Church in Miami, a megachurch affiliated with the Assemblies of God.

That family connection extends further. Rich Wilkerson Sr. is a cousin of David Wilkerson, one of the most influential Pentecostal figures of the 20th century, best known for his 1963 book The Cross and the Switchblade and for founding Times Square Church in New York City. The Wilkerson name carries real weight in Pentecostal circles, and Rich Jr. grew up fully aware of it.

He was born in Tacoma, Washington, where his father’s ministry was based, and spent his early years in that environment before the family eventually settled in Miami. He has three brothers: Jonfulton, Graham, and Taylor. His brother Jonfulton co-pastors Pacific Coast Church in Tacoma.

Despite all this ministry heritage, Rich Jr. did not make faith his own until he was 17. The church background was there from birth, but personal conviction came later. That gap between growing up around Christianity and actually choosing it for himself is something he has spoken about publicly and transparently, and it shows up consistently in how he approaches people who are on the outside looking in.

Rich Wilkerson Sr: Father, Evangelist, and Ministry Predecessor

Understanding Rich Jr. requires understanding Rich Sr. first. Rich Wilkerson Sr. is the founder of Peacemakers, a ministry that has taken the gospel into more than 1,600 public school campuses across the United States and Canada, reaching over 1.5 million students. He is the Senior Pastor of Trinity Legacy Center in Miami, and he and Robyn have been married for over 52 years.

Rich Sr. is also a published author and prominent evangelist who has been in ministry since 1973. His humorous, high-energy style clearly ran downstream to his son. People who have heard both Wilkersons preach note the same natural charisma and the same instinct to connect with the person in the room who feels least like they belong there.

Trinity Church, the family’s home base in Miami, was where Rich Jr. cut his teeth in ministry. It was the launchpad for everything that came after, including VOUS Church.

Education: Lee University and Ministry Formation

After high school, Rich Jr. attended Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. Lee University is a Church of God institution with a strong emphasis on Christian formation and ministry training. It has produced a significant number of pastors and ministry leaders.

His time there was not just academic. It was where his sense of calling solidified. By the time he graduated, he knew he was heading into full-time ministry. The question was not whether, but where and how.

The Rendezvous: Building a Movement Inside Trinity Church

In 2007, Rich and DawnCheré Wilkerson moved to Miami to work alongside his parents at Trinity Church. He was given leadership of the young adult ministry, which he called The Rendezvous — a weekly gathering designed to reach young adults who felt disconnected from traditional church culture.

It started with around 12 people. Within a few years, it had grown to over 1,000 weekly participants. That kind of growth in a young adult ministry is genuinely rare, and it happened in Miami — a city not exactly known for church attendance. Rich’s approach was simple in principle and hard in practice: create a space where people who have never felt at home in church can actually feel at home. Bring in contemporary music, speak in plain language, and refuse to make the people who are far from God feel worse about how far they are.

The Rendezvous ran inside Trinity from 2007 to 2015. Eventually, the nickname shortened to “The Vous,” and the name stuck. When the time came to launch an independent church, they already had the name.

Founding VOUS Church Miami

In September 2015, Rich and DawnCheré officially launched VOUS Church as a standalone congregation, separate from Trinity. The inaugural services were held at Jose De Diego Middle School in Miami’s Wynwood arts district — a deliberately chosen location.

Wynwood is Miami’s cultural heartbeat: murals everywhere, galleries, young creatives, diversity at every turn. It was the right neighborhood for a church that was deliberately trying not to look like a church.

The early services were raw and high-energy. The church’s first gathering was held in a bar. That is not a metaphor. The mission from day one was straightforward: create a church in the heart of Miami that would be home to all ages and reflect the diversity of the city.

VOUS Church has since grown to multiple campuses across Miami, including a South Miami location (SoMi) that launched in January 2024. The church runs VOUS Kids and VOUS High alongside its main services, building community across generations rather than just targeting a single demographic.

Every June, Rich and DawnCheré host the annual VOUS Conference on South Beach, drawing thousands of young adults to the historic Fillmore Theater for a multi-day gathering of worship, preaching, and community. The conference has become a signature event in the Miami Christian calendar and regularly draws speakers and artists from across the country.

Why Is It Called VOUS Church?

