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Woodrow Michael Kroll (born October 21, 1944) is an evangelical preacher and radio host. He was the president and Bible teacher for the international ''
Back to the Bible Back to the Bible is an international Christian ministry based in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. History Founded in 1939 by Theodore H. Epp on radio station KFOR (AM) in Lincoln, Nebraska, Back to the Bible expanded by supporting missionarie ...
'' radio and television ministry. He was president of Davis College (formerly Practical Bible College) in
Johnson City, New York Johnson City is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Broome County, New York, Broome County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 15,174 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Binghamton, New York, Bin ...
,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. In addition to preaching and teaching, Kroll is a prolific writer, having authored more than 50 books expounding on the Bible and Christian living.


Background and education

Kroll was born to Frank and Betty Kroll in
Ellwood City, Pennsylvania Ellwood City is a borough primarily in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, with a small district in Beaver County. The population was 7,031 at the 2020 census. Ellwood City lies northwest of Pittsburgh and southeast of New Castle ...
. His father, Reverend Frank Kroll, attended Practical Bible Training School (as it was then called) from 1936 to 1939 and pastored the Park Gate Baptist Church in Ellwood City for years. Kroll followed in his father's footsteps and attended Practical Bible Training School from 1962 to 1965. Kroll earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1967 from
Barrington College Barrington College was a four-year Christian liberal arts college located in Barrington, Rhode Island. It is no longer in operation. History Barrington College was founded by E. W. Kenyon, pastor of the New Covenant Baptist Church, in 1900 as ...
. He then studied at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, earning a
Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...
degree in 1970. He earned the
Master of Theology Master of Theology ( la, Theologiae Magister, abbreviated MTh, ThM, or MTheol) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a PhD program or as a stand ...
and
Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiva ...
degrees from Geneva-St. Albans Theological Seminary. Kroll did post-graduate studies at Harvard Divinity School, Princeton Theological Seminary, the University of Virginia, and the University of Strasbourg (France). He is married to the former Linda Piper. Their son Timothy has followed his father and grandfather in ministry and is the senior pastor at Northside Baptist Church in
St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...
since 2005.


Ministry and teaching career

Kroll began his ministry as the pastor of First Baptist Church in
Middleboro, Massachusetts Middleborough (frequently written as Middleboro) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,245 at the 2020 census. History The town was first settled by Europeans in 1661 as Nemasket, later changed to M ...
(1968–1970). He then taught at Practical Bible Training School (now Davis College) 1971–1973. From 1975 to 1980, he chaired the Division of Religion at
Liberty University Liberty University (LU) is a private Baptist university in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia (Southern Baptist Convention). Founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell Sr. and Elmer L. Towns, Liberty i ...
in
Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch (1740–1820), John Lynch, the city's populati ...
. On January 17, 1981, Kroll was inaugurated as president of Practical Bible Training School, also teaching Bible and preaching while serving as president. During Kroll's presidency, the school obtained accreditation from the
Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools The Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) is a U.S. based institutional accreditation organization that focuses on Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries seeking collegiate accreditation in the United Sta ...
(TRACS) and the American Association of Bible Colleges (AABC, now the
Association for Biblical Higher Education The Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE), formerly The Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (AABC) is an evangelical Christian organization of bible colleges in the United States and Canada. It is a member of the International Co ...
). He also developed the administration, curriculum, and much of the school's structure as it exists today, now as Davis College. Kroll resigned on April 27, 1990, to become President and Senior Bible Teacher of the
Back to the Bible Back to the Bible is an international Christian ministry based in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. History Founded in 1939 by Theodore H. Epp on radio station KFOR (AM) in Lincoln, Nebraska, Back to the Bible expanded by supporting missionarie ...
international radio ministry.


''Back to the Bible''

Begun in 1939 by
Theodore Epp Theodore H. Epp (January 27, 1907 – October 13, 1985) was an American Protestant Christian clergyman, writer, and radio evangelist. Epp was the founding director of the ''Back to the Bible'' radio broadcast and speaker on the program from 1939â ...
on radio station
KFOR (AM) KFOR (1240 MHz) is an AM radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Lincoln, Nebraska, United States, the station serves the Lincoln area. The station is currently owned by Alpha Media, through licensee Digity 3E Lic ...
in
Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...
, the
Back to the Bible Back to the Bible is an international Christian ministry based in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States. History Founded in 1939 by Theodore H. Epp on radio station KFOR (AM) in Lincoln, Nebraska, Back to the Bible expanded by supporting missionarie ...
broadcast became a worldwide ministry by the time its founder retired in 1981. Epp was succeeded by
Warren W. Wiersbe Warren Wendall Wiersbe (May 16, 1929 – May 2, 2019) was an American Christian clergyman, Bible teacher, conference speaker and a prolific writer of Christian literature and theological works. Wiersbe is perhaps best known for his series of 50 b ...
, former pastor of
Moody Church The Moody Church (often referred to as Moody Memorial Church, after a sign hung on the North Avenue side of the building) is a historic evangelical Christian (Nondenominational Christianity) church in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, Ill ...
in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
, who served as leader of the Lincoln, Nebraska-based ministry between 1981–1989. Dr. Kroll was inaugurated in 1990 as the third president of ''Back to the Bible'', the position he held until 2013. During his 23 years of service to ''Back to the Bible'' the ministry outreach grew. At the time of his retirement, Woodrow Kroll was heard daily on 1250 radio stations in the United States and anywhere in the world the English language was spoken.


The HELIOS Projects

Upon retirement from radio, Woodrow Kroll founded a ministry that gave an outlet for his 50 years of teaching and ministry experience. WKMinistries launched The HELIOS Projects in 2014. Each project was written and recorded personally by Dr. Kroll. The first project is HELIOS CT "'Talking Thru the Christian Faith'". In 199 sessions, each 20-22 minutes long, Kroll uses a conversational style as if he were sitting across an imaginary table to guide the listener into knowing what Christians believe and why they believe it. In HELIOS GS "Telling God's Story" he retells 372 stories from the Bible, drawing out spiritual insights and practical lessons from each. HELIOS FF "''Foundations of the Faith''" is a more remedial approach to understanding what Christians believe for those who may not yet be literate. Using either a USB, an app, print, or a solar-powered handheld device, The HELIOS Projects are designed to put ''A Bible and Christian faith education right in your hand.''


Books authored by Kroll

Among the more than 50 books Kroll has written on the Bible and Christian living are: * * * * * * * * * * * * (Formerly: ''Is There a Man in the House?'') * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * (Formerly: ''It Will Be Worth It All'') * *


References


External links


Back to the Bible Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kroll, Woodrow M. Living people American radio personalities 1944 births Writers from Lincoln, Nebraska People from Ellwood City, Pennsylvania American evangelicals Baptist ministers from the United States Barrington College alumni Princeton Theological Seminary alumni Harvard Divinity School alumni University of Strasbourg alumni University of Virginia alumni People from Johnson City, New York Baptists from New York (state)