Henry T. Blackaby

After years of developing biblical study material in rural Canada, pastor Henry Blackaby wrote Experiencing God with Claude King as a 13-week interactive discipleship workbook for the Southern Baptist convention. They prayed that the course would lead people in knowing and doing the will of God, yet they had absolutely no idea just how significant an impact it would have on Christians around the world.

God has used Henry Blackaby and his teaching of the simple yet profound realities of Experiencing God to change the way millions of people across all denominational lines live, enlarge the way they serve, and enliven the way they think. He is an enormously popular speaker with his Experiencing God book and study course selling more than three million copies, plus millions of related products, including a workbook, study Bible, teen edition, devotional journal, videos, and an 11-song recording. Other works by Blackaby include Spiritual Leadership, which instructs those who hold leadership positions - not only in religious capacities but also including CEOs and teachers - leadership from a biblical perspective. Other influential titles include Experiencing God Together, On Mission with God, The Ways of God, and The Man God Uses.

Despite the popularity of his material, Dr. Blackaby does have his critics. Some question whether there are biblical precedents for his "experience-driven spirituality." Dispensationalists contest his teachings that contemporary Christians should repent and surrender to the Lordship of Christ, and that they should seek revival. Others challenge his assertions that God still speaks directly to today’s believers.

Yet for the growing number of Christians who approve and appreciate his teachings, Experiencing God has been truly life-changing. Many churches have revamped entire worship services to incorporate the material; chief executives of Fortune 500 companies have completed the study; colleges and seminaries have welcomed it as a textbook; the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League have rallied around its teachings; an Internet course has been designed around it; it’s spurred renewal in at least 12 states; and it has even inspired inmates in Kentucky and Texas to refuse bail and parole so that they could finish the course in county jails. (For more on any of these stories, visit http://www.swcbc.com/exp_god_news.html.) Of course, the most encouraging thing for Dr. Blackaby is that the popularity of Experiencing God shows no signs of waning.

Henry Blackaby is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in California, and he holds honorary degrees from Hardin-Simmons University in Texas and Hannibal-LaGrange in Missouri. In addition to being a best-selling author and public speaker, he helped start 38 Home Mission Churches during his 12-year pastorate. He became well known after his participation in the Brownwood, Texas, revival meetings in 1992, and as a featured speaker at the Promise Keepers 1996 Clergy Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Henry T. Blackaby is the former special consultant to the presidents of the North American Mission Board, International Mission Board, and LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. He is now president of Henry Blackaby Ministries.

Dr. Blackaby is currently enjoying "retirement" in Rex, Georgia.

Updated July 2003.