Jimmy Swaggart facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jimmy Swaggart
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Swaggart in 2009
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| Born |
Jimmy Lee Swaggart
March 15, 1935 |
| Died | July 1, 2025 (aged 90) Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
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| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1955–2025 |
| Television | The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast (1971–2025) SonLife Broadcasting Network (2007–2025) |
| Spouse(s) |
Frances Swaggart
(m. 1952) |
| Children | Donnie Swaggart |
| Relatives | Mickey Gilley (cousin) Jerry Lee Lewis (cousin) |
Jimmy Lee Swaggart (March 15, 1935 – July 1, 2025) was an American Pentecostal televangelist, pastor, author, and gospel music artist. He was one of the most well-known televangelists in America. During the 1980s, his large crusades drew many people and gained much attention. Swaggart held crusades in many countries, including Argentina, Canada, and South Africa.
He founded Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, which runs the SonLife Broadcasting Network (SBN). He also started the Jimmy Swaggart Bible College. Swaggart was the senior pastor of the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Swaggart wrote about 50 Christian books for his ministry. As a gospel artist, he sold over 15 million records worldwide and received a Grammy Awards nomination. His public work faced some personal challenges that affected his ministry for a time.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Jimmy Lee Swaggart was born on March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana. He was the first of two children. His father, Willie Leon Swaggart, was a farmer who shared crops and a Pentecostal preacher who played the fiddle. His mother, Minnie Bell Herron, was a housewife. Many of their family members were connected through marriage.
Jimmy was the cousin of famous musicians Jerry Lee Lewis and Mickey Gilley. He had a younger sister, Jeanette. Jimmy attended small Assemblies of God churches with his parents in Ferriday and Wisner, Louisiana.
In 1943, when he was 8 years old, Jimmy felt a strong calling while watching a movie. He began to speak in tongues, which is a spiritual experience for Pentecostals.
At age 14, Jimmy ran away from home because he found his father's rules too strict. He would sneak out with his cousins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Mickey Gilley, to listen to music by artists like Ray Charles and Louis Armstrong. While attending Ferriday High School, Jimmy and Lewis also played piano at talent shows.
In 1951, at 16, Jimmy and Jerry Lee Lewis often performed piano duets. Mickey Gilley also joined them. Jimmy left high school, like his cousins. He faced some personal struggles during this time. Soon after, he began preaching on street corners and became a pastor at a small church.
In 1952, at 17, Swaggart married 15-year-old Frances Anderson. They met at church. They had a son named Donnie. Jimmy worked many part-time jobs to support his family. He also began singing Southern Gospel music in churches.
According to his book To Cross a River, the Swaggarts lived in poverty during the 1950s. He preached across rural Louisiana, earning about $30 a week. They were too poor to own a home, so they lived in church basements, pastors' homes, and small motels. A music producer named Sam Phillips wanted Jimmy to record gospel music. Jimmy's cousin, Jerry Lee Lewis, was already earning a lot of money with Phillips. But Jimmy turned down the offer. He said he felt called to preach the gospel instead.
Spreading His Message: Jimmy Swaggart's Career
Starting His Ministry
In 1955, Jimmy Swaggart began working full-time as an evangelist, sharing his message from a donated flatbed trailer. He started to gain followers at revival meetings across the American South. In 1960, he began recording gospel music albums and broadcasting on Christian radio stations.
In 1961, Swaggart became an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God. A year later, his radio ministry began. In the late 1960s, Swaggart founded a small church called the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This church later became connected with the Assemblies of God.
In 1971, Swaggart started a weekly 30-minute television show on local stations in Baton Rouge. He also bought a local AM radio station, WLUX (now WPFC). This station broadcast Christian stories, sermons, and music. Swaggart sold many of his radio stations over the 1980s and early 1990s.
Reaching More People Through Television
By 1975, his television ministry had grown to more stations across the United States. Television became his main way of sharing his message. In 1978, his weekly TV show became an hour long. In 1980, Swaggart started a daily weekday TV show with Bible study and music. The weekend show included a service from his church or a crusade in a major city. By 1983, over 250 television stations were broadcasting his show.
