Paula White-Cain facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paula White-Cain
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White in 2021
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| Senior Advisor to the White House Faith Office | |
| Assumed office February 7, 2025 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Melissa Rogers |
| In office May 3, 2018 – January 20, 2021 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Melissa Rogers |
| Succeeded by | Melissa Rogers |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Paula Michelle Furr
April 20, 1966 Tupelo, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | National Bible College and Seminary (no degree) |
| Occupation | Pastor • televangelist |
Paula Michelle White-Cain (born April 20, 1966) is an American Christian leader, pastor, and televangelist (a pastor who preaches on television). She is a well-known spiritual advisor to former U.S. President Donald Trump. She is also married to Jonathan Cain, the keyboardist for the famous rock band Journey.
White is known for teaching about prosperity theology, the belief that strong faith can lead to wealth and success. She has written several popular books and worked with other famous Christian leaders.
During Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, White led his group of evangelical advisors. She gave the opening prayer, called an invocation, at his inauguration in 2017. This made her the first female pastor to do so. In 2019, Trump appointed her as a special advisor to the Faith and Opportunity Initiative at the White House.
On February 7, 2025, President Trump announced that White would lead a new department called the White House Faith Office.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Paula White was born Paula Michelle Furr in Tupelo, Mississippi. Her parents, Myra and Donald Furr, owned a toy and craft store. When Paula was five, her parents separated, and she moved with her mother to Memphis, Tennessee. Her family faced difficult times and poverty.
When she was nine, her mother remarried a two-star admiral in the United States Navy. The family then moved to the Washington, D.C. area. White graduated from Seneca Valley High School in Germantown, Maryland.
In 1984, while living in Maryland, White became a Christian. She later said that she received a vision from God soon after.
Career as a Pastor
Starting a Church
In 1991, Paula and her then-husband, Randy White, started a church in Tampa, Florida, called the Tampa Christian Center. At first, the church was very small and did not have much money.
The church grew quickly. By 1999, it was holding services in a large tent for about 5,000 people each week. The church was renamed Without Walls International Church. It bought a large warehouse and turned it into its main building.
Church Growth and Challenges
In 2002, the church expanded by buying another church property in Lakeland, Florida. By 2004, Without Walls had about 20,000 members, making it one of the largest churches in the United States.
However, the church later faced money problems. In 2008, it had to put its properties up for sale. The church in Lakeland eventually closed. In 2014, Without Walls International Church filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a way for organizations to reorganize their finances. At the time, White was no longer the pastor there and said she had no part in the bankruptcy filing.
Paula White Ministries
In 2001, White began a television show called Paula White Today. By 2006, her show was broadcast on several TV networks, including BET. Ebony magazine noted that she became a very popular preacher.
She considers Bishop T. D. Jakes a mentor and has spoken at his conferences. She has also served as a pastor or spiritual coach to famous people like baseball players Gary Sheffield and Darryl Strawberry, and TV host Tyra Banks.
City of Destiny Church
On December 31, 2011, White became the senior pastor of New Destiny Christian Center in Apopka, Florida. She took over after the previous pastor, Zachery Tims, passed away.
In May 2019, White stepped down as senior pastor. She announced that her son, Bradley Knight, and his wife would take over. The church was renamed City of Destiny. White said she planned to focus on starting 3,000 new churches and a university.
Working with Donald Trump
Paula White first connected with Donald Trump in 2002 after he saw her television show. He called her, and they began a long friendship. Trump invited her to lead private Bible studies and appeared on her TV show.
Advisor and Inauguration
In 2016, White became the chair of Trump's Evangelical Advisory Board during his presidential campaign. After he was elected, she gave the opening prayer at his inauguration on January 20, 2017.
White often held prayer meetings with Trump at the White House. She supported his decision in 2017 to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
White House Role
In 2019, President Trump appointed White to a position at the White House's Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiative. Her job was to help connect the government with faith-based groups.
White supported Trump's 2020 reelection campaign. On January 6, 2021, she gave a prayer at a pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C., before the events at the U.S. Capitol.
In February 2025, Trump announced the creation of the White House Faith Office and named White as its leader. This decision has been met with both support and criticism from different religious leaders.
Beliefs and Criticisms
White is a well-known supporter of prosperity theology. This is the belief that God rewards faith with financial and physical well-being.
Her teachings have been criticized by some other Christian leaders, who have called her beliefs incorrect. She has also been criticized for saying she has a doctoral degree, even though she did not graduate from a college or seminary.
In response to her critics, White has said that many false things have been reported about her. She has stated that her life has not been perfect but that the stories told by her critics are not accurate.
Senate Finance Committee Inquiry
In 2007, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee began an inquiry into the finances of several televangelist ministries, including White's Without Walls International Church. The committee, led by Senator Chuck Grassley, looked at whether the ministries were following the rules for tax-exempt organizations.
A report found that the church had spent money on a mansion for the Whites and on salaries for family members. White and her church did not cooperate with the investigation. The committee released its findings in 2011 but did not take any further action.
Personal Life
White has been married three times and has one son, Bradley Knight, from her first marriage. In 2019, her son became the senior pastor of her former church, City of Destiny.
Her second husband was Randy White, with whom she founded Without Walls International Church. They divorced in 2007 but have said they remain friends.
In 2015, White married Jonathan Cain, the keyboardist for the rock band Journey. Through her marriages, she is also a stepmother.
See also
- Seven Mountain Mandate
