Billy Joe Daugherty (April 23, 1952 – November 22, 2009) was founder and
pastor
A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
of Victory Christian Center (now Victory Church) in
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
. He was also the founder of Victory Christian School, Victory Bible Institute and Victory World Missions Training Center (now Victory College). Nine hundred and eighty Victory Bible Institutes have been started in eighty-five countries around the world. He was also briefly the interim president of
Oral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a private evangelical university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, the university is named after its founder, evangelist Oral Roberts.
Sitting on a campus, ORU offers over 70 undergraduate degree programs ...
. He graduated from
Magnolia High School in
Magnolia
''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...
,
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
in 1970.
Victory Christian Center built the
Tulsa Dream Center, which houses a food and clothing distribution, dental/medical clinic, legal counseling, recreation facilities and other programs to help needy people of Tulsa. Victory's bus ministry brings 1,000 - 1,200 children and teens from this area each Saturday for Kidz Ministry and S.O.U.L. Youth ministry.
Daugherty's daily radio and television broadcast, ''Victory in Jesus'', reaches more than 100 million households in North America as well as via satellite and the internet internationally. He was the author of ''Knocked Down But Not Out'', ''This New Life'', ''Building Stronger Marriages'', ''Families'', and ''Led By the Spirit''. He and his wife Sharon authored over a dozen books.
On November 20, 2005, a 50-year-old man named Steven Wayne Rogers
came forward for an altar call at Victory Christian Center and punched Daugherty twice in the face, opening a cut over his left eye that required two stitches. Daugherty stumbled back onto the stage away from Rogers and prayed that God would forgive Rogers and bless him. Later that evening Daugherty visited Rogers in the Tulsa county jail to discuss the reasons for the attack. Rogers showed no remorse for what he had done. "He said he'd do whatever he wants, to whomever he wants, whenever he wants," Daugherty said.
Daugherty did not press charges against Steven Rogers for the assault.
["Minister is punched in the face during worship service", '']Tulsa World
The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 202 ...
'', November 22, 2005, p. A9
On March 4, 2007, Daugherty dedicated the church's new 4500 seat sanctuary on the church's property. Within weeks all services were moved from the
Mabee Center
Mabee Center is a 10,154-seat multi-purpose arena, located on the campus of Oral Roberts University, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States.Bill Haisten, "Still Fine at 40: Built in 1972, ORU’s Mabee Center remains an effective venue today." ''Tulsa ...
on the grounds of
Oral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a private evangelical university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, the university is named after its founder, evangelist Oral Roberts.
Sitting on a campus, ORU offers over 70 undergraduate degree programs ...
across the street to the new sanctuary.
On October 17, 2007, Daugherty was named "Executive Regent" of Oral Roberts University in the wake of numerous allegations of impropriety involving ORU President
Richard Roberts and his wife, Lindsay Roberts.
Daugherty's role as Executive Regent included serving as acting president of ORU for a short time until ORU Provost Ralph Fagin assumed the position.
In 2009, the church launched a 13-episode television show on
TBN called "360 Degree Life" which featured street interviews, animations, testimonies and preaching.
As of January 2010, Victory Christian Center reported an average Sunday attendance of 9,612, and was reported to be the second largest church in Tulsa.
Personal life
He and his wife, Sharon, had four children.
In October 2009, Daugherty was diagnosed with
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include lymphadenopathy, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight los ...
, of which he died at the
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (colloquially MD Anderson Cancer Center) is a comprehensive cancer center in Houston, Texas. It is the largest cancer center in the U.S. and one of the original three comprehensive cancer centers ...
in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, aged 57 on November 22, 2009. Pastor Daugherty's last appearance at Victory Christian Center was on October 17, 2009, as he officiated youngest son Paul's wedding to his wife Ashley McAuliff. A memorial service for Daugherty was held at the Mabee Center in Tulsa on November 30.
[Bill Sherman]
"Mourners gather in Tulsa to celebrate Daugherty's legacy"
''Tulsa World
The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 202 ...
'', November 30, 2009.
References
External links
Info about the television show*
Victory Christian CenterVictory Christian SchoolVictory Bible InstituteTulsa Dream Center*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daugherty, Billy Joe
1952 births
2009 deaths
American Christian clergy
Christians from Oklahoma
Deaths from cancer in Texas
Deaths from non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Magnolia High School (Arkansas) alumni
Oral Roberts University alumni
Oral Roberts University people
People from Magnolia, Arkansas
People from Tulsa, Oklahoma
20th-century American clergy