Brief Biography of Myles Munroe
Dr. Myles Munroe was an international motivational speaker, best-selling author, lecturer, educator, and consultant for government and business.
Traveling extensively throughout the world, Dr. Munroe addressed critical issues affecting the
full range of human, social, and spiritual development. The central theme of his message was the transformation of followers into leaders and the maximization of individual potential.
Dr. Munroe was the founder and president of Bahamas Faith Ministries International (BFMI), an all-encompassing network of ministries headquartered in Nassau, Bahamas. He was
president and chief executive officer of the International Third World Leaders Association and the International Third World Leadership Training Institute.
Dr. Munroe was also the founder, executive producer, and principal host of a number of radio, television, and global network programs aired worldwide. He was a contributing writer for numerous Bible editions, magazines, and newsletters, including The Believer’s Topical Bible, The African Cultural Heritage Topical Bible, Charisma Life Christian Magazine, and Ministries Today.
He was chosen as one of the Top 20 voices of influence in 2008-2009 by the Gospel Today Magazine survey.
Dr. Munroe earned B.A. and M.A. degrees from Oral Roberts University and the University of Tulsa, and he has been awarded several honorary doctoral degrees. He has also served as an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Theology at Oral Roberts University
Dr. Munroe and his wife Ruth travel as a team and are involved in teaching seminars together. Both are leaders who minister with sensitive hearts and international vision. They are the proud parents of two college graduates, Charisa and Chairo (Myles Jr.)
Dr. Myles Munroe Unpromising Early Life
Myles Egbert Munroe was born on the island of Nassau new providence one of the 700 islands in the Bahamas on April 20th, 1954. He was born to a family of 11 children in one of the poorest parts of the island called Bain Town, a low-income area with deep cultural and spiritual history.
He was raised by Christian parents. His dad was a pastor and they lived in a wooden house built on four rocks with two bedrooms. His parents took one of the bedrooms and female children took the other while the males had to find somewhere to sleep. He was the sixth child of his parents.
Because of the strong spiritual heritage they had, their lives were still wonderful despite the disadvantages they had in the eyes of many. His parents were tremendously committed to ensuring that their children understood the value of the Bible and the importance of a relationship with Christ.
At age 13 Myles Munroe began his encounter with God and began to ask questions as a teenager like, “is there really a God?”, and “if God is good, why are we poor?” At that time, the Bahamas was still under British colonialism and that also had a severe psychological impact on him because there were racial prejudices.
He gave an account of a time when his school teacher called him a black monkey.
The only thing that set him free from his family situation and the psychological impact of the colonial masters was the Bible.
At age 14, he read the entire Bible although he didn’t understand 90% of it. He read it at that time just because it was said that the Bible should be read. But that was the pivot point of his life because every year after that, he read the Bible from start to finish.
The Beginning of Myles Munroe’s Ministry and How He Led The Prime Minister to Christ
At the age of 15, Myles Munroe made a commitment to God and started a music group with three other male friends and they wrote their own songs.
Because they sang contemporary styles of music that were not found in churches in those days, they became a concern to the church and were not accepted in the church.
So they began to do youth concerts all over the country in school halls and eventually brought together about three to four thousand teenagers in one gathering. By the time Munroe was 17, they had the largest ministry of teenagers in the country.
At 18, the prime minister of his country, Lynden Pindling, called his parents and requested that he wanted to see their son. Then Myles was brought to meet the prime minister.
When he came into the prime minister’s office, the prime minister asked him, “So you are my Myles Munroe? Do you recognize that you have more influence in this country than I do? Who else can bring together 4000 citizens in one place? Even I can’t. I want to know your secret.”
Myles told him that he had no other secrets except for the fact that he knows Jesus who gave his life meaning. The prime minister requested to attend one of their meetings but Myles refused because he didn’t want any politician in their meeting else it looked like they were promoting any political party.
The prime minister promised to come to the meeting like an attendee and won’t say anything. So Myles agreed. This was in 1970. The prime minister came to their next meeting which was held at a big school hall together with all his convoy and sat on the stage behind the podium while miles and his friends ministered.
After the ministry, Myles made an altar call and about 500 students came out to commit to Christ, and the prime minister joined.
After the meeting, the prime minister invited him and his team to his (prime minister’s) house to have lunch with his family and he became a personal friend with the prime Minister from then.
