Dr. Jerry Falwell

Dr. Jerry Falwell speaking about impacting the world for Christ.
In June of 1956, at the age of 22, Jerry Falwell started Thomas Road Baptist Church in his hometown of Lynchburg, Va., with 35 members. Today the church claims more than 20,000 members.

Also in 1956, Falwell began the "Old Time Gospel Hour," a nationally syndicated radio and television ministry that has led millions to Christ.

In 1967, Falwell implemented his vision to build a Christian educational system for evangelical youth. He began with the establishment of Lynchburg Christian Academy, an accredited Christian day school for grades K-12 . In 1971, he founded Liberty University, an accredited Christian university for evangelical believers. In 1985 Falwell announced his goal of 50,000 students.

Today his vision has been fulfilled, with more than 12,000 students attending classes on campus in Lynchburg, Va., and an additional 61,000 students from all 50 states and 95 countries taking courses through Liberty University Online.

Falwell may be best known outside Lynchburg for his political activism. In June 1979, he organized the Moral Majority, a conservative political lobbying group that was pro-life, pro-family, pro-Israel and favored a strong national defense. The group chose California Governor Ronald Reagan as "their candidate" for the 1980 presidential election, registered millions of new voters and mobilized a sleeping giant — 80 million Americans committed to faith, family and Judeo-Christian values.

Although he became a national figure, his passion was being a pastor and a Christian educator. He often stated that his heartbeat was to "train young Champions for Christ" in every walk of life.

Falwell passed away on the morning of May 15, 2007 at age 73. He was married to Macel for 49 years. They have three children: Jerry Jr., chancellor of Liberty University; Jonathan, senior pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church; and Jeannie, a surgeon; and eight grandchildren.

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