Jimmy Swaggart: The Evangelist and His Global Ministry

Jimmy Swaggart is an American preacher and the founder of Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. He was born on March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana, to W.L. and Minnie Bell Swaggart. At the age of eight, he experienced salvation and felt God’s call on his life. He spent hours reading the Bible and praying, laying the foundation for his future ministry.

Early Life and Musical Talent

Musical ability runs in the Swaggart family. His parents, W.L. and Minnie Bell, were gifted musicians who, during the Great Depression, earned money by playing the fiddle and guitar at dances.

Jimmy Swaggart released his first album, Some Golden Daybreak, in 1958, which became an immediate favorite. Since then, he has sold more than 17 million recordings, making a significant impact in gospel music.

Marriage and Family Life

He married 15-year-old Frances Anderson, whom he met in church in Wisner, Louisiana, while playing music with his father, who pastored the Assemblies of God Church there. The couple has a son, Donnie Swaggart.

To support his young family, Jimmy Swaggart worked several part-time jobs while also singing Southern Gospel music at various churches.

Early Ministry and Evangelistic Work

During the 1950s, the Swaggart family lived in poverty as he preached throughout rural Louisiana, struggling to survive on a very low income. They were too poor to own homes and often lived in church basements and pastors' homes.

In 1955, he began full-time evangelistic work, leading revival meetings throughout the American South.

By 1960, he had started recording and broadcasting gospel music albums on Christian radio stations. In 1961, Swaggart was ordained by the Assemblies of God, and a year later, he launched his radio ministry.

Founding of the Family Worship Center

In the late 1960s, he founded a small church called the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The church eventually became district-affiliated with the Assemblies of God and played a key role in expanding his ministry.

Radio and Television Ministry

Jimmy Swaggart Ministries has been broadcasting on radio for over five decades. His first radio program, The Campmeeting Hour, aired on January 1, 1969, in Atlanta, Georgia. Within five years, the program was airing on 700 radio stations across the United States.

In 2009, Jimmy Swaggart Ministries launched the SonLife Network, which now airs on 78 radio stations worldwide and is available on the internet. Today, the ministry owns and operates 75 radio stations, broadcasting 24/7.

During the 1980s, Swaggart’s television broadcasts reached more than 3,000 television stations and numerous cable networks each week. He and his crusade team held 15 major meetings per year across the United States and in more than 40 countries, including:

Brazil
Canada
Argentina
El Salvador
Guatemala
Ivory Coast
Liberia
Peru
Russia
South Africa

In some countries, the stadiums seated up to 100,000 people, and when Reverend Swaggart ministered, they were packed to full capacity. These massive services were later aired on television, further expanding his outreach.

Global Humanitarian Efforts

Jimmy Swaggart Ministries extended its mission beyond preaching. He traveled to poverty-stricken areas across the globe, witnessing firsthand the urgent need for local churches and schools.

As a result, the ministry funded and built churches and schools in Central America, South America, and Haiti.

Additionally, Jimmy Swaggart Ministries partnered with numerous missionaries in their service to God, including Mark Buntain and his missionary work in Calcutta, India.

Jimmy Swaggart’s ministry has left a lasting impact on the world through preaching, music, television, and humanitarian efforts. Despite challenges, his influence continues through SonLife Broadcasting Network, gospel music, and global evangelistic outreach.

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