Voddie Baucham Jr., pastor, theologian and bestselling author known for his defense of biblical authority, has died after suffering an emergency medical incident, his family announced. He was 56.
“We are saddened to inform friends that our dear brother, Voddie Baucham, Jr., has left the land of the dying and entered the land of the living,” Baucham’s ministry, Founders Ministries, wrote on social media Thursday afternoon.
“Earlier today, after suffering an emergency medical incident, he entered into his rest and the immediate presence of the Savior whom he loved, trusted, and served since he was converted as a college student,” the post continued. “Please pray for Bridget, their children, and grandchildren.”
Founders Ministries concluded its post with Psalm 116:15: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”
Born on March 11, 1969, in Los Angeles, California, to a single mother, Baucham rose to prominence as a pastor in Houston before becoming dean of theology at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia. He was widely respected among Evangelicals for his preaching on biblical manhood, family discipleship and cultural apologetics, often drawing large crowds at conferences in the U.S. and abroad.
In February 2021, Baucham underwent treatment for heart failure, a battle that rallied Christians worldwide to pray and contribute financially to his care. He survived that crisis and often spoke about God’s sustaining grace during his recovery.
Months before his death, Baucham had announced he was moving with his family to Florida to serve as one of the founding faculty of Founders Seminary.
Baucham is survived by his wife of three decades, Bridget, their nine children, and several grandchildren.
Baucham authored several books, including Family Driven Faith, Fault Lines, and The Ever-Loving Truth, works that emphasized the centrality of Scripture in addressing modern cultural and social challenges. His 2021 book, Fault Lines, became a bestseller and made him a leading voice warning the Church against what he described as the encroachment of social justice ideology.
"We are living in a time, in an era when there are people who are desperately wicked, and in desperate need of repentance and faith, in desperate need of the Gospel. And we're being told that the wickedness is, in fact, the Gospel," Baucham told The Christian Post in a 2024 interview.
Baucham went on to note that such a worldview is destructive because it not only calls good evil and evil good, but also "alienates people from the only hope that they have."
"And that's what this is about," he continued. "At the end of the day, this is not just about laws that we don't like, or that we disagree with, or that we want changed. [...] Laws are important, but ultimately our golden rule is not just that people would be forbidden from certain things, but they will be free from them."
Following the news of his death, friends and fellow leaders remembered him Thursday as a bold preacher with a pastor’s heart.
Musician Tauren Wells was among the first to respond publicly to the news. “What in the world?! Maaaaaaan. My prayers are going up for his family,” Wells commented on the Instagram post.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