VOUS is short for Rendezvous. The name traces back to the young adult gathering Rich led inside Trinity Church from 2007 to 2015, originally called “The Rendezvous.” As the ministry grew in influence and identity, people started calling it “The Vous” for short, and the abbreviated name became the brand.

When Rich and DawnCheré planted the independent church in 2015, they kept the name. In French, “vous” simply means “you” — which works theologically too, since the church’s mission centers on reaching the individual person who feels unseen by organized religion.

The Kanye West Wedding: The Moment Everything Changed

On May 24, 2014, Rich Wilkerson Jr. stood in a 16th-century fortress in Florence, Italy, and officiated the marriage of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. It was one of the most photographed events of that year. Guests included Jaden Smith, Lana Del Rey, and a constellation of celebrities. The entire world was watching, and so was the Christian press.

How Kanye ended up in a pew at The Vous in the first place is the kind of story that sounds made up but is well-documented. A man named Chris Julian, who co-owned a Miami boutique associated with LeBron James where Kanye shopped, attended Trinity Church.

Julian invited Kanye to a Vous service. Kanye came. And something about what he encountered there made him want to invite Rich and DawnCheré into his life in a meaningful way.

When the time came to get married, Kanye asked Rich to do the ceremony. Rich has described it as both a privilege and a natural extension of genuine friendship. “My friendship with Kanye is one that I’ve really valued,” he told Premier Christianity. “I think he’s a guy that many times is very misunderstood.”

The press coverage that followed the Florence wedding made Rich and DawnCheré household names overnight. Suddenly a young pastor from Miami who had been building something real and quiet in a school auditorium was on the front pages of mainstream entertainment media.

The Oxygen network came calling. A 10-episode docu-series called Rich in Faith followed in 2015 and 2016, documenting the couple’s life as they launched VOUS Church. The show brought a level of visibility that very few pastors ever experience.

Kanye also contributed artwork for the cover of Rich’s first book, Sandcastle Kings, in 2015. The relationship between the two has remained genuine over the years, with Rich appearing at Kanye’s Sunday Service gatherings and maintaining a pastoral friendship with him through the various chapters of Kanye’s public and spiritual journey.

Rich Wilkerson Jr and Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber has been a regular presence at VOUS Church and one of Rich’s most publicly known friends in the celebrity world. Bieber has posted Wilkerson’s sermons to his own social media — including a clip from the VOUS Conference 2019 on trusting God through fear, which Bieber shared to his then-114 million Instagram followers while simultaneously promoting his Drew House clothing line.

Rich is one of several pastors Bieber has publicly credited with helping him work through his Christian faith during some of the most turbulent years of his life.

The friendship is consistent with Rich’s broader ministry identity: he is a pastor who does not require people to be cleaned up before they are welcomed in. Bieber’s attendance at VOUS services has been documented across multiple years, and Rich has spoken about the friendship warmly in various interviews.

This connection, combined with the Kanye relationship, cemented Rich Wilkerson Jr.’s reputation as what the secular media labeled a “celebrity pastor” — a term he has neither rejected nor leaned into, choosing instead to keep his focus on the gospel and the local church.

Personal Life: DawnCheré, Eight Years of Infertility, and Four Sons

Rich and DawnCheré Wilkerson married in 2006. They are equal co-pastors of VOUS Church — not a traditional “pastor and pastor’s wife” dynamic, but two people who both lead, both preach, and both carry the vision together.

What neither of them expected was to spend eight years trying to have children. On her 25th birthday, DawnCheré was told by her doctor that conceiving would be very difficult. What followed was nearly a decade of disappointment, multiple setbacks, and the quiet grief that comes with wanting something you cannot seem to reach. Both of them have spoken about how the infertility battle tested their marriage and their faith in specific, unglamorous ways.

Then on January 23, 2018, their son Wyatt Wesley Wilkerson was born. Rich’s Instagram post that day — a photo of a swaddled newborn and the words “Welcome to the world son” — was shared widely. DawnCheré wrote simply, “God is faithful.”

Wyatt was followed by Wilde and Waylon, and then a fourth son, Wolfgang, who is the youngest. All four boys carry “W” names, a naming pattern that has become a running public joke among the Wilkerson family’s followers.

Rich has spoken about the infertility years with unusual openness, encouraging other couples to talk about the struggle rather than carry it silently. “Feelings of inadequacy could impact one’s self-esteem, but it’s important to talk about these issues with someone,” he told The Christian Post. “You are not alone.”

