A global audience is expected to join mourners in Baton Rouge this weekend as funeral arrangements for the late Rev. Jimmy Swaggart unfold at the Family Worship Center, the church he founded and led for decades.
The internationally renowned televangelist, who died on 1st July at the age of 90 following a heart attack, will be honoured through a series of public services broadcast live around the world.
Also, a public viewing and wake will take place from 11.00am to 2.00pm on Saturday, 12 July, at the Family Worship Center, located at 8919 World Ministry Avenue.
On Sunday, 13th July, the regular 10.00am. service will be followed by a 6.00pm.
Celebration of Life service, both open to the public and streamed live on the SonLife Broadcasting Network and digital platforms affiliated with Jimmy Swaggart Ministries.
Swaggart’s ministry, once at the heart of American televangelism, expanded into a global media operation reaching more than 240 million people.
Despite a 1988 scandal that saw him defrocked by the Assemblies of God, he remained active in preaching and broadcasting until his final days.
His son, Rev. Donnie Swaggart, who took on a leading role in the ministry as his father aged, is expected to lead Sunday’s worship services.
Tributes and condolences are being shared by followers through the ministry’s website, JSM.org.
Swaggart passed away peacefully at 7:30am on 1st July in a Baton Rouge hospital, surrounded by family.
His grandson, Pastor Gabriel Swaggart, halted a live service on Father’s Day to request urgent prayers after the evangelist went into cardiac arrest.
Despite efforts from relatives and medical professionals, he never regained consciousness.
From humble beginnings in 1972 with a one-hour radio broadcast, Swaggart’s vision culminated in the establishment of SonLife Broadcasting Network in 2010, a project he pursued with faith despite financial uncertainty.
Today, SBN remains the cornerstone of his ministry’s global reach, broadcasting sermons, worship, and what Swaggart called the “Message of the Cross” 24 hours a day.
For nearly 70 years, Jimmy Swaggart remained devoted to evangelism, using music, preaching, and media to deliver his message across continents.
His passing is noted as marking the end of a storied chapter in modern religious broadcasting, but the ministry he built continues to carry forward his legacy.
Remembered For Global Ministry, Gospel Music, And A Life Of Unyielding Faith
From the dusty roads of Ferriday to the world’s television screens, Jimmy Swaggart’s path from obscurity to global evangelism left an unmistakable legacy on modern Pentecostalism.
Born 15 March 1935 in Louisiana, Swaggart emerged as one of the most recognisable voices in Christian broadcasting, his ministry spanning nearly 70 years and reaching hundreds of millions through preaching, music, and media.
Raised in a Christian family steeped in music, he committed his life to Christ at age eight and began preaching by 1955, three years after marrying Frances Orella Anderson, his lifelong partner in ministry.
With only a Bible, a piano, and faith, Swaggart travelled rural America holding tent revivals that would eventually lead to a global platform.
At his peak in the 1980s, over 8 million viewers tuned in weekly to his emotionally charged sermons and gospel music on over 100 international stations.
He recorded more than 50 albums, selling 17 million copies worldwide, and received nominations for both Dove and Grammy Awards.
Beloved gospel classics such as Jesus, Just the Mention of Your Name and There Is a River remain etched into the worship of countless congregations.
This year, the Southern Gospel Music Association named him to its 2025 Hall of Fame class, with a formal induction set for 23 September.
Beyond the pulpit, Swaggart launched extensive charitable efforts under Jimmy Swaggart Ministries.
The Expositor’s Study Bible, his flagship theological work, has been distributed free to over two million pastors and church leaders across developing nations.
His 100-acre campus in Baton Rouge became a spiritual and media hub, housing Family Worship Center, a Bible college, music studios, and the international SonLife Broadcasting Network.
Even in his late 80s, Swaggart remained active, preaching live, recording music, and sharing doctrinal insights through regular television appearances. His son, Pastor Donnie Swaggart, recently reaffirmed the family’s commitment to carry forward the SonLife vision, stating during a service, “We will not retreat, we will not quit, we will not give up.”
The evangelist’s journey was not without deep personal trials. Public scandals in 1988 and 1991 led to his defrocking by the Assemblies of God and a painful fall from grace.
His tearful 1988 confession, “I have sinned against You, my Lord,” became one of the most watched moments in American religious history.
Yet Swaggart continued preaching, returning to the pulpit with repentance, resilience, and an undiminished burden for souls. Many who once walked away found their way back, drawn by the power of his message and the authenticity of his comeback.
His lasting influence is evident in the scale of SonLife Broadcasting today, which transmits across every continent and continues to reach new generations through translated sermons and digital platforms.
Swaggart is survived by his wife of over 70 years, Frances; their son Donnie and his wife Debbie; grandchildren Gabriel Lee, Jennifer, and Matthew Swaggart; great-grandchildren; and an untold number of spiritual sons and daughters around the world.
He was also part of one of America’s most influential musical families. Cousin to rock icon Jerry Lee Lewis and country star Mickey Gilley, Swaggart chose a sacred path, devoting his musical gifts to gospel ministry.
While Lewis and Gilley reached commercial stardom, Swaggart’s hymns touched the hearts of believers across nations.
His 90th birthday earlier this year drew heartfelt tributes from figures including Pastor Jentezen Franklin, former baseball star Darryl Strawberry, and Baton Rouge Mayor Sid Edwards.
“Your obedience to God, your dedication to preaching the Cross, and your heart for leading people to the Lord have impacted millions of lives,” wrote his grandson Gabriel.
A final celebration of his life and ministry will take place at Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, with thousands expected to attend in person and millions more watching online.
The ministry noted that Rev. Jimmy Swaggart’s name will endure not as a man defined by failure, but as a fiery preacher, musician, and servant who refused to let failure be the end.
His voice, his music, and his unwavering call to return to the Cross continue to echo in churches and homes worldwide.
