Larry Burkett was a biblically-based financial advisor, host of the radio program, Money Matters and founder of Christian Financial Concepts, later named Crown Financial Ministries. His radio programs were carried on 2,000 outlets worldwide and his message for managing finances by following God’s Word has changed millions of lives. Larry Burkett was an extraordinary Christ based money counselor and a pioneer in Christian personal finance education whose work focused on financial counseling from an evangelical Christian point of view.
Burkett (March 3, 1939 – July 4, 2003) was born the fifth of eight children. After completing high school in Winter Garden, Florida, he entered the U.S. Air Force where he served in the Strategic Air Command.
Upon completion of his military duties, Burkett and his wife Judy returned to central Florida, where he worked in the space program at Cape Canaveral. He spent the next several years at the Space Center in charge of an experimental test facility that served the Mercury-, Gemini-, and Apollo-manned space programs. While working at the space center, Burkett earned degrees in marketing and finance at Rollins College.
Burkett left the Space Center in 1970 to become Vice President of an electronics manufacturing firm. In 1972, he became an evangelical Christian, an event that had a profound effect on his life. In 1973, he left the electronics company to join the staff of the nonprofit Campus Crusade for Christ, as a financial counselor where he met Austin Pryor, Ron Blue and other financial experts. He began an intense study of biblical teaching about handling money, and he started teaching small groups around the country.
Burkett left the campus ministry in 1976 to form Christian Financial Concepts (CFC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching the biblical principles of handling money. In September 2000, CFC merged with Crown Ministries, creating a new organization, Crown Financial Ministries. Burkett served as Chairman of the Board of Directors until his death.
Recommended: List Of Books By Larry Burkett
He wrote more than 70 books, selling over 11 million copies, including several national best sellers. The three radio programs that he began — “Money Matters,” “How to Manage Your Money,” and “MoneyWatch,” along with a series of short features titled “A Money Minute”—have been carried on more than 1,100 radio outlets worldwide.
Burkett died of heart failure on July 4, 2003, after a long battle with cancer and other health problems.
