Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin was born on Aug. 20, 1917, in McKinney, Texas. Rev. Hagin was sickly as a child, suffering from a deformed heart and an incurable blood disease. He was not expected to live and became bedfast at age 15. In April 1933 during a dramatic conversion experience, he reported dying three times in 10 minutes, each time seeing the horrors of hell and then returning to life.

In August 1934, Rev. Hagin was miraculously healed, raised off a deathbed by the power of God and the revelation of faith in God’s Word. 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 magazine, which now has a monthly circulation of more than 300,000. The publishing outreach he founded, Faith Library Publications, has circulated worldwide more than 65 million copies of books by Rev. Hagin, Rev. Kenneth W. Hagin, and several other authors. Faith Library Publications also has produced more than 9 million audio teaching CDs.

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 RHEMA Bible Training Center USA, which to date has over 24,000 alumni. RHEMA Bible Training Centers have opened in 14 other nations: Australia, Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Romania, Samoa, Singapore, South Africa, and Thailand. Together, the 14 schools have more than 29,000 graduates worldwide.

Until shortly before his death, 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. He will be remembered not only as a great minister but as a great family man—for his family was his heart. He was there at every milestone ready to talk, to answer, to pray. He was a man whose belly laugh filled the room at the sight of one of his grandchildren or great-grandchildren. Visit the author's website at: www.rhema.org.