Biography, Life and Ministry of Kenneth E. Hagin
Rev. Kenneth Erwin Hagin was an American preacher. He is often considered the father of the Word of Faith movement.
Kenneth Hagin was born on Aug. 20, 1917, in McKinney, Texas, to the family of Lillie Viola Drake Hagin and Jess Hagin.
Hagin 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 he became paralyzed and bedridden. 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. He remained paralyzed after his conversion.
In August 1934, Hagin was miraculously healed, raised off a deathbed by the power of God and the revelation of faith in God’s Word after reading Mark 11:23–24. He was also healed of his paralysis and never struggled with walking.
His healing is detailed in Roberts Liardon’s book God’s Generals.
Mark 11:23–24 defined Hagin’s ministry and was his most frequently quoted verse:
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.
Jesus appeared to Rev. Hagin eight times over the next several years in visions that changed the course of his ministry. In 1967, he began a regular radio broadcast that continues today as Rhema for Today.
In 1968 Rev. Hagin published the first issues of The Word of Faith. That magazine, now produced nine times a year, has a circulation of over 200,000. The publishing outreach he founded, Faith Library Publications, has circulated worldwide more than 65 million copies of books by Rev. Hagin, Kenneth W. Hagin, Lynette Hagin, Craig W. Hagin, and several other authors. Faith Library Publications also has produced millions of audio and video teachings.
Other outreaches of Kenneth Hagin Ministries include Rhema Praise, a weekly television broadcast hosted by Revs. Kenneth and Lynette Hagin; Rhema Correspondence Bible School; Rhema Alumni Association; Rhema Ministerial Association International; the Rhema Prayer and Healing Center; and the Rhema prison ministry.
In 1974 Rev. Hagin founded what is now Rhema Bible Training College. The school has campuses all over the world and continues to expand.
Until shortly before his death on September 19, 2003 (aged 86), Rev. Hagin continued to travel and teach throughout the United States and into Canada conducting All Faiths’ Crusades and other special meetings.
Known as the “father of the modern faith movement,” Rev. Hagin was a dynamic preacher, teacher, and prophet. His teachings and books are filled with vivid stories that show God’s power and truth working in his life and the lives of others.
Kenneth E. Hagin married Lois Oretha Rooker on November 25, 1938, and they were blessed with two children, Kenneth W. Hagin Jr. and Patricia Harrison.
When Kenneth E. Hagin married Lois Oretha Rooker on November 25, 1938, they never knew the impact their lives and ministry would have on countless people around the world. Known by many as Mom and Dad Hagin, they set an example in marriage and ministry that will live on through their “spiritual children” for generations to come.
Last modified: October 11, 2024
