Dr. Bob Rodgers is an American pastor, author, and broadcaster based in Louisville, Kentucky. He has served as senior pastor of Evangel World Prayer Center for more than three decades, building it into a multi-campus congregation of over 9,000 members.
He is also the founder of Bob Rodgers Ministries and Word Broadcasting Media, and he’s known across the Charismatic and Pentecostal world as one of the leading voices on prayer and fasting.
He holds a Doctorate in Ministry from Oral Roberts University, studied at Asbury Theological Seminary, and has written more than 60 books, including his bestseller The 21 Day Fast.
His ministry started with a 40-day fast in the late 1980s and a word he says he heard from God: “reach the poor of your city.”
That word became The Lord’s Kitchen, an outreach that has now served more than 3 million meals.
Dr. Bob Rodgers at a Glance
| Personal | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Dr. Bob Rodgers |
| Also spelled | Bob Rogers (common misspelling) |
| Born | Date not publicly disclosed |
| Based in | Louisville, Kentucky, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Margaret Rodgers |
| Children | Three |
| Grandchildren | Seven |
| Education | |
| Seminary | Asbury Theological Seminary |
| Doctorate | Oral Roberts University (Doctorate in Ministry) |
| Ministry | |
| Title | Senior Pastor |
| Church | Evangel World Prayer Center, Louisville, KY |
| Denomination | Non-denominational, Charismatic / Pentecostal |
| Years leading Evangel | 30+ years (since the late 1980s) |
| Congregation size | 9,000+ members, 12+ campuses |
| Nations ministered in | 47 |
| Career | |
| Books | 60+, including bestseller The 21 Day Fast |
| Media network | Word Broadcasting Media (54 TV stations, 7 radio stations) |
| Other roles | President, Church Growth International of the Americas (CGIA) |
| Net worth | Not publicly documented |
Who Is Dr. Bob Rodgers?
If you’ve searched “who is Pastor Bob,” here’s the short answer. Dr. Bob Rodgers leads Evangel World Prayer Center, a Louisville megachurch known for its emphasis on prayer, fasting, and inner-city outreach.
He’s not a household name outside Charismatic and Pentecostal circles, but inside them, he’s influenced pastors across five continents through his teaching on fasting alone.
He preaches, writes, broadcasts, and runs one of the larger Christian outreach programs in Kentucky. That’s the whole job description in one sentence, and almost everything else in this article explains how he got there.
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Early Life and Calling
Public records don’t include much detail about Dr. Rodgers’ childhood, birthplace, or exact birth date. What is documented is where his ministry took shape: Asbury Theological Seminary, a well-known evangelical school with deep Wesleyan and Holiness roots.
He later earned a doctorate from Oral Roberts University, a school closely tied to the Charismatic renewal movement.
That combination, Wesleyan seminary training plus a Charismatic doctoral program, shows up clearly in how he preaches today. He blends structured biblical teaching with an emphasis on the Holy Spirit’s active work.
How Old Is Pastor Bob Rodgers?
Here’s the honest answer: his exact birth date isn’t published anywhere public, not on Evangel’s own site, not on his ministry pages, not in news coverage.
Any specific age you see floating around online is a guess. What we do know is he has led Evangel World Prayer Center for more than 30 years, which puts his ministry timeline solidly starting in the late 1980s.
The 40-Day Fast That Started It All
Every account of Evangel World Prayer Center’s founding points back to one moment. Bob and Margaret Rodgers began their ministry with a 40-day fast. During that fast, Dr. Rodgers says he heard a clear instruction: “reach the poor of your city.”
That wasn’t a slogan for a brochure. It became the reason The Lord’s Kitchen exists.
He didn’t come out of that fast with a five-year plan. He came out of it with one sentence, and he spent the next three decades acting on it.
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Ministry and Career
Building Evangel World Prayer Center
Under Dr. Rodgers, Evangel World Prayer Center grew from a single congregation into a multi-campus church spanning Louisville and parts of southern Indiana.
Church listings now put the number at 12 or more campuses, with earlier counts as low as nine, which tells you the growth has been steady rather than a single explosive season.
The church is non-denominational but sits firmly in the Charismatic and Pentecostal tradition. Services lean into prophetic ministry, prayer, and the kind of expectant worship you’d find at other apostolic-style churches.
