Kenneth E. Hagin was born in
McKinney, Texas, the son of Lillie Viola Drake Hagin and Jess Hagin. According to Hagin's testimony, he was born
with a deformed heart and what was believed to be an incurable blood disease.
He was not expected to live and at age 15 became paralyzed and bedridden.[3] In
April 1933 he converted to Christianity. During a dramatic conversion
experience, he reported dying, due to the deformed heart, three times in 10
minutes, each time seeing the horrors of hell and then returning to life.[4] He
remained paralyzed after his conversion.[2]
On August 8, 1934, he says he was
raised from his deathbed by a revelation of "faith in God's Word"
after reading Mark 11:23-24.[4]
The Bible scripture in Mark 11:23-24
defined his ministry and was his most frequently quoted verse:[2]
“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this
mountain, be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in
his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to
pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things
soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have
them.”
Start of ministry
In 1936, he founded his first
non-denominational church.[2] He preached his first sermon as the pastor of a
small, community Baptist church in Roland, Texas.[5] In 1937, he became an
Assemblies of God minister.[5] During the next twelve years he pastored five
Assemblies of God churches in Texas: in the cities of Tom Bean, Farmersville
(twice), Talco, Greggton, and Van.[6] Van, Texas was the last church he
pastored before starting to travel.
On November 25, 1938 he married
Oretha Rooker.[4] They had two children. Their first child Kenneth Wayne Hagin,
known as Kenneth Hagin Jr., was born on September 3, 1939.[6] A daughter,
Patricia (Hagin) Harrison, was born 19 months later on March 27, 1941.[6] His
son Kenneth Wayne Hagin is currently the pastor of Rhema Bible Church and
President of Kenneth Hagin Ministries.[7]
Hagin began an itinerant ministry as
a Bible teacher and evangelist in 1949 after an appearance by Jesus.[5] He
joined the Voice of Healing Revival in the U.S. with Oral Roberts, Gordon
Lindsay and T. L. Osborn between 1947 and 1958.[2][6]
Hagin was given full admission to
the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International (also known as the
FGBMFI) which had been established in 1951.[citation needed]
Evangelistic Association
On January 23, 1963, he formed the
Kenneth E. Hagin Evangelistic Association (now Kenneth Hagin Ministries) in
Garland, Texas.[6] In September 1966, the ministry offices were moved to Tulsa,
Oklahoma into a space previously used by T.L. Osborn.[6] He started selling his
sermons on reel-to-reel tape in 1966. In November of that year, he taught for
the first time on radio on KSKY in Dallas.[6]
The North Texas District Council of
the Assemblies of God ordained him a minister in 1967.[6]
In 1967, he began a regular radio
broadcast that still continues as "Faith Seminar of the Air."
Teaching by his son, Rev. Kenneth Hagin Jr, is heard on the program.[citation
needed]
Since Hagin's incorporation 1963,
his organization grew to include numerous media outreaches and ministries.
These are:
Faith Library Publications – with 65 million book copies in
circulation[5]
"RHEMA Praise" – a weekly television program on the Trinity
Broadcasting Network
"Faith Seminar of the Air" – a radio program heard on many
stations nationwide and on the Internet
"The Word of Faith" – a free monthly magazine with roughly
600,000 subscribers
Crusades conducted throughout the nation
RHEMA Correspondence Bible School
RHEMA Prayer and Healing Center, located on the Rhema campus in Broken
Arrow, Oklahoma
At a camp meeting in 1973, Hagin
announced the creation of a "bible training center." In 1974, Hagin
opened RHEMA Bible Training College, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, which now has
training centers in fourteen different countries, planted over 1,500 congregations
worldwide, and has 25,000 alumni.[8][9]
In 1979, he founded the Prayer and
Healing Center to provide a place for the sick to come and "have the
opportunity to build their faith." Its Healing School continues to be held
free of charge twice a day on the RHEMA campus.[6]
On May 20, 1994 Hagin received an
Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degree from Faith Theological Seminary in Tampa,
Florida.[6]
Death
Hagin went to bed on Saturday
September 13th feeling well, according to a news release from his ministry. He
sat at the breakfast table Sunday morning and smiled at his wife, Oretha, then
sighed and his head fell to his chest. He was checked into a cardiac intensive
care unit in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he died at 7am Friday, September 19, 2003 at the age of 86.
[8]
Rhema Bible Training College
Hagin founded Rhema Bible Training
College, previously Rhema Bible Training Center, in 1974. It is accredited by
Transworld Accrediting Commission International. This Bible institute is
located on 110 acres (0.45 km2) in Broken Arrow, a suburb of Tulsa,
Oklahoma.[10] The curriculum is from a Charismatic/Pentecostal heritage. There
are seven ministry concentrations specializing in Children's Ministry, Youth
Ministry, Evangelism, Pastoral Care, Missions, Biblical Studies, and Supportive
Ministry. Rhema has established training centers in Austria, Brazil, Colombia,
Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Romania, Greece, Singapore,
South Africa, the South Pacific, Thailand, Nigeria, Zambia, Egypt, and the
Philippines.
After Hagin's death in 2003, his son
Kenneth W. Hagin continued to run the institution. Rhema has trained over
40,000 graduates who reside and minister in 52 countries.[11]
Locally, Rhema is known for its annual Christmas display, which in recent years has included more than 2 million lights synchronized to Christmas music.[12]
BOOKS
Bible Faith Study Course (1966)
Right and Wrong Thinking for Christians (1966)
What Faith Is (1966)
The Real Faith (1970)
I Believe in Visions (1972)
The Human Spirit (1974)
Why Tongues (1975)
Demons and How to Deal with Them (1976)
The Key to Spiritual Healing (1977)
Ministering to the Oppressed (1977)
The Interceding Christian (1978)
Faith Food for Spring (1978)
How You Can Be Led by the Spirit of God (1978)
How to Write Your Own Ticket with God (1979)
What to Do When Faith Seems Weak & Victory Lost (1979)
Seven Things You Should Know About Divine Healing (1979)
El Shaddai (1980)
Having Faith in Your Faith (1980)
Why Do People Fall Under the Power? (1981)
Casting Your Cares Upon the Lord (1981)
The Name of Jesus (1981)
Seven Steps for Judging Prophecy (1982)
I Went to Hell (1982)
Must Christians Suffer? (1982)
Related: THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF TL OSBORN
Recommended: THE YOUNG MINISTER
Comments
Post a Comment