What Denomination Is Rich Wilkerson Jr.?

VOUS Church is non-denominational. Rich Wilkerson Jr. was raised in a family deeply rooted in the Assemblies of God, the largest Pentecostal denomination in the world. His parents’ church, Trinity Church in Miami, is an Assemblies of God congregation.

Rich Jr. is a fourth-generation Pentecostal preacher, and Pentecostal theology, including the gifts of the Holy Spirit and a high value placed on Spirit-led worship, clearly shapes the culture and energy of VOUS Church.

However, VOUS Church itself operates independently and without formal denominational affiliation. This is a common pattern among younger evangelical church planters who want the freedom to build a distinct church culture without denominational constraints, while still maintaining theological continuity with their heritage.

Theology and Ministry Philosophy

Rich Wilkerson Jr.’s theology is evangelical and Pentecostal in its roots, with a grace-first posture that is central to everything he does at VOUS Church. His core conviction is simple: Jesus befriended sinners, and the church should too.

That is not just a slogan. It is the actual operating principle of VOUS, from where they hold services, to who they invite on stage, to how their community culture functions.

His preaching draws on biblical narrative, personal story, and direct application. He does not preach in theological abstractions. He uses real situations, real people he has met, and real moments from his own life to make the point land.

The goal is not to impress anyone with biblical knowledge. The goal is to help the person in the back row who has never opened a Bible feel like this message was written specifically for them.

The church’s official mission is “to create a home for all people to encounter the life-transforming message of Jesus.” Its four core values are Biblical Integrity, Spirit-Led Courage, Christ-Like Character, and Sacrificial Love.

Those are not decorative statements. They inform how the church handles conflict, how it welcomes newcomers, and how it talks about faith in a city that is as secular and multicultural as Miami.

Rich has also been vocal about the danger of what he calls “sandcastle” spirituality — building a life on things that look solid but collapse the moment pressure hits.

That is the central metaphor of his first book, drawn from Luke 7, and it captures his theological emphasis well: Jesus is not one option among many for a fulfilling life. He is the only foundation that actually holds.

You can explore more about Pentecostal churches and their beliefs and history.

Books and Publications

Rich Wilkerson Jr. has written three books for adults, all published by Thomas Nelson, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing.

Sandcastle Kings: Meeting Jesus in a Spiritually Bankrupt World (2015) — His debut book, written in the year VOUS Church launched. Using four stories from Luke 7 — the centurion’s faith, the resurrection of the widow’s son, Jesus’ message about John the Baptist, and the anointing by the woman with the alabaster jar — he makes the case that spiritual fulfillment cannot be found in other people, material things, or religious performance. Only in Jesus. The cover artwork was contributed by Kanye West.
Friend of Sinners: Why Jesus Cares More About Relationship Than Perfection (2018) — His most theologically focused book and the one that best represents his ministry philosophy. He retells the stories of Jesus with Matthew, Zacchaeus, and others to demonstrate that Jesus did not wait for people to clean themselves up before he pursued them. The book argues that the church’s job is not to manage sin from a distance but to get close to people the way Jesus did — and trust that the power of the gospel will do what moral pressure never can.
Single and Secure: Break Up with the Lies and Fall in Love with the Truth — His most recent book, written for single adults navigating a culture that often treats singleness as a problem to be solved rather than a season with its own richness and purpose. The book directly challenges the cultural narrative that your best days are waiting somewhere on the other side of a relationship.

Television and Media

In 2015, following the global media attention from the Kanye wedding, Oxygen Network approached Rich and DawnCheré about a reality series. The result was Rich in Faith, a 10-episode docu-series that followed the couple through the launch of VOUS Church in Miami.

It was unusually honest for a Christian media production — showing the real stress, logistical difficulty, and relational weight of planting a church in a major city while under intense public scrutiny.

Beyond Rich in Faith, Rich has served as host of Top3, a weekly talk show on JUCE TV featuring Christian personalities and round-table discussions on current events. He is also an internationally recognized speaker who has delivered messages at conferences across the United States and in numerous countries, logging over two million air miles through his speaking ministry.

His sermons and teaching content are available through the VOUS Church podcast and on the church’s website.

