Sojourner #076: Voddie Baucham Has Entered The Land Of The Living

Voddie Baucham Has Entered the Land of the Living

On the 25th day of September, in the year of our Lord 2025, the sovereign God of gracious providence, in the unsearchable counsel of His own will, called Voddie T. Baucham, Jr. from the land where shadows lie into the eternal light of His Kingdom, into the presence of the Righteous Savior, who bore Voddie’s griefs and carried his sorrows, and he was welcomed in grace. 

In a statement from Founders Ministries, this solemn truth was shared with the world:

“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. 

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. Please pray for Bridget, their children, and grandchildren. 

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” — Psalm 116:15

Born on March 11, 1969, in Los Angeles, California, to a single mother, Voddie Baucham entered this world as a sinner, fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Yet the Lord, in His infinite mercy, had ordained that he would not remain in darkness. While still a young man in college, he heard the irresistible call of God through the faithful proclamation of the Gospel (John 6:44; Romans 10:17). The Spirit awakened his heart to the reality of sin and the glory of Christ, and he believed by faith alone in Jesus Christ, receiving Him as Lord and Savior (Ephesians 2:8–9; Acts 16:31).

Though still mortal and fallible, Christ became his joy, his treasure, and the center of all he did. As a preacher of the Gospel, he labored with zeal and fidelity to declare the whole counsel of God according to the Scriptures (Acts 20:27). He did not shrink from proclaiming God’s sovereignty, the necessity of repentance, or the sufficiency of Christ alone for salvation. 

Across Houston, the United States, and the plains of Zambia, his voice thundered the truth of God according to the Scriptures and helped shape a generation of God’s people, grounding them in Christ and calling them to lives of holiness, courage, and faith. His life and ministry proclaimed one truth above all others: Christ is preeminent, Christ is sufficient, and Christ alone is the hope of the church and the salvation of men (Colossians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

One of the great marks of Voddie’s ministry was his steadfast commitment to teaching on the biblical family and the church’s mission. He often warned against the cultural tides that sought to undo God’s good design for the home, calling fathers to lead with humility and courage (Ephesians 6:4), mothers to walk in wisdom and strength (Proverbs 31:25–26), and parents together to disciple their children in the fear and knowledge of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:6–7). He reminded believers that the family is not incidental to God’s plan but central to the passing on of the faith and the mission of God. Yet his vision was never confined to the household alone. 

Voddie pressed the church to remember that Christ has commanded His people to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20), urging the church to be faithful in both raising up the next generation and sending forth laborers into the harvest. For him, family discipleship and biblical mission were bound together, healthy homes fueling healthy churches, and healthy churches fueling the advance of the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Voddie knew trials. In 2021, he faced severe heart failure. Yet through it all, he bore the weight of mortality with courage and faith, testifying that God’s glory is revealed not only in recovery but also in the faithful departure of His saints: “Sometimes God is glorified when sick saints get well. But more often than not, God is glorified when sick saints die well.”

Death, in the hands of Christ, is the final enemy. Though it is no final darkness, no victory for sin, and no end to the story of the redeemed. It is the portal through which the faithful pass into light unending, where sorrow, shadow, and suffering are swallowed by the radiance of Christ’s presence. It is the toll that ushers the warrior from the battlefield of time into the halls of the eternal King, where every tear is wiped away and every burden is lifted by the hands of God Himself. 

As Voddie himself said: “Though I die, I will rise with Christ. It will not be the end of me, because Christ is raised — and I too will be raised with Christ.” 

Jesus, the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18; Revelation 1:5), has gone before us, taking away death’s sting and breaking the power of the grave (1 Corinthians 15:54–55). Because He lives, death is no longer the end but the beginning of eternal life with Him. The Lord is our shepherd and our strength, even in the valley of death (Psalm 23:4; 73:26). And so every believer, like Voddie, who has trusted in Christ alone, is brought safely from this life into the joy of God’s presence forever (2 Timothy 4:7–8; Revelation 21:4).

For we know that all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28), and that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38–39). Even the most violent trials, the sharpest pain, and the deepest loss are held in the hands of the sovereign God, who transforms them into instruments of glory for His people (James 1:2–4).

Voddie’s passage from this world to the next is therefore not tragedy but triumph of the cross. 

In the months before his passing, he announced plans to move with his family to Florida to serve as a member of the founding faculty and the President of Founders Seminary, raising faithful men to shepherd churches and proclaim the Word of God with all faithfulness and joy. Yet the Lord, who orders all paths, called him home before that work could begin. Even so, his life and death stands as a testimony of God’s providential care, His sustaining grace, and the unwavering hope of the gospel.

Voddie leaves behind his beloved wife, Bridget, their nine children, and grandchildren, whose lives he shaped with courage, wisdom, and steadfast love. He leaves a legacy of faithful service: churches strengthened, pastors trained, families discipled, and countless souls pointed unerringly to Christ. Above all, he leaves the testimony of Christ Himself: exalted, preeminent, and sufficient, the centerpiece of a life wholly surrendered to the service of the King.

And so, we hail the victorious dead. We hail the warrior who fought the good fight, finished the course, and kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). Thanks be to God in Christ, we may cry out, “O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55), for Christ has paid it all (Romans 5:6–10), the grave is empty, and the faithful rise triumphant in Him (1 Corinthians 15:20–22). 

Here at Sojourner Magazine, we commend our brother, Voddie T. Baucham, Jr., to the Lord he loved and served. Though his earthly labors have ceased, his voice is not silenced; it echoes still in the sermons he preached, the books he wrote, the disciples he trained, and the countless believers he pointed to the supremacy of Christ.

With the faithful of every age, he awaits the resurrection, when the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised imperishable (1 Corinthians 15:52). Until that day, let us press on, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), proclaiming the same gospel he cherished, and bearing the same hope he boldly declared: “Though I die, I will rise with Christ.”

And as we honor his memory, let us also pray earnestly for Bridget, their children, and their grandchildren, that the God of all comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3–4) would be their strength, their refuge, and their joy, even in the valley of sorrow.

By the matchless grace of our merciful Lord and Savior, we will see our brother again very soon. From this time forth and forevermore, may the Lord receive all the honor and glory due His name.

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