Dr. George Sweeting (1924–2024)
A reflection by Jerry Jenkins, former Trustee chair and author of “A Generous Impulse: The Story of George Sweeting”
Moody Radio Programming Note: Stay tuned for a 1-hr. special this Saturday (Sept. 14) at 3 pm (CT), “Dr. George Sweeting: A Tribute,” which will air across our Moody Radio network of stations and select affiliates. More information about this special feature, including a 5-minute audio feature and sermon clips of Dr. Sweeting, can be found at www.moodyradio.org/sweeting.
Dr. George Sweeting, who served as president of Moody Bible Institute from 1971 to 1987, and then as Chancellor until the last day of the 20th century, was at heart an evangelist and soul winner. He died on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, at 99 years old.
“An indelible mark has been placed on this world as well as Moody through the incredible life and ministry of George Sweeting,” says Dr. Mark Jobe, president of Moody Bible Institute. “His legacy is marked by a deep love for his family, the Church, and the transformative power of the Gospel. While we mourn with his family and those whose lives were touched by him, we echo the Apostle Paul’s words in 1 Thessalonians 4 that we do so with hope, knowing he is in the presence of the Lord and we will be reunited with him one day.”
Of the 10 presidents since the ministry’s founding by D.L. Moody in 1886, Sweeting was the first Moody alumnus to have held the office. Dr. Jobe is the second. Sweeting was a striking figure, tall and trim with clear blue eyes. Some quipped that he looked like a president the board of trustees assembled from a kit.
Upbringing and Calling
The third of six children born to immigrant Scots—and the first in his family to be born in America—George embarked on a course of leadership from his youth. He pointed to being raised in a strong Christian home and a vibrant church as keys to his spiritual development. In 1938, when he was 13 years old, his father moved the family to a new church—the Hawthorne (New Jersey) Gospel Church—because of its reputation for a strong youth ministry.
The pastor, Herrmann Braunlin, was a modest man who had neither college nor seminary training, but Sweeting described him as a visionary. Braunlin pastored that church for 62 years and modeled for young George innovative ways to both serve people and reach them for Christ.
It was at Hawthorne Gospel as a teenager that George Sweeting saw a visiting evangelist draw chalk illustrations as he spoke. George built an easel in the garage and practiced every day, dreaming of becoming an artist. He became more and more active with the youth group that was not only thoroughly trained but also regularly sent out to minister.
Sweeting enjoyed telling people that Friday, Aug. 16, 1940, was the most memorable night of his life. Not yet 16, after hearing a dramatic challenge from a pastor named David Otis Fuller, George reported to his own pastor, “The Lord spoke powerfully to me tonight. I’m yielding my life to Christ. I’ve been a halfhearted Christian, but I feel a call to His service. From now on, I’m going to be all out. I will serve Christ anywhere, anytime.”
Those who knew George Sweeting say that became his legacy.
Preparing to Serve
At Hawthorne Gospel, he deepened his relationship with Christ, was baptized, met the love of his life, married, was ordained and eventually returned to accept an associate pastor’s role.
George’s mother, Mary, believed there was no higher calling than the ministry. He and both of his brothers went on to become pastors, and George would become one of the evangelical leaders of the 20th century.
During his senior year at Moody, he was stricken with testicular cancer and nearly died. His doctor told him he was not likely to ever have children. After graduating late in 1945, Sweeting and his childhood sweetheart, Hilda, married. He earned his BA from Gordon College, assisted Pastor Braunlin at Hawthorne for 18 months, then took his first pastorate at Grace Church in Passaic, New Jersey. Meanwhile, he and Hilda welcomed their first miracle son, with three more to follow.