March 23, 2025
SOMERSET, Ky. (KT) — The legacy of the late Henry Blackaby was honored Tuesday when the Kentucky Baptist Convention named him as the recipient of the Legacy in Evangelism Award.
One of Blackaby's sons, Richard, president of Blackaby Ministries International and a speaker at the REACH Evangelism and Missions Conference, accepted the award on behalf of the family.
Since 1990, Henry Blackaby’s Experiencing God study has sold more than 8 million copies in English and is available in more than 80 languages.
“The legacy of the late Henry Blackaby was marked with faithfulness to the Great Commission and a desire to see the heart of God’s work,” was the statement made in a video presentation.
Balckaby was pastoring in southern California when he was asked to return to his home in Canada to help a declining church in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He and his wife, Marilyn, moved to Canada where he began pastoring Faith Baptist Church in 1970. Over the next 12 years, the church grew from eight people to a thriving congregation that launched 38 mission churches and the Canadian Baptist Theological College.
Another of Blackaby's sons, Mel, who is senior pastor of First Baptist Jonesboro, Ga., said there were no Canadian pastors to call. “Who would move from America to the Canadian prairie with bitter cold winters and with no money to pay them. My dad! How could they have known that God would use that new group to reach hundreds of college students, start a Bible college, and plant 38 churches in the next 12 years?”
In those years of local church ministry, the principles of the book Experiencing God took shape into what would become the resource of millions of changed lives. Blackaby's famous summary of how to know and do the will of God, watch to see where God is working and join Him, has guided numerous people, churches, and ministries to join God’s work.
Ben Mandrell, president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, said, “Henry’s simple way of saying things and yet his profound depth continues to resonate with church leaders today. I can’t say enough about how God used such a humble, kind, faithful man to produce a resource that … nobody saw coming — a church planter from Canada, in a really desolate place, producing a resource that today is still inspiring millions of people.”
Mel added, “Who would have believed a boy raised in a remote village in Canada could touch the world? That is true for anyone who seeks to follow God. That is the testimony of ‘Experiencing God.’”
Richard said, “What a legacy, what a heritage. It was not complicated — just trust the Lord, keep the fact He is on his throne always in your perspective. Don’t lose your joy or your wonder as you serve Almighty God. What a privilege to get to serve God.”
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This story first appeared in Kentucky Today.
