David Brandt Berg (1919-1994) Founder of the Family International
Born into a family of ministers and evangelists, Berg devoted his life to Christian service. For 27 years he served as a youth leader and pastor, participating in numerous evangelistic endeavors. In 1968, he received God's call to take the Gospel to the counterculture youth of Southern California. There he and his then teenaged children began a ministry to the youth that grew to become the Children of God movement and eventually became known as the Family International. Today, members of the Family engage in missionary and humanitarian work in over 90 countries worldwide.
Through his personal example and his writings, Father David (or "Dad" as he was known to the Family) inspired Family members to devote their full time to spreading the message of Christ's love and salvation as far and wide as possible, and to teach others to do the same.
Berg decried the de-Christianization and decay of values in Western society. His lively, down-to-earth, and sometimes unconventional approach to matters of faith make his writings a unique contribution to Christian literature.
In October 1994, Father David passed from this life into the next. As an important mark of his legacy, during the first 25 years of our movement's history, his leadership inspired the Family to personally share the Gospel with over 260 million people in over 100 countries, nearly 18 million of whom accepted Jesus as their Savior.
You can find samples of David Brandt Berg’s writings on the Viewpoints page.
A website dedicated to his life, mission, and writings can be found here: David Brandt Berg