t wasn’t long after Rev. Jerry Falwell had passed away in May 2007 that his two sons, Jonathan and Jerry Jr. – heirs-apparent to the mega-church and university he had founded – looked at each other and said, “How did Dad ever do all this himself?”

“All this” meant, first, being pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC), responsible for its members numbering in the tens of thousands, its offshoot ministries and an international broadcast ministry. “The Old-Time Gospel Hour” is the longest-running TV program in history, in fact. In addition, Falwell Sr. had served as the hands-on chancellor of Liberty University (LU), the largest evangelical university in the world, with a total student enrollment now approaching 50,000. Their dad had worn both hats, seemingly with ease.

Jerry Falwell built the hugely successful church and university, both in Lynchburg, Va., from the ground up on sheer faith and “praying in the money” during countless hours spent on his knees. He left colossal shoes to fill. His sons soon realized no one on earth would ever be able to fill them as he had.

Jerry Falwell, Jr., Chancellor, Liberty University.

“There’s no doubt that dad was the absolute best example of a pastor one could hope to see. I will forever remember the way in which he truly lived out a life of integrity,” says Jonathan, who stepped in as TRBC’s senior pastor to fill the void his father left.

Echoing that sentiment, Jerry Jr., now LU’s chancellor, adds, “Dad taught me by example that faith and perseverance were the only keys to true success. His life’s verse was Philippians 1:6. He found the strength he needed to endure incredible adversity in the promise that God, who had begun a good work in us, would “carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

“Not I, But Christ”

Despite the aftershock of the elder Falwell’s untimely passing, neither son had time to commiserate or even contemplate hiding from public view. Summoning all the courage and faith possible, Jerry Jr. stood in his father’s place a mere four days after his death, stating, “All is well at Liberty University,” as he congratulated the 2007 graduating class and conferred their degrees – a bittersweet time of both mourning and celebration.

Jonathan Falwell preaching at Thomas Road Baptist Church.

The following day, Jonathan strode across the platform of the still-new TRBC sanctuary – his dad’s dream-come-true – and delivered a powerful sermon titled “Crossing the Jordan,” in which he evoked both the sadness and the anticipation of the Israelites preparing to be led into the promised land by Joshua following Moses’ death. There was little doubt that day that Jerry Falwell’s pastoral mantle had passed to his younger son. The congregation unanimously affirmed him as their new pastor. The TRBC maxim at that point became “Not I, But Christ.”

Though Jonathan had been serving as associate pastor for a number of years and played a key administrative role at TRBC, his dad clearly remained “the man in the pulpit” until his death. Jonathan joined his father in preaching at TRBC when the congregation’s growth demanded adding an additional service, though the elder Falwell remained the face of the televised services.

“I knew that I wasn’t capable of stepping into my dad’s footsteps, but I knew that God is capable of doing anything with a servant willing to be used,” Jonathan says. “I simply told God, ‘Whatever it is that you want me to do, I’m available.’”

Jonathan says 2 Corinthians 3:4-6 has been “extraordinarily important” to him during the past two years. Verse 5 states: “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.” “Our sufficiency comes from Christ,” Jonathan confidently testifies today.

Making “champions for Christ”

Having assumed an active role in the daily affairs of Liberty University soon after graduating from the University of Virginia’s prestigious law school in 1987, Jerry Jr. had long been groomed to succeed his father as chancellor.

Ron Godwin, Liberty University's COO and executive vice president, and Jerry Falwell, Jr. discuss future plans for a shopping center acquired by the university.

“Dad and I had worked side-by-side on a daily basis for over 19 years before he passed. Our offices were adjacent and we worked together to guide Liberty University and its related ministries through one financial crisis after another,” Jerry Jr. recalls. “Donations plummeted after the 1987 PTL scandal (involving Jim Bakker) and the early years of my career were full of financial crises. Dad’s style was to bear all the financial burdens privately while remaining upbeat and positive publicly. I was the only other person who knew how serious many of the financial challenges were.”

The elder Falwell’s main focus in his earlier ministry years was Thomas Road Baptist Church, “The Old Time Gospel Hour” and the Moral Majority. In the late 1980s, Jerry Jr. recalls his father coming to the conclusion that he could make more of a national and international impact for Christ beyond his lifetime by training generations of “champions for Christ” at Liberty University than he could by working for social change through the Moral Majority.

Obviously, something of their father rubbed off on both sons as the church and the university are on solid ground today, both growing and seeing the original vision of their founder reaching new heights. That’s no small achievement, given the doubts that many observers had expressed about the sons’ collective ability to carry on in the wake of the larger-than-life status of their father.

Jonathan Falwell recognizes Liberty University's 2008 graduation speaker, actor Chuck Norris, as Chancellor Jerry Falwell, Jr. looks on.

