Myles Munroe, OBE (20 April 1954 – 9 November 2014) was a Bahamian Evangelical Christian evangelist and ordained Pentecostal minister, author, speaker and leadership consultant who founded and led the Bahamas Faith Ministries International (BFMI) and Myles Munroe International (MMI). He was chief executive officer and chairman of the board of the International Third World Leaders Association and president of the International Leadership Training Institute as well as the author of numerous books.
Munroe died with his wife and 8 others in a private plane crash on 9 November 2014 en route to his leadership conference.

Biography

Early life and education

Born Myles Egbert Munroe in 1954 in Nassau, Bahamas, Munroe grew up poor in a family of eleven children. Raised in the Nassau suburb of Bain Town, he was a life-long resident of the Commonwealth. Munroe became a Christian during his teenage years, later attending Oral Roberts University (ORU) where he received his Bachelor of Fine Arts, Education, and Theology in 1978 and a Master’s degree in administration from the University of Tulsa in 1980. Munroe was also the recipient of honorary doctoral degrees from various schools of higher education and served as an adjunct professor of the Graduate School of Theology at ORU.

Personal life

His wife, Ruth Munroe, served as co-pastor with him at BFMI. Together, the couple had two children, Myles, Jr. (known as Chairo), and a daughter, Charisa.

Christian ministry

Following his graduation from the University of Tulsa, Munroe founded Bahamas Faith Ministries International in the early 1980s.

Death

Munroe and his wife were killed in a private plane crash during airport approach on 9 November 2014. Bahamian officials stated their aircraft struck a crane at a ship yard near Grand Bahama International Airport. Munroe and the other passengers were en route to Freeport, Grand Bahama for a conference.

Controversy

In March 2014, Munroe was criticized publicly in a press statement by Bahamian Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell for comments he had made about the government’s positions regarding the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals in the Bahamas. Munroe had stated that Mitchell’s support of LGBT persons in the Bahamas does not “represent the majority of the convictions of the Bahamian people”. Mitchell responded by claiming, “Once again Dr. Myles Munroe has returned to a theme he does not understand and obviously which he has no knowledge.” Mitchell went on in the statement to reference what he regarded as Munroe’s “…absolute stupidity and willful deceit is parading around in the pulpit disguised as theology.” Mitchell’s comments were in direct response to Munroe’s claim that Mitchell’s support of LGBT persons in the Bahamas does not “represent the majority of the convictions of the Bahamian people”.

In September 2014, Munroe again stirred controversy in the Bahamas when he made comments in a statement titled “Homosexuality – Phobia or Principle”. In the statement, Munroe claimed people have “hijacked” and “raped” the civil rights movement with efforts to fight for the rights of those in the LGBT community. The statement from Munroe was in response to a gay pride event that took place the last weekend of August 2014. Local gay rights and civil rights spokespersons stated they were shocked and alarmed by Munroe’s statement. Joseph Gaskins, lecturer at the College of the Bahamas, called his position on homosexuality and civil rights hypocritical in light of Munroe’s then-recent visit with polygamist South African President Jacob Zuma.

Awards and honours

• 1998: OBE for “services to religion”.
• 1998: Bahamian “Silver Jubilee Award” for service to the Bahamas in the area of “spiritual, social and religious development”.
• 2004: “Alumnus of the Year”, Oral Roberts University.

• The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 55158. p. 1. 12 June 1998. Retrieved November 12, 2014
• “Famous preacher among those killed in Bahamas plane crash | Fox News Latino”. latino.foxnews.com. 10 November 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2014. 
• “Previous Winners – Alumnus of the Year – Oral Roberts University”. oru.edu. Retrieved November 12, 2014.