65 Years Of Ministry
On my 65th anniversary as a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I shared with our Cornerstone congregation a very brief history of what the Lord has allowed our ministry to accomplish in the past 6½ decades. I refer to some of these milestones with the aim of giving thanks to the Lord for His countless blessings, His guiding hand, and for His absolute and unwavering faithfulness to my life and calling—may Christ alone receive the praise and glory.
AT THE AGE OF 17, after a miraculous change of heart that only Almighty God could have orchestrated, I became a born-again believer and walked into the pulpit as a preacher of the Gospel for the first time. Prior to that time, my goal was to attend West Point and I informed my mother that when I turned 18, my future did not include the church in any way. But God had other plans—only He could have changed the course of my life in that critical moment.
THE FIRST SERMON I ever preached was, “A Place Called Calvary.” In it I presented the truth that the Cross of Christ is central to the Gospel. The Cross is where we are cleansed from our sin, redeemed, set free from our past and restored. Isaiah 40:8 tells us that, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of God stands forever.” This core message has remained at the heart of Cornerstone Church.
I BUILT OUR FIRST CHURCH on Nacogdoches Road in San Antonio, Texas and pastored there from 1966-1972. I was only able to qualify for $65,000 in bonds from a security institution in Houston to begin our building program, and that was only because I went to school with the vice president of the bank. I had no financial history and consequently, was labeled the poster child for failure because I had never pastored before. And that was true, but I knew that persistence overcomes resistance and by God’s grace, we were going to build our church.
We quickly sold all the bonds and bought the property but had no funds to go forward. As a result, we rented a storefront and held services there for approximately four months. Outgrowing that location, we moved to the chapel at Trinity University and gathered there for six months. Every Sunday, we took an offering for our building program and the following day we purchased all the construction materials our finances could afford.
The men of our church joined me, and we worked every night of the week, except Wednesday, when we held Bible Study. This construction schedule was maintained until we completed building the church.
We held our first Sunday worship service with only a concrete slab, an organ and piano, a roof over our heads and the naked studs on the sides of the building. It was winter and when we sang, vapor blew from our mouths due to the bitter cold. It took us a year to finish that building, but with God’s help, we did, and on dedication day, the church was packed, and heaven came down!
THE SECOND CHURCH we built was Trinity Church, on Fourwinds Drive in Windcrest. I pastored here from 1972-1975. The church quickly grew, and we were forced to hold double services to accommodate the crowds. Every Sunday I felt like a guest speaker when I stood at the pulpit because I hardly recognized all the new congregants. Because of this challenge, I formed small groups called Home Ministries to care for the needs of the members of our expanding church. Soon we exceeded capacity at this location as well.
THE THIRD CHURCH was the Church of Castle Hills, where I pastored from 1975-1987. Once again, the church grew quickly so we began a new building program on site with another bond program. We started construction with only half the bonds sold—a risky economic principle I don’t recommend. But the Lord miraculously provided. Our bills were always paid on time and in full because we serve a faithful God whose supply is without limit!
On dedication Sunday, the building was full, and people were standing on the front lawn. We began holding two services on Sunday and added a Saturday evening service as well. For years I preached Saturday night and twice on Sunday morning, taught the Adult Sunday School class, taught Sunday night service, and then went home and slept like a rock!
I knew God had a bigger plan for us and asked our church board about expanding our ministry outreach through a television broadcast. They vetoed the idea because they felt our church had all the debt it could handle at the time. So, Diana and I sold a farm we owned and bought three RCA television cameras. We built a small studio on the back of the church property and launched Global Evangelism Television. You should know that at the onset, our television outreach barely reached the parking lot and a few areas in our city. However, the Lord had bigger plans—over forty years later, we now reach all of America and over 200 nations around the globe—to God be the glory!
THE FOURTH CHURCH we had the privilege of building is Cornerstone Church, on Stone Oak Parkway, where I am currently pastoring with our son, Pastor Matt. This church was dedicated in 1987 with the prayer of blessing presented by my father, Rev. Bythel Hagee.
Our Father, which art in Heaven, we come before You today with our hearts overflowing with gratitude for Your faithfulness. “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.” This house of worship is Your doing, and it is precious in our sight. Heavenly Father, accept the work of our hands as a sacrifice of praise to Your Holy Name. Let this house of prayer be a lighthouse to a world groping in spiritual darkness. Let Your Word go forth from this place to the uttermost parts of the earth and let sons and daughters be born into the kingdom of God without number.