Rich Wilkerson Jr. Politics

Rich Wilkerson Jr. does not align himself publicly with any political party or candidate. He has not made political endorsements and keeps his pastoral identity deliberately separate from partisan politics.

His public platform is focused on the gospel, community, and reaching people outside the church, not on political commentary.

He ministers in Miami, one of the most politically and culturally diverse cities in the United States, and his congregation reflects that diversity. His silence on partisan politics is consistent and intentional.

What Caused David Wilkerson’s Accident?

David Wilkerson, the famous Pentecostal preacher and author of The Cross and the Switchblade, died on April 27, 2011, in a car accident in East Texas. He was 79. He was driving east on U.S. Highway 175 near Cuney, Texas, when his car crossed into the oncoming lane and struck a tractor-trailer head-on.

Wilkerson was not wearing a seatbelt and was pronounced dead at the scene. His wife, Gwendolyn, was in the car and was wearing a seatbelt. She survived with injuries and was airlifted to a hospital.

David Wilkerson was the second cousin of Rich Wilkerson Sr., making him a more distant family connection to Rich Jr. When news of the death spread, Rich Wilkerson Sr. confirmed it on Twitter: “It is confirmed my dear cousin David Wilkerson lost his life in a tragic car accident this afternoon.

Prayers r needed at this time.” David Wilkerson had been one of the most significant voices in 20th-century Pentecostal evangelism, founding both Teen Challenge and Times Square Church in New York. His death was felt deeply across the global Pentecostal and evangelical community.

VOUS Church’s Influence and What Makes It Different

VOUS Church does not look like most churches, and that is by design. Rich and DawnCheré built it specifically to reach people who associate church with judgment, performance, and irrelevance. The church uses contemporary music, art, and cultural references not as decorations but as tools for connection.

They chose to plant in Wynwood, an arts district full of people who are, by their own estimation, the least likely to walk into a traditional church building.

The result is a congregation that reflects Miami’s actual demographic reality: multilingual, multiracial, young and old, from deep church backgrounds and from no church background at all.

The annual VOUS Conference at the Fillmore Theater on South Beach draws thousands of young adults every June, and it regularly features worship artists and speakers from across the broader evangelical world.

The church’s outreach includes Hope’s Closet and community initiatives built to serve Miami beyond Sunday mornings. VOUS Kids and VOUS High serve families and teenagers within the church, intentionally building faith across generations rather than just serving the young adult demographic that started the whole thing.

Rich Wilkerson Jr’s Influence and Legacy

Rich Wilkerson Jr. occupies a specific lane in American Christianity that very few pastors hold. He is genuinely cross-cultural, comfortable in the evangelical church world and equally comfortable in rooms full of people who have never been to church and don’t particularly want to start.

The Kanye wedding was not a publicity stunt. It was a natural outcome of a ministry genuinely committed to reaching people who feel unwelcome in organized religion.

His influence on young adults has been consistent since The Rendezvous days. He models a version of Christianity that is neither naive about how broken people are nor cold about how much Jesus loves them. That combination is harder to pull off than it sounds, and he has done it consistently across nearly two decades in ministry.

His books have reached a readership that extends well beyond Miami. Friend of Sinners in particular has become a widely used resource in small groups and church communities for people who are trying to understand what it means to actually follow the Jesus of the Gospels, the one who ate dinner with tax collectors and let women of questionable reputation touch his feet, rather than the sanitized version that most church culture has produced.

He has also given significant visibility to the challenge of infertility in Christian ministry couples. By speaking openly about eight years of disappointment with DawnCheré, he helped normalize a conversation that many couples in ministry carry privately and silently. That willingness to be honest about pain, not just victory, is part of what makes his ministry feel human rather than performed.

Criticism and Controversy

Rich Wilkerson Jr. has critics, primarily within conservative Reformed and discernment circles online. The most common concerns center on his association with celebrity culture, his connection to figures like Kanye West who have attracted their own controversies, and questions about whether his preaching style prioritizes accessibility over theological depth.

Some critics have pointed to his proximity to the broader “celebrity pastor” ecosystem — a network of young, culturally connected evangelical pastors who move in similar media and entertainment circles — as a source of concern about theological accountability.

Others have noted that VOUS Church’s ministry culture, while clearly evangelical, operates in a space where the lines between entertainment and worship can blur in ways that more traditional churches find uncomfortable.

