The Grace Awakening,Swindoll's New Testament Insights
Charles Rozell Swindoll/ˈswɪnˌdɒl/ (born October 18, 1934) is anevangelical Christian pastor, author, educator, and radio preacher. He foundedInsight for Living, headquartered inFrisco,Texas, which airs a radio program of the same name on more than 2,000 stations around the world in 15 languages. He is currently the Founding Pastor atStonebriar Community Church, in Frisco, Texas, and also sits on their elder board.
Charles Rozell Swindoll was born on October 18, 1934, inEl Campo inWharton County, Texas, the third of three children born to Earl and Lovell Swindoll. He attendedCharles H. Milby High School inHouston. He credits his drama teacher, Dick Nieme, for helping him manage hisstutter.[1] As a member of the schoolmarching band and orchestra, he learned to play all of the instruments in the woodwind section, although the clarinet remained his primary instrument. After graduating from high school, he studiedmechanical engineering while working for Reed Roller Bit Company inHouston, Texas. Swindoll then fulfilled hismilitary service obligation with theUnited States Marine Corps, first in San Francisco, then on the Japanese island ofOkinawa. Part of his duty included playing in the Marine Corps Marching Band.
Swindoll is the founder of Insight for Living, which broadcasts a radio program of the same name on Christian and non-Christian radio stations around the world. The program is heard on more than 2,000 stations, as well as beingwebcast, and is translated into several languages. Its roots go back to the summer of 1977, when Swindoll's sermons from the First Evangelical Free Church in Fullerton were broadcast on radio. In 1979, the Insight for Living radio ministry began; its offices are now located inFrisco.
In July 1994, Swindoll became the president of Dallas Theological Seminary, and now serves as itschancellor. He is the author of more than 70 books, most of which are based on his research and preparation for sermons preached each Sunday. In celebration of the magazine's 50th anniversary,Christianity Today produced an article naming Swindoll as one of the top 25 most influential preachers of the past 50 years (1956–2006).
In 1998 Swindoll foundedStonebriar Community Church in Frisco.[2] Many of the pastors at Stonebriar are graduates ofDallas Theological Seminary. The church first held services at Collin County Community College (nowCollin College), then moved to its permanent home on Legendary Drive. Thecongregation grew rapidly from a few hundred members to several thousand in the first few years, and this growth has necessitated major expansion of the current facility. Construction for the additions began in 2005. The church is known for itsmissionary work inIndia and in other countries. Though Swindoll is still widely regarded as anEvangelical Free Church of America preacher, the Stonebriar Community Church is not affiliated with any particulardenomination.[3][unreliable source?] In April 2024, Swindoll announced that he would step down as senior pastor, effective May 1, but would continue preaching at Stonebriar.[4]
On June 18, 1955, Swindoll married Cynthia Ann Parker, who used to be the pianist at aBaptist church inGalena Park, Texas.[5] Together, the couple has four children, ten grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
^Jones, Jim (April 26, 1999). "Swindoll Starts Instant Megachurch".Christianity Today. p. 13.
^"Although Stonebriar shares many of the same beliefs and values, the church is not affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America." – Heather Hammontree,Insight for Living, e-mail dated January 7, 2004.