May it be to us and to our children through all the coming years a shrine of blessed memories. May it be a refuge from the cares and burdens of life. Make it a shelter in the time of the storm. Fill this sanctuary with Your Holy Spirit and fill us with Your love, peace, and joy. As the erection of the temples is in vain without the consecration of the people, we offer our lives to You today anew as Your servants, Lord. Let Your Word abide in our hearts. May we here be changed into Your own glorious image. Let us remember that You are the Cornerstone of this church. You are the precious one. You are the rock of our salvation. Our Father, bless those who minister here. May they be vessels fitted for the Master’s use. Give them strength for the journey. Anoint their ministry to guide the souls of men in paths of righteousness. When tired, sin-sick, hungry hearts walk through these doors, let them find living water and the bread of life. Hear our prayer, O’Lord, our God, our King, and our Redeemer. These things we ask in the Precious Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
-Rev. William Bythel Hagee,
Dedication Prayer Oct. 4th, 1987
When Cornerstone was under construction, it was the largest project in Bexar County, dubbed by the press as “Vatican II.” Though many people emphatically told me that no one would ever attend a church so far out in the country, I continued to move forward as that is what I believed God would have me to do. I am humbled to say that our sanctuary was filled to overflowing on dedication morning with over 6,000 people in attendance—again, we praise the Lord for His faithfulness.
TODAY, more than 22,000 members call Cornerstone their home church along with tens of thousands of additional online viewers and members who weekly worship with us via jhm.org/watch Youtube.com/HageeMinistries, Facebook.com/HageeMinistries, or through the Hagee Ministries app, which is accessible on ROKU, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV. I thank God for allowing us to share All the Gospel to All the World and to Every Generation—without Him, we could do nothing!
Our current location has many great resources, including a state-of-the-art building called the Ark where children’s Bible classes are held each week. We instruct these youngsters with the truth of God’s Word so they learn to live in His promises and are encouraged with His unconditional love. The Ark contains life-sized automated animals that help entertain and educate the children. The day this building was opened, more than 28,000 people came to see what God had done!
The Vada Hagee Prayer Chapel seats 400 people. The Bythel Hagee Life Center is ready to host numerous events. The Praise Center houses our youth and college groups, and it also hosts Iglesia Cornerstone, our Spanish-speaking church.
ON MARCH 11, 2018, as I celebrated 60 years of ministry, I passed the torch of Cornerstone Church to my son, Pastor Matthew Hagee. As my daughter Sandy said, I have now outsourced the problems. Trained since he was a child, Matthew is doing an amazing job as the sixth-generation descendant of the Hagee family to preach the Gospel of Christ all the days of his life.
OVER 30 YEARS AGO we founded Cornerstone Christian Schools which is now located on Northwest Military Drive. This state-of-the-art, fully accredited facility, currently educates over 2,000 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. It is one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, dedicated to teaching our student body not only the state-required classes and college preparatory courses, but how to live a life that brings honor to God. Our children are 100% of our future, and no expense should be spared in preparing them for life.
The Sonterra Building houses our accounting and counseling offices as well as a banquet hall that hosts memorable events celebrating God’s many blessings in the lives of our members. The Tarpley Retreat Center in Bandera encompasses 210 tree-studded acres that include lodging, a cafetorium, an outdoor worship area, and beautiful water features. This retreat center hosts youth camps and ministry groups that enjoy the outdoors while experiencing God’s presence.
WE ALSO FOUNDED THE SANCTUARY OF HOPE, located on eighty-five picturesque acres in the Texas hill country. This one-of-a-kind community is a home for courageous young women who have chosen life for their unborn babies. Surrounded by unconditional love and acceptance, these young mothers, and their children lack for nothing as they become equipped to become productive members of their communities. Having worked at an orphanage as a young man I know how desperately our nation needs this type of outreach.
Cornerstone Church marches ahead with unwavering resolve, deeply committed to our transformative path. Presently, we're immersed in a remodeling venture tailored to our growing church family's evolving needs. Our stage and sanctuary, vital to our global media outreach, have undergone revitalization. Concurrently, a technological renaissance is underway, enhancing sound and lighting for Christ's hopeful message on emerging media platforms. Beyond this, we're expanding Community Areas, embodying Jesus' compassion through dynamic ministries and impactful outreach. This glimpse into our journey reveals only a fraction of what lies ahead, as we stand ready for greater accomplishments.
Make no mistake—I AM CERTAINLY NOT RETIRING—YOU CAN RETIRE FROM A JOB, BUT YOU CAN NEVER RETIRE FROM A CALLING. My journey has been an amazing adventure and I thank God for all that He has done to bless us, to bless our congregants and members who are like family to Diana and me…and I know that the very best is yet to come!
