Bio

Larry received Jesus Christ as his personal Savior at the age of 10 years. This was the direct result of faithful Bible teaching by his Sunday School teacher and the Gospel preaching of his pastor at East Side Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. Larry can still remember the powerful conviction of his sins by the Holy Spirit and what it was like to be spiritually lost. In the autumn of 1959, Larry gave his life to God for whatever and wherever He would desire to use him. He understands today that this was his “call” to ministry. Shortly thereafter, he began formal Bible education in preparation for the ministry of God’s Word. Since then, it has been his desire to follow the Lord’s leading as faithfully as any mortal, saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, possibly can. Dr. Haag and his family served as missionaries to Brazil for ten years with the Baptist Bible Fellowship, 1971-1981. Their ministry was dedicated to evangelism, church planting, and leadership training. An evangelistic and teaching ministry led Larry to every major geographical area of that vast South American nation as national pastors invited him to challenge their churches for world missions.

The Haags are directly responsible for planting four Baptist churches in Southern Brazil. Each church was started in conjunction with Brazilian leadership from the beginning. In addition, Larry served as interim pastor in three other churches for a limited time until the Lord provided a Brazilian pastor. Larry enjoyed teaching a variety of subjects in three Bible Institutes in Brazil. His favorite contribution was made in the area of leadership training through local church institutes conducted for the purpose of establishing Christians in the Faith and encouraging them to a personal, fruitful ministry within the context of the local church. The work done in leadership training in the churches in Brazil has become the central focus of his life and ministry as he and his wife Sharon continue to serve the Lord in cross-cultural ministry.

Dr. Haag served in the Missions Office of Thomas Road Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Virginia from l98l to 1994 and as Missions Director from l985. During these thirteen years he taught Missions & Cross-Cultural Studies at Liberty University in the School of Religion and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He served as the Chairman of the Department of Missions and Cross-Cultural Studies from 1986 until leaving to serve in Eastern Europe.

Larry and Sharon moved into a new phase of ministry in July 1994 when they were appointed as career missionaries with the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) to serve in Central and Eastern Europe. Dr. Haag’s team assignment was in the area of national Christian leadership development. He has served as Coordinator of Theological Education for the Central & Eastern Europe (C&EE) Region upon their arrival on the field in May, 1996. His emphasis was and continues to be on establishing church-centered leadership training programs to prepare all the people of God in all the counsel of God for all the work of God. Dr. Haag served as Adjunct Professor of Missions with the Church Ministries Institute, Odessa, Ukraine; Novi Sad Theological College and Seminary, Serbia; Greek Bible Institute, Athens, Greece and Liberty University, Virginia, USA.

In September, 2005, the Haags accepted the reassignment by Dr. Michael Loftis, ABWE President, to the International Ministries division of ABWE. They continue the same theological education ministry with emphasis on the local churches as in C&EE but on the global scale. This new direction in ministry has taken them through newly opened doors in India, Cuba, and, most recently, Nepal. Theological Education has always been their emphasis with the goal of evangelizing the spiritually lost and establishing new local churches. Trained leadership seems to be the number one obstacle to planting churches; therefore, they have dedicated their lives to meeting this challenge in as many places as God leads.

Larry and Sharon were married in the East Side Baptist Church, Topeka, Kansas on June 3, 1961. Larry was ordained as a Baptist minister on October 16, 1964 in the same church. He holds the degree Doctor of Missiology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS), Deerfield, Illinois. Dr. Haag’s dissertation at TEDS is entitled, A Model for a Lay Leadership Institute for Church Planting Ministry Among Baptist Churches in Brazil. A highlight of his academic career was induction into Who's Who Among American Teachers, 1994.

The Haags have five children, fourteen grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. They are extremely thankful for and proud of each one of them.

Preaching at a “Culto em Casa” House Worship Meeting, Brazil in the ‘70’s. I’m the one with my thumb up!

New Church Plant in Brazil in the 70s

We won Geraldo (5^th from right) & Cicera (kneeling) to the Lord Jesus Christ one Sunday morning when we could not find the church we were looking for in the village of Cipo. He was a military policeman and was hitching a ride home from the end of the bus line when we met him. Weekly Bible Studies were started and soon a new church was in the making in their town of Embu Guacu. They have started other churches over the years.

Notice that our five kids are with Sharon and me, our ministry there was never “Dad’s work,” the entire family got involved as much as possible.