Lester Leo Roloff (1914–1982)

Lester Leo Roloff was born June 28, 1914, in Dawson, Texas, a small railroad town in Navarro County. From those early roots he grew into a fearless American evangelist marked by plain speech, earnest prayer, and unbending confidence in the authority of Scripture. His preaching pressed listeners toward repentance, personal faith in Christ, and holiness in the home, calling fathers, mothers, and children to order their lives under God’s Word rather than the shifting moods of the age.

Roloff’s ministry often emphasized the reality of conversion and the possibility of true change. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). That promise shaped his appeals to the guilty, the addicted, and the despairing: no sinner is too far gone for the Savior who raises the dead.

Radio Ministry and Revival Preaching

Through wide-reaching radio broadcasts—often remembered under the banner of the “Family Altar”—Roloff urged families to recover Bible reading, prayer, and church faithfulness. His tireless travel took him from rural churches to city auditoriums, where he preached with urgency about judgment, mercy, and the necessity of obedience. Admirers saw a kind of spiritual heroism in his willingness to confront sin publicly while offering open-armed hope to any who would come to Christ.

City of Refuge and Homes for Youth

In later years, Roloff founded the City of Refuge and related children’s homes in the Corpus Christi, Texas, area, devoted to rescuing and reforming children from broken homes. The work combined firm discipline, practical care, structured schooling, and steady gospel preaching. Roloff viewed such labor as a direct expression of Christian duty: “Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27). Many testified that, through order, accountability, and the message of Christ, chaos gave way to stability and renewed purpose.

Controversy and Continuing Influence

The homes became the center of intense public controversy and legal pressure, particularly regarding state oversight and licensing. Roloff pressed on, convinced that God’s power to restore a life outweighed every threat, and that compassion without truth would fail the very ones it meant to help. His legacy remains tied to bold evangelism, rugged perseverance, and a conviction that Christ can rebuild families, reclaim the wandering, and steady the broken with enduring hope.