
Rodney Howard-Browne is a Charismatic Christian preacher and evangelist. He is the pastor of The River at Tampa Bay, a church he founded with his wife, Adonica Howard-Browne, in 1996. He also leads Revival Ministries International.
Biography
Rodney Morgan Howard-Browne was born on June 12, 1961. He is an American evangelist and conspiracy theorist of South African descent. He grew up in a Pentecostal family with his three brothers, Mervyn, Bazil, and Gil, in Port Elizabeth and East London, South Africa. His father, Frank Mervyn Derric Howard-Browne, was a clergyman. Rodney became a Christian at the age of five. In the 1980s, he volunteered for Youth for Christ and later worked as a teacher at Rhema Bible School in Johannesburg.
Since the mid-1990s, he has lived in Tampa, Florida, where he serves as the pastor of The River Church in Tampa Bay. The River is known for its Pentecostal and Charismatic revival meetings, which often feature audience members laughing “in the name of the Lord” and experiencing phenomena similar to the Great Awakenings and the Azusa Street Revival. Rodney Howard-Browne also leads Revival Ministries International, an organization he co-founded with other leaders. He often calls himself “God’s bartender” and the “holy ghost bartender.”
Age
Rodney Morgan Howard-Browne was born on the 12th of June, 1961.
Family Life
Rodney Howard-Browne married his wife, Adonica (née Weyers), in 1981. The family moved from South Africa to the United States in December 1989. In April 1989, he started his first American church in Clifton Park, New York.
On Christmas Day in 2002, his daughter, Kelly Browne, died at the age of 18 from cystic fibrosis. After her passing, he vowed that “the devil will pay with one hundred million souls and one billion dollars into world missions” for taking their daughter with this disease.
Ministry
The Rodney Howard-Browne Evangelistic Association was founded in November 1993, and the family moved to the Tampa Bay, Florida area in 1994. Rodney’s eldest brother, Gil, runs Times of Refreshing Ministries, an online evangelical ministry.
On January 1, 1994, Rodney’s youngest brother, Bazil, started his own evangelical ministry to help people achieve financial freedom through God’s anointing. Before that, Bazil worked with Rodney for a year.
In 1996, Howard-Browne founded a church in Tampa, Florida, called “The River,” where he has served as pastor ever since. He and his wife also established the River Bible Institute and Revival Ministries International.
In 1993, during a series of revival services with Karl Strader, Howard-Browne introduced the concept of “holy laughter” at Carpenter’s Home Church in Lakeland, Florida. This phenomenon spread to churches in nearby Florida cities, including Melbourne, Titusville, Stuart, and Vero Beach.
He is also credited with bringing “holy laughter” to the “Toronto Blessing” revival at the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church in 1994, shortly after the church was expelled by its parent Vineyard Church. A year later, he brought the same revival experience to the Assemblies of God Brownsville Church in Pensacola, Florida, alongside evangelist Steve Hill. This event became known in Christian communities as the Brownsville Revival.
Controversies
Rodney Howard-Browne first gained widespread recognition in the U.S. in 1999 when his organization, Revival Ministries, leased Madison Square Garden in New York City for six weeks. The event, called “Good News New York,” was intended to spark a faith revival like those led by Billy Graham. However, local media criticized it as a “giant flop.” The 19,000-seat arena had only about 3,000 attendees, and the event reportedly cost up to $10 million.
In 2012, it was reported that The River Church, led by Howard-Browne, had hosted political events for the Florida Republican Party over the previous two years. One of these events was for Newt Gingrich, who was running for president at the time. At the gathering, Howard-Browne called for a national “rising” of Christian Americans who “will not be silenced.”
To raise funds for the River School of Government, a degree-granting program for training future public office candidates, Howard-Browne published the book The Killing of Uncle Sam: The Demise of the United States of America, which was scheduled for release in May 2018.
Net Worth
Rodney Howard-Browne have a net worth of about USD$5 million.
Social Handles
You can find Rodney Howard-Browne on the following social media platforms:
- Instagram: @rodneyhowardbrowne
- Facebook: @Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne
- Twitter: @rhowardbrowne
- YouTube: @rodneyhowardbrowne
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs
In this section, I will provide you with FAQs and answers on Rodney Howard-Browne Biography. Keep on reading friend.
1. Who is Rodney Howard-Browne?
Rodney Howard-Browne is a Charismatic Christian preacher and evangelist known for his revival meetings and the introduction of “holy laughter” to various churches. He is the pastor of The River Church in Tampa Bay, Florida, and leads Revival Ministries International.
2. When and where was Rodney Howard-Browne born?
Rodney Howard-Browne was born on June 12, 1961, in South Africa.
3. What is Rodney Howard-Browne known for?
Rodney Howard-Browne is known for his revival meetings, particularly for introducing “holy laughter” in churches. He is also known for his work with The River Church in Tampa Bay and Revival Ministries International.
4. What significant events took place in Rodney Howard-Browne’s career in the 1990s?
In the mid-1990s, Rodney Howard-Browne and his family moved to Tampa, Florida. He founded The River Church in Tampa Bay in 1996. In 1999, his organization leased Madison Square Garden for six weeks, which gained significant media attention, although it was criticized and had low attendance relative to its cost.