Voddie Baucham Jr., a prominent Baptist pastor, author, and seminary president, died on September 25, 2025, after suffering what his ministry called an “emergency medical incident.” 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,” Founders Ministries announced in a statement posted on social media. The ministry requested prayers for his wife, Bridget, and their nine children and grandchildren.
At the time of his death, Baucham was serving as president of Founders Seminary in Cape Coral, Florida, a position he took in early 2025. He had moved to Florida to help establish the seminary, which focuses on training pastors with what he described as “sharp minds, warm hearts, and steel spines.”
Baucham had previously faced serious health challenges. In February 2021, he was diagnosed with heart failure and underwent heart surgery. His condition later required a quadruple bypass procedure. While no official cause for his recent death has been released, many outlets have noted his history of heart problems.
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Born on March 11, 1969, in Los Angeles to a single mother, Baucham became a Christian during his college years. He held degrees from Houston Baptist University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
His ministry career spanned decades and continents. Before moving to Florida, Baucham had spent nearly a decade serving as Dean of Theology at African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia. Earlier in his career, he pastored Grace Family Baptist Church in Houston, Texas.
Baucham gained widespread recognition for his writings on family discipleship, biblical authority, and cultural issues. His 2021 book “Fault Lines,” which criticized what he saw as the influence of critical race theory in churches, became a USA Today bestseller, reaching number 7 on the list.
Fellow pastors and religious leaders expressed grief over his passing. The Rev. Tom Buck of First Baptist Church in Lindale, Texas, called him “a dear friend, a faithful brother, and a lion in the pulpit,” adding, “He was kind, he was generous, he was just a faithful brother.”
Georgia pastor Mike Stone described Baucham as “a stalwart for truth” and said “his loss to the body of Christ could not be overstated in this hour.”
In one of his final public appearances, Baucham gave a lecture at New Saint Andrew’s College in Idaho, where he emphasized the importance of presenting Christian beliefs “with gentleness and respect,” quoting from the First Letter of Peter.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
