Jimmy Swaggart Ministries is a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

evangelical organization located in

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. The organization was founded in 1984 by

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

televangelist Televangelism (from ''televangelist'', a blend of ''television'' and ''evangelist'') and occasionally termed radio evangelism or teleministry, denotes the utilization of media platforms, notably radio and television, for the marketing of relig ...

Jimmy Swaggart Jimmy Lee Swaggart (; born March 15, 1935) is an American Pentecostal televangelist and gospel artist. Swaggart is one of the most well-known televangelists in America. During the 1980s, Swaggart's crusades were a major part of his ministry� ...

. It also runs Jimmy Swaggart Bible College, and Family Worship Center, the

megachurch A megachurch is a church with a very large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities. Most megachurches are Evangelical, although the term denotes a type of organization, not a denomination. A megachurch draws 2 ...

Jimmy's son Donnie and grandson Gabriel, are pastors. It has an international outreach and has preached to millions of people across the world.

History

The organization was founded by Jimmy Swaggart. After being involved in a prostitution scandal, Swaggart was stripped of his ministerial license by the

Assemblies of God The World Assemblies of God Fellowship (WAGF), commonly known as the Assemblies of God (AG), is a global cooperative body or communion of over 170 Pentecostal denominations that was established on August 15, 1989. The WAGF was created to provi ...

and became an independent,

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. The term has been used in the context of various faiths, including Jainism, Baháʼí Faith, Zoro ...

minister. The ministry was created to be the overarching administrative entity of his church and assets, this includes his radio station, WJFM, and all television programs by him. In 1988, it had a yearly revenue of $150 million, most of which was used to run the Bible College campus.

Jimmy Swaggart Bible College

Jimmy Swaggart Bible College is a school on Bluebonnet Boulevard in Baton Rouge. At its highest point it had an enrollment of 1,451. In 1988, enrollment dropped by 72% due to Swaggart's prostitution scandal. In 1991, the college became known as World Evangelism Bible College in an effort to attract more students and disassociate itself with scandal. It was reported that the school's attendance got so low that the classes had to be moved to the ministry's high school program classrooms. Today, the college is still open and enrolls a small number of students each year. It has a

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

on campus and the main

academic major An academic major is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits. A student who successfully completes all courses required for the major qualifies for an undergraduate degree. The word ''major'' (also called ''con ...

is ministry.

Family Worship Center

The Family Worship Center is the church of Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. It was founded by Swaggart in the late 1960s as a small church affiliated with the Assemblies of God. He has been the pastor there since then, before being joined by son Donnie and grandson Gabriel in the 2010s. It has become a

and is now one of the largest churches in Louisiana.

References

External links

Ministry WebsiteFamily Worship Center Website
American Christian radio programs Evangelical parachurch organizations Evangelicalism in the United States 1984 establishments in the United States {{Christian-org-stub