Theodore Wilhelm Engstrom (1 March 1916 – 14 July 2006) was an American evangelical leader and author. He was the head of
Youth for Christ and
World Vision International. Engstrom was one of the founding architects and a board member of the
Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
Biography
Theodore Wilhelm Engstrom was born on March 1, 1916, in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...
. He became
Christian while a freshman at
Taylor University in 1935. He graduated in 1938 as an English and journalism major. Engstrom began his career with
Zondervan Publishing House in the 1940s, where he became editorial director and then general manager. In 1947, he directed a 10-day evangelistic crusade led by evangelist
Billy Graham
William Franklin Graham Jr. (; November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American Evangelism, evangelist, ordained Southern Baptist minister, and Civil rights movement, civil rights advocate, whose broadcasts and world tours featuring liv ...
.
In 1951, Engstrom became executive director of Youth for Christ International. In 1963, he was recruited as executive vice president of World Vision International by Bob Pierce, the organization's founder. Engstrom served two years as president of the organization before retiring in 1987. In 1986, he was among the signers of "A MANIFESTO FOR THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH" promoted by the Coalition on Revival, which, condemns extra-marital sexual relationships and
homosexuality.
Engstrom was a prolific writer, averaging a book a year for over 50 years plus numerous magazine and journal articles.
Engstrom died July 14, 2006, at his home in
Bradbury, California. He was 90.
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Engstrom, Ted W
1916 births
2006 deaths
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American non-fiction writers
20th-century evangelicals
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American non-fiction writers
21st-century evangelicals
American Evangelical writers
American male non-fiction writers
American religious writers
Leaders of Christian parachurch organizations
Taylor University alumni
Writers from Cleveland