Jimmy Swaggart Ministries
![]() Headquarters in Baton Rouge, Louisiana | |
Formation | 1984 |
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Founder | Jimmy Swaggart |
Purpose | Evangelical Ministry |
Headquarters | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States |
Leader | Gabriel Swaggart, Jimmy Swaggart |
Subsidiaries |
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Website | https://www.jsm.org/ |
Jimmy Swaggart Ministries is a Christian evangelical organization located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The organization was founded in 1984 by Pentecostal televangelist Jimmy Swaggart. It also runs Jimmy Swaggart Bible College, and Family Worship Center, the megachurch where Swaggart and his sons, Gabriel and Donnie, are pastors.[1] It has an international outreach and has preached to millions of people across the world.[2]
History
[edit]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 and became an independent, non-denominational 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.[3][4]
Jimmy Swaggart Bible College
[edit]Jimmy Swaggart Bible College | |
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Address | |
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7320 Bluebonnet Blvd. 70810 United States | |
Coordinates | 30°23′6.2″N 91°5′44.7″W / 30.385056°N 91.095750°W |
Information | |
Other name | World Evangelism Bible College |
Type | Private Christian |
Religious affiliation(s) | Christian |
Established | 1984 |
Founder | Jimmy Swaggart |
President | Gabriel Swaggart |
Faculty | 10 |
Enrollment | 370 (1991) |
Student to teacher ratio | 37:1 |
Campus | 100 acres (400,000 m2) |
Revenue | $150 million (1987) |
Website | www |
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.[5] In 1991, the college became known as World Evangelism Bible College in an effort to attract more students and disassociate itself with scandal.[6] 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.[7] Today, the college is still open and enrolls a small number[quantify] of students each year. It has a seminary on campus and the main academic major is ministry.
Family Worship Center
[edit]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.[8] He has been the pastor there since then, before being joined by his sons, Gabriel and Donnie, in the 2010s. It has become a megachurch and is now one of the largest churches in Louisiana.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ "JSM Ministers". Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ Kellner, Mark A. (June 17, 2025). "Jimmy Swaggart, Televangelist Tarnished in Sex Scandal, Clinging to Life After Coronary". The Roys Report. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ Jackson, Robert L. (March 14, 1988). "Ministry Makes $150 Million a Year : Rich Life Style Reflects Swaggart Empire's Wealth". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ Archives, L. A. Times (June 4, 1994). "Swaggart's Empire Shrinks--and so Do the Donations : Televangelism: Preacher has been unable to maintain his ministry's onetime prosperity after a highly publicized scandal". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ Archives, L. A. Times (July 23, 1988). "Enrollment Expected to Drop 72% at Jimmy Swaggart Bible College". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ Archives, L. A. Times (March 16, 1991). "Swaggart Faces Suits by Creditors, Seeks Members for His New Group : Cash problems: The minister who left the Assemblies of God after a sex scandal has sold off some of his holdings while trying to build his World Evangelism Fellowship". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ "President of Jimmy Swaggart's bible college resigns - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
- ^ Freiman, Jordan (June 16, 2025). "Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart in critical condition after cardiac arrest, family says - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved June 21, 2025.