Kenneth Erwin Hagin was a renowned American preacher. He pioneered a movement known as the Word of Faith. He is also considered to be an important figure of the prosperity gospel. He was born in McKinney, Texas. At the time of his birth, he was very small and lifeless, and the doctor who delivered him thought that he was a stillborn. Miraculously, he survived. As a child, he used to be very sickly, suffering from an incurable blood disease as well as a deformed heart. However, he eventually healed and became healthy. This was attributed to the power of the divine. It is also believed that Jesus himself appeared to him several times, guiding him throughout his life and career. Over the course of his career, he was known by many names such as ‘Dad Hagin’, ‘Brother Hagin’, and ‘Papa Hagin’ to his followers. He had never received formal training in theology; however, he later received an honorary doctorate from the Oral Roberts University. He passed away at the age of 86 in 2003.Died At Age: 86
Family:
Spouse/Ex-: Oretha Rooker (M. 1938)
Father: Jess Hagin
Mother: Lillie Viola Drake Hagin
Children: Kenneth Hagin Jr., Patricia Harrison
Born Country: United States
Died On: September 19, 2003
U.S. State: Texas
Career:
Kenneth Erwin Hagin founded a non-denominational church in 1936. Shortly after, he preached his first sermon as a pastor of a community Baptist Church, in Roland, around 9 miles away from McKinney, Texas. He also became a minister for Assemblies of God, one of the largest Christian denominations, the following year. He served as a pastor in more than five Assemblies of God churches in Texas over the next twelve years.
Eventually in 1949, he began an itinerant ministry as a Bible teacher and evangelist. He started a radio show in 1967. It continues to this day as ‘Faith Seminar of the Air.’ He participated in the program along with his son, Kenneth Wayne Hagin.
As Kenneth Hagin Ministries’ outreaches expanded over the years, they included ‘The Word of Faith,’ a free monthly magazine; RHEMA Alumni Association; RHEMA Bible Training College; RHEMA Ministerial Association International; Faith Library Publications; RHEMA Correspondence Bible School; and the RHEMA Prison Ministry. His son and daughter-in-law also started and co-hosted a weekly TV program named ‘RHEMA.’
His Bible Training College, which was opened in 1974, has currently training centers in fourteen different countries across the world. They also have conducted more than 1,500 congregations, with 25,000 alumni.
He founded the Prayer and Healing Center in 1979; it was a place for sick people to visit and avail an opportunity to build their faith. On the RHEMA campus, the Healing School is still held twice a day, free of cost.
After his death, his son, Kenneth W. Hagin, has been successfully running the institution, which has since trained thousands of graduates. The students of the center minister in over 50 countries across the world. He wrote many books throughout his career, some of them being ‘What Faith Is’ (1966), ‘I Believe in Visions’ (1972), ‘The Human Spirit’ (1974), ‘The Key to Spiritual Healing’ (1977), ‘How to Write Your Own Ticket with God’ (1979) and ‘Why Do People Fall Under the Power?’ (1981).