“Jonathan and I have very different strengths. Jonathan is perfectly suited for his role as pastor of TRBC. Looking back over my life, I now see that God was preparing me in so many ways for the role I have assumed,” Jerry Jr. says.

Dealing with the tough stuff

Shunning the limelight while their outspoken father was living, content to let him be the point man, Jerry Jr. and Jonathan now have found their individual voices. Focusing on the tasks at hand, they take the continued media attention and occasional controversy in stride and remind folks they are, indeed, Jerry Falwell’s living legacy.

Recently, Jerry Jr. found himself at the center of a media firestorm after announcing that LU would no longer officially sanction a campus political club whose actions had been in opposition to the university’s stated pro-life, pro-family mission. He was accused of stifling free speech, among other unsavory things.

“I think many were hoping that the new generation of leadership at LU would move the university to the left politically and theologically. I see the disappointment expressed by those who held such hopes as affirmation that we are keeping LU true to its original mission,” Jerry Jr. says.

While the church and the university were lurching forward, preparing to fill the leadership void, the Falwell family sought to do their grieving largely behind closed doors. The late Rev. Falwell’s widow and wife of nearly 50 years, Macel, maintained a quiet strength throughout their marriage. Still, Jerry Sr. had been her rock, second only to Jesus himself. They revered one another, and their children knew it well.

“My mom has been the rock in our family since I can remember,” says Jonathan. “She has never wavered in her support and prayers. She is doing quite well these days. Obviously, there are some bad days and the void left by Dad’s passing is unmistakable.  But she continues to trust God every day for strength.”

At the urging of Jonathan, Macel authored a book – Jerry Falwell: His Life and Legacy – her own account of who the man she had loved really was, over and above his public persona. Recounting those details was a cathartic exercise for the entire family. Even the grandchildren were allowed some space to recall their beloved “Poppy” in the book.

Growing up Falwell

Jerry Jr., Jerry and Macel Falwell’s firstborn, fittingly arrived on Father’s Day. He later was joined by sister Jeannie, who is today a teaching surgeon. Jonathan completed the trio.

All three Falwell children were raised to believe in strong family values, including the sanctity of life. It was a tearful 7-year-old Jonathan, who looked his dad in the eye one day, after a serious discussion about abortion, and said, “Why don’t you do something, Dad?” Jerry went on to become an outspoken defender of the unborn.

It is clear that family remains a strong priority for all the Falwells. Despite their patriarch’s hectic, state-hopping schedule and his many media appearances – he saw these as added opportunities to present Jesus as “the way, the truth and the life” – the pastor lovingly known as “Doc” to his many friends and church staffers was nearly always in the pulpit Sunday mornings. He never missed a child’s or grandchild’s birthday and was often seen attending their ball games or other events. When they were older, he sometimes let them travel with him.

The Falwell family in 2006. Jeannie Falwell Savas and her son stand next to her mother, Macel, and father, Jerry Falwell, Sr. Jerry and Macel are flanked by Jonathan, his wife Shari, and their chidlren (left) and Jerry Jr., his wife Becki, and their children (right).

Many wonder what it was like growing up the children of an internationally acclaimed pastor and media lightning rod. As the proverbial “PKs” – preacher’s kids – it is not hard to imagine the Falwell brothers making a few waves in their younger days. Each inherited their dad’s sense of humor and love of the occasional practical joke. Did they ever rebel?

“Dad was very rowdy in his younger years, but he didn’t grow up in a Christian home. We were held to a higher standard,” Jerry Jr. says. “I still very much enjoyed my years at LU and had a lot of fun with the friends I made there. I met an alumnus today who told me how he remembered me releasing live chickens in the cafeteria one day and having to wash dishes for two months as punishment.”

Jonathan says he never “went through any rebellious phase.” Rather, he says, “I spent so much time with my parents, traveling with dad and surrounding myself with people at church, I guess I never really had the opportunity or desire to rebel.”

Would Jerry Falwell be pleased today with what his sons already have accomplished and how they embody his legacy?

“I know Dad would be pleased with the way the ministry has grown and continues to carry out the vision and mission that began in 1956,” says Jonathan. “Dad never had any desire for this ministry to be about him; it was always about Christ. Seeing what God is doing here in the church would bring him much joy.”

Says Jerry Jr., “I think Dad would be pleased that his years of faithfulness and sacrifice have allowed LU to enjoy the prosperity and success that it is seeing today. Liberty is a modern-day miracle that only God could have performed. I believe that Dad is watching from heaven today and sees the daily fulfillment of his dream for LU as confirmation that God was behind all the miracles that have occurred there over the last 38 years.”