The Lord’s Kitchen
The Lord’s Kitchen (TLK) opened on Christmas Day 1988. It has since served more than 3 million meals to people in Louisville’s inner city.
Beyond food, the outreach provides housing support for veterans and helps people recover from drug and alcohol addiction.
This is the part of Dr. Rodgers’ ministry that competitors covering his biography tend to gloss over. It’s not a side project. It’s the direct, unbroken outworking of that first 40-day fast.
Word Broadcasting Media
Dr. Rodgers and Margaret co-founded Word Broadcasting Media, a Christian broadcasting network that now reaches across 54 television stations and 7 radio stations.
One detail stands out here: the network operates the only Christian broadcast television station airing in the Holy Land, Israel.
He and Margaret co-host a program called Word Alive through the network.
Church Growth International of the Americas
Dr. Rodgers presides over Church Growth International of the Americas (CGIA), a fellowship of ministers across the Americas.
CGIA is connected to the wider Church Growth International movement founded by David Yonggi Cho, the late South Korean pastor who built Yoido Full Gospel Church into the largest single congregation in the world. Dr. Rodgers is listed alongside Cho’s successors as one of the leaders carrying that global church-growth network forward.
Books by Dr. Bob Rodgers
Dr. Rodgers has written more than 60 books, most of them centered on prayer, fasting, and spiritual breakthrough.
His best-known title is The 21 Day Fast, a bestseller that’s become a go-to resource for Charismatic churches running corporate fasts. Another widely referenced title is 101 Reasons to Fast.
His teaching on fasting draws heavily from his own 40-day fast in the 1980s, and he’s built an entire teaching ministry around the idea that fasting activates spiritual authority and opens doors for breakthrough.
If you want to go deeper on the practice side of prayer and fasting, Flicxa’s guide to spiritual disciplines and prayer points for spiritual breakthrough both build on the same foundation he teaches.
Personal Life
Wife: Pastor Margaret Rodgers
Dr. Rodgers is married to Margaret Rodgers, who serves alongside him as a pastor at Evangel. She’s known for her focus on empowering women in the church, and she co-founded Word Broadcasting Media with him.
The two have worked as a ministry team since the church’s founding fast.
Names of Family: Children and Grandchildren
Bob and Margaret Rodgers have three children and seven grandchildren. Their specific names aren’t published in any public church or ministry material, which is a deliberate privacy choice many pastoral families make.
One family connection that has surfaced publicly: a son-in-law named Rex Nichols, who has worked at Evangel and was named alongside Dr. Rodgers in a 2020s civil lawsuit (more on that below).
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Theology and Ministry Philosophy
Dr. Rodgers’ theology sits inside the Charismatic and Pentecostal stream. He teaches that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are active today, that fasting is a spiritual weapon rather than a religious formality, and that prayer changes outcomes in real, practical ways.
His preaching style leans apostolic. That means he sees his role as one of spiritual authority sent to plant, correct, and expand churches, not just pastor a single congregation.
That’s part of why CGIA and the international travel matter so much to how he defines his own calling.
Influence and Legacy
Dr. Rodgers’ clearest legacy is the church he built from a fast into a 12-campus, 9,000-member congregation. His second legacy is fasting itself as a teaching topic.
Through his books and his global travel to 47 nations, he’s shaped how a generation of Charismatic pastors talk about fasting as a tool for breakthrough rather than just a Lenten tradition.
His third legacy runs through Word Broadcasting Media. Getting a Christian TV signal onto the airwaves in Israel is not a small technical or diplomatic achievement, and it’s one of the more distinctive parts of his ministry footprint.
Criticism and Controversies
A complete biography has to include this section fairly, without spin in either direction.
The 2021 Election Comments
In January 2021, a sermon clip of Dr. Rodgers went viral. In it, he pronounced a curse on people he said had “stolen” the presidential election, invoking weakness, poverty, and hardship on them.
The comments drew public criticism from other Christian leaders in Louisville, who said the language went against a biblical model of blessing rather than cursing opponents.
The Daystar Television Lawsuit
In 2021, Daystar Television Network sued Evangel World Prayer Center and Dr. Rodgers for roughly $1.1 million in unpaid broadcasting invoices built up over eight years.
The lawsuit accused the church of breach of contract. Evangel had reportedly offered to settle by airing Daystar programming on its own Israel-based network and providing Bibles instead of cash, an offer Daystar said it never agreed to.
