Demos Shakarian

Personal

Vocation

American businessman, a Christian of Armenian origin, who founded the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International (FGBMFI). His story and the story of FGBMFI is the subject of the book The Happiest People on Earth, written by John and Elizabeth Sherrill (Guideposts Magazine) and published in 1975. In his youth he entered the family business and their milk herd grew to become the largest in the world at the time. He married Rose Gabrielian in 1933. Shakarian used his organizational abilities to facilitate evangelistic campaigns, in particularly working with Charles S. Price. Shakarian noted that his tent campaigns mainly attracted women, and FGBMFI was established to encourage more participation by men by providing a platform for businessmen to give religious testimonies. The plan was supported by Oral Roberts, and under his leadership, the FGBMFI had chapters in 132 countries. Shakarian was a third-generation Pentecostal, and he believed in the "Full Gospel", that all the supernatural events in the New Testament should be understood literally, and could also occur today. He died on 23 July 1993 at age 80. Link to Wikipedia biography