It is fair to note that these critiques come primarily from online platforms rather than any formal church body, and that Rich’s core doctrinal commitments remain historically evangelical and consistent with his Pentecostal heritage. No major financial, moral, or doctrinal scandal has been associated with his ministry. His public personal life is consistently described as stable and genuine, and his stated mission — reaching people who have been pushed away by religion — is straightforwardly biblical.

Rich Wilkerson Jr Net Worth

Rich Wilkerson Jr.’s net worth is estimated at approximately $1.5 million. This figure is based on his pastoral salary from VOUS Church, book royalties from three published titles, speaking fees from his extensive international conference ministry, and income from his television appearances and media work. He has logged over two million air miles as a speaker, which reflects the scale and frequency of his speaking engagements.

No official financial disclosures have been made by Wilkerson or VOUS Church. All figures are estimates drawn from publicly available information about comparable ministry leaders and income sources. Rich Wilkerson Jr. is not associated with prosperity theology or financial ministry, and his preaching does not emphasize wealth as a measure of spiritual favor.

Interesting Facts About Rich Wilkerson Jr.

His full name is Richard Preston Wilkerson Jr. Almost no one calls him that.
He is a fourth-generation Pentecostal preacher on both his mother’s and father’s sides.
The Kanye West connection started because Kanye shopped at a Miami boutique owned by a man who attended Trinity Church and invited him to a Vous service.
Kanye West designed the cover art for Rich’s first book, Sandcastle Kings.
The first VOUS Church service was held in a bar. Not a metaphor.
Rich and DawnCheré struggled with infertility for eight years before their first son, Wyatt, was born in January 2018.
All four of their sons have names starting with “W” — Wyatt, Wilde, Waylon, and Wolfgang.
He has logged over two million air miles through his speaking ministry.
He bears a frequently noted resemblance to Leonardo DiCaprio, something he is apparently aware of and takes in good humor.
His father, Rich Wilkerson Sr., is a cousin of David Wilkerson, who wrote The Cross and the Switchblade — one of the most widely read evangelism books of the 20th century.
The VOUS Conference is held annually on South Beach at the Fillmore Theater, one of Miami’s most iconic live music venues.
Justin Bieber shared one of Rich’s sermons to over 114 million Instagram followers in 2019 while wearing a Drew House shirt from his own clothing line.

Timeline of Key Events

March 28, 1984	Born in Tacoma, Washington
Mid-1990s–early 2000s	Grew up in Tacoma, WA; came to personal faith at age 17
Early 2000s	Attended Lee University, Cleveland, Tennessee; earned bachelor’s degree
2006	Married DawnCheré
2007	Moved to Miami; began leading The Rendezvous young adult ministry at Trinity Church under his parents Rich Wilkerson Sr. and Robyn
2007–2015	The Rendezvous grew from around 12 people to over 1,000 weekly attendees; nickname shortened to “The Vous”
April 27, 2011	Second cousin David Wilkerson died in a car accident in East Texas at age 79; Rich Wilkerson Sr. confirmed the death publicly on Twitter
2014	Officiated the wedding of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian in Florence, Italy, on May 24; became a household name in mainstream media
2015	Published Sandcastle Kings with cover art by Kanye West; launched VOUS Church as an independent congregation in September; Rich in Faith debuted on Oxygen Network
2016	Rich in Faith completed its 10-episode run on Oxygen Network
2018	Son Wyatt Wesley Wilkerson born January 23, ending an eight-year infertility journey; published Friend of Sinners
2018–2022	Sons Wilde, Waylon, and Wolfgang born; VOUS Church expands across Miami
2019	Preached at Kanye West’s Sunday Service; Justin Bieber shared Rich’s VOUS Conference message to 114 million followers
January 2024	VOUS SoMi (South Miami) campus launches
2026	Active in pastoring VOUS Church, VOUS Conference, international speaking, and ongoing book ministry

Frequently Asked Questions About Rich Wilkerson Jr.

What denomination is Rich Wilkerson Jr.?

VOUS Church is non-denominational. Rich Wilkerson Jr. comes from four generations of Pentecostal ministers on both sides of his family, and his parents pastor Trinity Church in Miami, an Assemblies of God congregation. His Pentecostal roots shape the worship culture and spiritual energy of VOUS Church, but the church itself operates independently without formal denominational affiliation. Learn more about the Assemblies of God and its history at Flicxa.