In 1974, the prime minister helped Myles Munroe get into college at Oral Roberts University where he had his three bachelor’s degrees and graduated in 1978 at age 24. He did his Masters at the University of Tulsa in Leadership Administration and Business and started his doctorate in philosophy immediately after his Ph.D.
He went back to the Bahamas and was employed in the ministry of Education as an assistant secretary of the ministry and then he worked at the department of public personnel with the deputy prime minister.
Myles Munroe’s Wife
Ruth Munroe, Myles Munroe’s wife, was a major part of Dr. Myles Munroe’s ministry. He was said to never travel for any ministry if arrangements weren’t made for his wife to come with him. They got married at the age of 25 and were age mates.
Myles and Ruth Munroe first met at high but they didn’t both like each other. Ruth said she didn’t like him because she was quiet and he was all outgoing and had all the girls around him. But two years after high school, they became friends and later married.
There’s so much to say about Ruth Munroe that I’ve written a separate article about her. Read more about Ruth Munroe here
Myles Munroe’s Children
Dr. Munroe and his late wife Ruth Ann Munroe had two children, Charisa Munroe and Chairo Myles Jr., and he stressed that his family was his most important responsibility and that his marriage was his most precious trust.
Contrary to widespread news, Dr. Myles Munroe’s daughter, Charisa did not die in the plane crash with their parents. Both Charisa and Myles Munroe Jr. are alive and continuing with the legacy of their parents. Myles Munroe Jr and Charisa Munroe are both married.
To keep in touch with their activities, these are the links to their social media handles
Myles Munroe Jr Instagram. Myles Munroe Jr Facebook Charisa Munroe Twitter Charisa Munroe Instagram Charisa Munroe Facebook
Myles Munroe’s Net worth
Myles Munroe was very wealthy. It was believed that he had a net worth of over 6 million dollars before his death. He owned a private jet which he used in travelling around the world as well as a luxury apartment all of which he got debt free.
Most of Dr. Myles Munroe’s wealth came from his speaking engagements as he was invited to numerous countries by big corporations and governments for leadership training. He was also an adviser to many presidents, political leaders, and business magnates. The other source of his wealth was his books.
Myles Munroe’s Books
Dr. Myles Munroe wrote and published over 54 books in his lifetime. This included books on leadership, purpose, the Kingdom, relationships, and spirituality. He also wrote several Bible commentaries, devotionals, and study guides.
His books are his biggest legacies today as many of them are still best sellers to date. Some of his books have been translated into Spanish.
I have listed the top 25 best-selling Myles Munroe books in this article.
Myles Munroe’s Death
On November 9th, 2019, Dr. Munroe died in a plane crash with his wife (Ruth Munroe) and seven other members of his Bahama Faith Ministries (BMI) as they were flying to the Global Leaders Conference in the Bahamas.
In a sermon, Myles Munroe stated that he loved his wife so much that he wanted them to die together and it happened. Watch the video here
As stated earlier, none of his children were on the plane. The plane carried the Senior Vice-President of BHFI, Dr. Richard Pinder, newly installed Youth Pastors Lavard and Radel Parks and their son Johannan, pilots Stanley Thurston and Farkhan Cooper, and one additional passenger.
Many people who looked up to Myles for inspiration were shocked to learn of his demise. He will be remembered for his charitable works and inspirational teachings that he left behind to better the lives of countless people.
When the Lear 36 Executive Jet collided with a shipping container crane in Freeport while attempting to land, heavy rain was recorded in the area. That was not the only plane to be affected by the weather but a commercial Bahamasair flight on the same route, from Nassau to Freeport, had turned back, according to Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell, since it was unable to land at the same time as the flight carrying Dr. Myles Munroe and other members of his Bahamas Faith Ministries.
Myles Munroe’s Funeral
Dr. Myles Munroe and his wife, Ruth, were two renowned Christian leaders who were laid to rest at a state-recognized burial in the Bahamas on 4th December 2014. The funeral took place about a month after the couple and eight other members of their church, Bahamas Faith Ministries, died in a plane crash.
Dr. Myles Munroe is “indisputably one of the most globally known religious personalities our nation has ever produced,” according to Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie who was present at the funeral.