The Ruth Hugh Estate Case
A separate and more serious lawsuit involved the estate of Ruth Hugh, an elderly woman with no immediate family who died at 92.
A court-appointed trustee, joined by the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), alleged that Dr. Rodgers, his son-in-law Rex Nichols, and others connected to Evangel and High Adventure Ministries influenced Hugh’s estate planning in her final months.
The complaint claimed Evangel benefited from an elaborate eight-person mausoleum, worth an estimated $250,000, built for Hugh at the church’s Crosswater Gardens Cemetery. The case was settled with confidential terms.
These are civil legal matters, not criminal convictions. Settlements were reached with confidential terms, and this section reflects what’s publicly documented rather than a final judgment on any party’s intent.
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Dr. Bob Rodgers’ Net Worth
There’s no reliable, verified figure for Dr. Bob Rodgers’ net worth. He runs a large church, a national broadcasting network, and a publishing ministry, all of which involve significant budgets, but none of that is the same as personal wealth, and no audited or court-disclosed figure is public. Any specific dollar amount you see online is an unverified estimate. Treat it that way.
Interesting Facts About Dr. Bob Rodgers
- His entire ministry traces back to one 40-day fast in the 1980s.
- Word Broadcasting Media operates the only Christian TV station broadcasting into Israel from the Holy Land itself.
- The Lord’s Kitchen has served more than 3 million meals since it opened on Christmas Day 1988.
- He’s written more than 60 books, nearly all centered on prayer and fasting.
- He’s ministered in as many as 47 different nations.
- His name is frequently misspelled online as “Bob Rogers.”
Timeline of Key Events
- Late 1980s: Bob and Margaret Rodgers begin ministry in Louisville with a 40-day fast.
- December 25, 1988: The Lord’s Kitchen opens.
- 1990s–2020s: Evangel World Prayer Center grows from a single site to 12+ campuses across Louisville and Indiana.
- Ongoing: Dr. Rodgers writes 60+ books, including bestseller The 21 Day Fast.
- January 2021: Viral sermon comments on the presidential election spark public criticism.
- 2021: Daystar Television Network files a $1.1 million lawsuit against Evangel and Dr. Rodgers.
- 2021–2024: Ruth Hugh estate lawsuit proceeds through Jefferson County court; settles with confidential terms.
- Present: The Lord’s Kitchen serves 60,000+ meals a month; Word Broadcasting reaches 54 TV and 7 radio stations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Dr. Bob Rodgers?
Dr. Bob Rodgers is the senior pastor of Evangel World Prayer Center in Louisville, Kentucky. He’s also an author of 60+ books and founder of Word Broadcasting Media, a Christian TV and radio network.
Where does Pastor Bob preach?
He preaches primarily at Evangel World Prayer Center’s Louisville campuses, and he has also preached in as many as 47 nations around the world.
Is there an Evangel Church in Louisville, KY?
Yes. Evangel World Prayer Center is based in Louisville and now spans 12 or more campuses across Louisville and parts of southern Indiana.
How old is Pastor Bob Rodgers?
His exact birth date isn’t publicly published, so a precise age can’t be confirmed. He’s led Evangel World Prayer Center for more than 30 years, dating his ministry back to the late 1980s.
What is Dr. Bob Rodgers’ net worth?
No verified figure exists publicly. He leads a large church, media network, and publishing ministry, but no personal net worth has been documented or disclosed.
Who are the members of Dr. Bob Rodgers’ family?
He’s married to Margaret Rodgers, and together they have three children and seven grandchildren. Their specific names aren’t publicly published.
What is Bob Rodgers Ministries?
Bob Rodgers Ministries is the organization Dr. Rodgers founded to advance prayer, fasting, evangelism, and outreach worldwide, working alongside his role at Evangel World Prayer Center and Word Broadcasting Media.
What books has Dr. Bob Rodgers written?
He’s written more than 60 books. His bestseller is The 21 Day Fast, and another widely read title is 101 Reasons to Fast.
Why is Dr. Bob Rodgers known for fasting?
His entire ministry began with a 40-day fast in the 1980s, and he’s taught on fasting as a spiritual discipline ever since, writing multiple books and influencing pastors across five continents on the topic.
Want to go deeper on the spiritual disciplines behind Dr. Rodgers’ teaching? Check out our guide to 7 powerful spiritual disciplines for Christians serious about prayer and fasting.
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