Why is it called VOUS Church?

VOUS is short for Rendezvous. The name originated from the young adult ministry Rich led inside Trinity Church from 2007 to 2015, called “The Rendezvous.” As the community grew, people shortened it to “The Vous,” and the name carried over when Rich and DawnCheré planted the independent church in 2015. In French, “vous” also means “you,” which fits the church’s mission to reach individual people who have felt unseen by organized religion.

What caused David Wilkerson’s accident?

David Wilkerson, the author of The Cross and the Switchblade and founder of Times Square Church, died on April 27, 2011, in a car accident in East Texas. He was driving east on U.S. Highway 175 near Cuney, Texas, when his car veered into the oncoming lane and hit a tractor-trailer head-on. He was 79 and was not wearing a seatbelt. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His wife, Gwendolyn, survived the crash with injuries. David Wilkerson was a cousin of Rich Wilkerson Sr., making him a more distant family connection to Rich Wilkerson Jr.

How many children does Rich Wilkerson Jr. have?

Rich and DawnCheré Wilkerson have four children. All four are boys: Wyatt Wesley (born January 23, 2018), Wilde, Waylon, and Wolfgang. The couple spent eight years dealing with infertility before Wyatt was born, and they have spoken publicly about that journey at length. All four boys have names beginning with “W.”

What is the connection between Rich Wilkerson Jr. and Kanye West?

Rich Wilkerson Jr. officiated the wedding of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian on May 24, 2014, in Florence, Italy. Kanye first came to a Vous service at Trinity Church after being invited by Chris Julian, a mutual contact who attended Trinity and co-owned a Miami boutique where Kanye shopped. Rich and DawnCheré developed a genuine friendship with Kanye over time, and when he wanted someone to perform the ceremony, he asked Rich. Rich has described the friendship as real and valued. Kanye also contributed cover artwork for Rich’s first book, Sandcastle Kings, in 2015, and Rich has appeared at Kanye’s Sunday Service gatherings.

What is Rich Wilkerson Jr.’s connection to Justin Bieber?

Justin Bieber has been a regular attendee at VOUS Church and a personal friend of Rich Wilkerson Jr. for several years. Bieber has shared Rich’s sermons publicly on Instagram, including a 2019 VOUS Conference message that he reposted to over 114 million followers. Rich is one of several pastors Bieber has publicly acknowledged as part of his Christian faith journey. The friendship is consistent with VOUS Church’s culture of welcoming people regardless of their public profile or personal history.

What books has Rich Wilkerson Jr. written?

Rich Wilkerson Jr. has written three books: Sandcastle Kings: Meeting Jesus in a Spiritually Bankrupt World (2015), Friend of Sinners: Why Jesus Cares More About Relationship Than Perfection (2018), and Single and Secure: Break Up with the Lies and Fall in Love with the Truth. All three are published by Thomas Nelson. Sandcastle Kings features cover artwork by Kanye West.

What is Rich Wilkerson Jr.’s net worth?

Rich Wilkerson Jr.’s net worth is estimated at approximately $1.5 million, based on his pastoral income, book royalties, speaking fees from international ministry, and television appearances. No official financial figures have been publicly disclosed. He is not associated with prosperity theology or financial ministry.

What is Rich Wilkerson Jr.’s age?

Rich Wilkerson Jr. was born on March 28, 1984, making him 42 years old as of 2026.

Does Rich Wilkerson Jr. have a podcast?

Rich Wilkerson Jr.’s sermons and teaching content are available through the VOUS Church podcast. He has also hosted Top3, a weekly Christian talk show on JUCE TV that featured popular Christian personalities and discussion on current events. His messages from the annual VOUS Conference are also available online.

Who is DawnCheré Wilkerson?

DawnCheré Wilkerson is Rich’s wife and equal co-lead pastor of VOUS Church. She co-founded the church alongside him, teaches and preaches regularly, and has been a central part of both The Rendezvous and VOUS ministries from the beginning. She has spoken widely on infertility, marriage, and faith. Together she and Rich starred in Rich in Faith on Oxygen Network and have been public figures in both the Christian and broader media world since the Kanye West wedding in 2014.