Greg Laurie
A leading voice of modern evangelism, he built a California megachurch and massive crusades that draw tens of thousands seeking spiritual connection.
Born 1952 (age 74)·American author and pastor·Birthday: December 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Greg Laurie's path to the pulpit began not in a seminary, but in the chaotic, searching youth culture of 1970s Southern California. His conversion story, born out of the Jesus Movement, is one of radical personal change that set the template for his ministry. In 1974, he founded Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, which grew from a small Bible study into one of the nation's most prominent megachurches. Laurie's signature innovation, however, is the Harvest Crusade. For decades, these large-scale stadium events have blended contemporary music with straightforward preaching, designed to make evangelical Christianity accessible to a mass audience. A best-selling author of numerous books, Laurie communicates with a direct, narrative style, often drawing on his own early life to connect with people far outside traditional church walls.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Greg was born in 1952, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Greg Was Born
The biggest hits of 1952
#1 Movie
The Greatest Show on Earth
Best Picture
The Greatest Show on Earth
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Greg's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1952Born
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1957Started school
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1965Became a teenager
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Could drive
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1970Could vote
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Turned 21
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1982Turned 30
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1992Turned 40
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 50
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 60
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 70
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 74 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Founded and serves as senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, a megachurch based in Riverside, California.
- Created the Harvest Crusades, large-scale evangelistic events that have drawn millions of attendees since their inception.
- Authored over 70 books, including the best-selling 'The Great Compromise' and a graphic-novel style biography of Jesus.
Did You Know?
He was a self-described 'hippie' and drug user before his conversion at age 17.
His life and early ministry were depicted in the 2023 film 'Jesus Revolution'.
He hosts a nationally syndicated radio program, 'A New Beginning'.
He has interviewed numerous celebrities and public figures about faith on his podcast.
““God’s best often comes through life’s hardest times.””
