Peter Youngren

Peter Youngren, also known as Peter Ljunggren, is a Swedish Christian evangelist, pastor, and author. He is the founder of World Impact Ministries (WIM).

Education

Born in 1954[1] in Sweden as Peter Ljunggren into a missionary family, Youngren relocated to the United States as a teenager.[2][3][4] He attended Zion Bible College in Rhode Island, pursuing further education years thereafter at the Florida Christian University, where he obtained a Doctorate of Philosophy in 2001 and an Honorary Degree of Christian Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in 2002.[5]

Personal life

Youngren's third wife, Taina Kuusiluoma, assists him in his ministries.[3][5]

Festival History

Youngren is known for his Friendship Festivals, having conducted them in over 60 nations during the last 35 years.[6] Some of the Friendship Festivals have gathered as many as 600,000 people in a single service - with 16 million new believers having received followup.[7]

In 1990 Youngren held a stadium crusade in the Soviet Union.[8]

In 1991, around 200,000 people attended Youngren's crusade in the Central Square in Sofia, Bulgaria.[9]

Professional life

Youngren founded World Impact Ministries (WIM) in 1976, while still a student in Rhode Island.[3] Ordained in 1982, he started working in television in 1985.[5] In 1988, he opened the World Impact Bible Institute (WIBI), a small Christian college that began in Niagara Falls, New York.[10]

Youngren established the Open Bible Faith Fellowship in 1994.[5] In 2003 Youngren stepped down as president of the Open Bible Faith Fellowship when it was discovered that during his second marriage to RoxAnne Rutkey[11] he had fathered a child in an affair with one of the women in his Niagara congregation.[3][4] The organization has subsequently severed ties.

In 2000, Youngren and his son, Peter Karl Youngren, established the Toronto International Celebration Church.[4] The church subsequently became the base of the WIBI.[3]

In 2009, Youngren purchased Canada's The Christian Channel, relaunching it as "Grace TV",[12][13] a name it retained until his partnership with Daystar in 2013 led to its rebranding as Daystar Canada.[14]

In 2011, Finnish religious organization Evankeliumi Kaikkiin Maihin complained to Finnish police that, after they had suspended Youngren from some activities for his separation from his second wife, Youngren had misappropriated their confidential mailing list and were using it themselves.[15][16] Youngren countered that he had rights to the list, which he said he had compiled from his own work.[17] In 2013, a Finnish court fined Youngren's third wife Tania Youngren, as WIM's Finnish representative, for using the list without right.[3]

Books

Notes

  1. ↑ "Peter Youngren - Church Logistix". churchlogistix.net. 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  2. ↑ Birch, Samuel (5 October 2011). "Peter Ljunggren omgift igen". Världen Idag. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Byfield, Mike (25 April 2013). "Canada’s Grace Ministries launches a daily show on a US network". Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 Neufeld, Josiah (13 April 2010). "Peter Youngren Making Waves". Christian Week. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "About Peter Youngren". peteryoungren.org. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  6. ↑ Imler, David. "The Friendship Approach". Celebrate. 2013. Pages 20-23. Print.
  7. ↑ Editor. "Passion for People". Celebrate. 2013. Pages 14-15. Print.
  8. ↑ Hyatt & Kirkpatrick, Eddie L. & Joel (2006). The Azusa Street Revival. Charisma House. p. 180. ISBN 1591857902.
  9. ↑ Hyatt & Kirkpatrick, Eddie L. & Joel (2006). The Azusa Street Revival. Charisma House. p. 181. ISBN 1591857902.
  10. ↑ "Our History". World Impact Bible Institute. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  11. ↑ Byfield, Mike (2014). "Canada’s Grace Ministries launches a daily show on a US network | The Christians". thechristians.com. Retrieved 9 May 2014. RoxAnne Rutkey
  12. ↑ Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2009-247; CRTC; 2009-05-04
  13. ↑ Christian Channel Re-brands to Grace TV; Broadcaster Magazine; 2009-09-17
  14. ↑ "ANNOUNCEMENT FOR GRACE TV AND DAYSTAR". Grace Media. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  15. ↑ "Peter Ljunggren polisanmäld i Finland för stöld". Dagen. 19 January 2011. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  16. ↑ Gustavsen, Anne (19 January 2011). "Peter Ljunggren politianmeldt for tyveri i Finland". Korsets Seier. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  17. ↑ Neufeld, Josiah (23 April 2010). "Finnish police investigate claims against Peter Youngren". Christian Week. Retrieved 9 May 2014.

External links

Official Websites

External Coverage

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