Jimmy Swaggart Ministries
Jimmy Swaggart Ministries is an evangelical Christian organization based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, founded in 1984 by televangelist Jimmy Swaggart. It oversees entities such as Jimmy Swaggart Bible College and Family Worship Center. The latter, now led by his son Donnie and grandson Gabriel, functions as a megachurch. The ministry also maintains an international outreach.
History
Following a highly publicized sex scandal, Jimmy Swaggart was stripped of his Assemblies of God ministerial credentials and continued as an independent, non-denominational minister. He subsequently established Jimmy Swaggart Ministries as the administrative organization for his church, radio station, and television programs.
Jimmy Swaggart Bible College
Jimmy Swaggart Bible College, located on Bluebonnet Boulevard in Baton Rouge, once reached a peak enrollment of approximately 1,451 students. Enrollment then declined by approximately 72% following the 1988 sex scandal involving Jimmy Swaggart. In response, the institution was renamed World Evangelism Bible College in 1991. At one point, enrollment had fallen so sharply that classes were relocated to facilities originally used for the ministry’s high school program. The college remains operational today, maintaining a seminary on campus and offering degrees primarily in ministry, though current enrollment figures are unavailable.
Family Worship Center, the flagship church of Jimmy Swaggart Ministries, was originally established by Swaggart in the late 1960s as an Assemblies of God congregation. Since the 2010s, leadership transferred to his son Donnie and grandson Gabriel. The church is considered a megachurch.