Dr. Lee Roberson dies at age 97
 

At 4:45 a.m. on Sunday, April 29, 2007, Dr. Lee Roberson graduated to Heaven.  The famed and faithful Christian leader was pastor of Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN for 40 years and 6 months (1942-1983). 

It was there he founded a Bible school and college that ultimately became Tennessee Temple University.  Many thousands of graduates, trained under his ministry, have gone out to serve as pastors, missionaries and Christian educators. 

Consequently, as a pastor, Dr. Roberson surpassed everyone in his generation in literally touching the world.  His vision and his labors extended far beyond Chattanooga to encircle the globe.

Funeral services are scheduled for 1:00 p. m. Thursday, May 3, 2007, at Highland Park Baptist Church, Chattanooga, TN.  The body will lie in state at the church from 12:00-1:00 p. m. on Thursday.

Visitation will be held in the East Chapel of the Chattanooga Funeral Home, 404 S. Moore Rd. Chattanooga, TN on Wednesday from 2:00-4:00 p. m. and 6:00-9:00 p. m.

Interment will be at the Greenwood Cemetery in Chattanooga.

A Brief Biographical Review

of Dr. Lee Roberson

by Marlon W. Smith

Dr. Lee Roberson, pastor of Highland Park Baptist Church and founder of Tennessee Temple Schools died Sunday, April 29, 2007.  He was 97.

Dr. Roberson was respected and held in highest esteem as a dynamic leader and a Christian statesman by multiplied thousands of Christians around the world .  His reputation was that of an uncompromising stalwart whose consistent message lodged deep in the hearts of those who listened.

The heartbeat of his message could be summed up by his life verse, Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

His legacy as a mighty man of God began in 1942 when he was called to be the pastor of Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN.  For 40 years and 6 months (1942-1983), Dr. Roberson invested himself wholly in the ministry of the church, the city of Chattanooga and Hamilton County.  He was loved as pastor, preacher, confidant and friend by those with whom he came in contact.  During his tenure as pastor, more than 61,000 people professed faith in Jesus and followed Him in believer’s Baptism.

In 1946 he founded Tennessee Temple Schools which has trained thousands of pastors, missionaries and Christian workers now serving in churches and ministries worldwide.

Dr. Roberson became well known nationally and internationally as a vibrant and articulate conference speaker.  He was one of the founding members of the Southwide Baptist Fellowship and was a regular speaker for many of the National Sword of the Lord Conferences.  In his later years, as an evangelist, he preached in thousands of churches across America.

Having been saved at age 14, Dr. Roberson attended Bethel College in Russellville, KY, and went on to the University of Louisville where he graduated with a major in history.  He also attended Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville.

His early years of ministry began in 1932 with a pastorate in Germantown, TN in spite of the urging of his teachers at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music to pursue a career with the opera.  Other pastorates include Greenbrier Baptist Church, Greenbrier, TN, and First Baptist Church, Fairfield, AL.

Later he became an evangelist with the Birmingham Baptist Association in Birmingham, AL.  While there he met and married Miss Caroline Allen in 1937.  She preceded him in death on June 26, 2005.

Dr. and Mrs. Roberson had four children, LeeAnne, John, Joy & June.  Their baby, Joy, for whom Camp Joy is named, died in 1946 at the age of two months. 

Even to those who were not acquainted with Dr. Roberson, his presence commanded immediate respect.  His classic attire, a dark blue, double-breasted suit, starkly contrasted by his snowy white hair, became his trademark.

Dr. Roberson became well known not only by his service to Highland Park Baptist Church and his popularity as a conference speaker and evangelist but also by his proclamations from the pulpit.  Some of his best known admonitions to audiences were, “Have faith in God,” “Everything rises or falls on leadership” and “Just keep going down the line.”

Dr. Roberson’s reputation as pastor, preacher, educator and evangelist will not soon be forgotten.  For more than 65 years, he was a key leader and one of the most influential preachers in fundamentalism.