Myles Munroe Awards
In 1998, he received the Silver Jubilee Award for 25 years of outstanding service to the Bahamas in the category of Faith, and the following year, he became the Bahamas’ youngest recipient of the Queen’s Birthday Honours of the British Empire (OBE) Award, which was bestowed on him by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth of England for his spiritual and social contributions to the nation’s development.
Munroe, who was also an adjunct professor at Oral Roberts University’s Graduate School of Theology, was selected Alumnus of the Year in 2004 and earned an honorary doctorate from the university.
How Bahamas Faith Ministries International Started
Bahamas Faith Ministries International (BFMI) is a global organization dedicated to helping people rediscover their divine identity, heritage, purpose, potential, and destiny.
Dr. Myles Munroe, the visionary and first senior pastor of Bahamas Faith Ministries Fellowship and president of Bahamas Faith Ministries International (BFMI) non-profit corporation, founded the ministry. Dr. Richard Pinder, a founding member of Bahamas Faith Ministries International (BFMI), served as the first fellowship pastor and vice president of the non-profit business Bahamas Faith Ministries International (BFMI).
In 1980 Myles Munroe started a Bible Study which evolved into Bahamas Faith Ministries International, with only seven people: his wife, his brother, two brother-in-law and their wives, and one of his friends in Myles’s apartment and it grew to become the largest church in the Bahamas with over 2,000 people.
In 1981, they started the first Christian TV program in the country and that program became the “top secular program on secular stations”. They then started the first Christian radio program that was held on a weekday. Every other religious program at that time was only held on weekends but the Lord told him he wanted him to be in the marketplace.
When he wanted to register the program, the government refused because all religious programs had been relegated to weekends but the ministry fought and won the case claiming they registered the organization as a non-profit organization not a church so they weren’t a religious organization.
They had a team of 24 people who were trained to carry the leadership of the church. They had several youths, women, and men programs across the country and hosted five major conferences every year bringing thousands of people to the Bahamas for over 25 years consistently.
Myles Munroe’s Impact on the Bahamas
Dr Myles Munroe and his organization had relationships with the government of the Bahamas and he served as an advisor to many of the government agencies and worked for the government for several years.
He also worked very closely with the then cabinet and prime minister, Perry Christie. The Bahamas Faith ministries international was so impactful that they were responsible for most of the tourists that came into the country, who came for their conferences and meetings or just to visit the church and this was recognized by the government.
The government of the Bahamas, through the ministry of tourism, signed a contract with the Bahamas Faith Ministries International, recognizing that she will be instrumental in bringing business to the country because she attracted thousands, filled up hotels, and improved the economy through her conferences.
Who Is Dr. Myles Munroe’s Successor?
It is unsurprising how in one of his last messages before embarking on the journey that led to his death, Myles Munroe was talking about succession for the leadership of BFMI.
Pastors Dave and Angie Burrows are the current Senior Pastors of BFMI. They were part of the original founding group which collaborated with Dr. Munroe to start BFMI. Dr. Munroe and Pastor Dave met at Oral Roberts University and formed an unbreakable bond that lasted until his death in November 2014.
Pastor Dave and Angie were BFM’s first Youth Pastors, helping to pioneer numerous local and international initiatives and activities. Youth Alive, Peace on the Streets, Operation Burnout, and Talent Jam were among the events that drew thousands of young people, including many from gangs and problematic backgrounds.
They also coached and mentored several young people who went on to become prominent figures in the Bahamas, including doctors, politicians, business owners, and community leaders.
Pastor Dave was also a founding Vice President of Bahamas Faith Ministries International, a non-profit organization, and later served as Vice President of Myles Munroe International, a global organization that carried out all elements of Dr. Munroe’s global ministry.
Conclusion
Dr. Myles Munroe is an example of a life well spent. He maximized his potential and his legacy still blesses millions today. Because you read this far, I want to give you Lifetime Access to over $1000 worth of mentorship materials from Dr. Myles Munroe on purpose, leadership, success, wealth, and the Kingdom. Get instant access to life-changing materials now!
Olusegun Iyejare is a career coach and certified counselor. He helps individuals discover and maximize their potential to live satisfying lives regardless of obvious limitations holding them back.
thank you
It’s a privilege, John
Thanks for the good job. Worthwhile reading this.
It’s a privilege, Peter❤️
This is awe-inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
It’s a privilege, Ayokunnumi