Later Years of Ministry
Today, Jimmy Swaggart Ministries includes the Family Worship Center, The Jimmy Swaggart Telecast, and radio and television programs called A Study in the Word. It also includes the SonLife Radio Network and the 24/7 cable and satellite television network, SonLife Broadcasting Network (SBN).
Swaggart's wife, Frances, hosts a TV program called Frances and Friends on SBN. Jimmy Swaggart hosted a daily Bible study program on SBN called The Message of the Cross. His son, Donnie Swaggart, preaches at the Family Worship Center and in churches worldwide. Donnie's son, Gabriel Swaggart, is the ministry's youth pastor and leads Crossfire, the youth ministry at Family Worship Center. SBN also broadcasts live services from the Family Worship Center and live camp meetings.
Until his passing, Swaggart was the senior pastor of Family Worship Center.
Jimmy Swaggart's Ministries
Radio Broadcasting
Swaggart started SonLife Radio on the noncommercial FM band. Unlike his earlier stations, SonLife Radio did not have commercials. All the preaching and teaching were created by his ministry. It mainly played Southern gospel music. SonLife Radio can also be heard online through the internet. The network's main station is WJFM in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Television Broadcasting
In 1973, Swaggart suggested a television program to producers in Nashville. It would include music, a short sermon, and updates on his ministry. They agreed, and soon the Jimmy Swaggart Telecast was shown across the United States. In 1981, Swaggart launched a daily TV program called A Study in the Word. These programs were aired on major cable channels like CBN Cable (now Freeform), TBN, and the old PTL Network (now the Inspiration Network).
In 1988, Swaggart faced some personal challenges that led to changes in his broadcast and merchandise rights. In 1991, his career as a regular televangelist changed further. More local TV stations stopped airing his programs after he faced additional difficulties.
Jimmy Swaggart Bible College
In the fall of 1984, Swaggart opened Jimmy Swaggart Bible College (JSBC). The college first offered degrees in education and communication. Enrollment at JSBC dropped in 1988 when students left due to Swaggart's personal challenges. This was followed by issues with the college's accreditation.
In 1991, JSBC was renamed the World Evangelism Bible College. Enrollment dropped to 370 students. That October, the college closed programs in music, physical education, secretarial science, and communications. It also ended its basketball team. In November, the college let go of several professors.
Books and Publications
Swaggart wrote about 50 Christian books through his ministry. He was the author of the Expositor's Study Bible, 13 study guides, and 38 commentaries on the Bible. His ministry publishes a monthly magazine called The Evangelist. In 1985, Swaggart also published Religious Rock n Roll: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.
Gospel Music Career
In 1981, Swaggart received a Grammy Award nomination. This was for Best Gospel Performance, Traditional, for his album Worship.
Family Life
Jimmy Swaggart was married to Frances Swaggart (born August 9, 1937) from October 10, 1952, until his death. They had one son, Donnie (born October 18, 1954). Donnie was named after Jimmy Swaggart's brother who passed away as a baby. Jimmy had three grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. Donnie Swaggart and his son, Gabriel Swaggart, are also preachers. This means four generations of the Swaggart family have been involved in ministry.
Involvement in Politics
Jimmy Swaggart was known as a key figure in the rise of the Christian Right. However, he did not have a specific political party affiliation. He did, however, express praise for Republican leaders like Donald Trump.
At a political event in Southaven, Mississippi, in 2018, then-President Donald Trump joked about Swaggart. He mentioned Swaggart crying on television during a difficult time in 1988.
Later Years and Passing
On June 15, 2025, it was reported that Swaggart had been hospitalized. He was in intensive care after experiencing a heart attack at his home. His son, Donnie Swaggart, said that without a miracle, his father's time would be short. Jimmy Swaggart passed away at a hospital in Baton Rouge on July 1, 2025, at the age of 90.
See also
In Spanish: Jimmy Swaggart para niños
