CROWN COLLEGE - Key Persons

Clarence Sexton served as the pastor of the Temple Baptist Church (1988-2023) and the founder and president of The Crown College (1991-2023) in Knoxville, TN. From this work, the graduates of Crown College have planted hundreds of churches and established extension sites in Texas, Montana, England, and Nepal. His desire was to edify, encourage, and equip Christian workers through Bible teaching, preaching, books, publications, live-streamed church services, and Crown Radio broadcasts. Through 57 years of Christian ministry, his spoken and written messages have benefited countless Christian workers. Clarence Sexton was born on Sunday morning, October 10, 1948, at the Baptist Hospital in Selma, Alabama. He was the oldest of four children, including Tommy, Katherine, and baby sister Sheila. His family, after moving nineteen times before Clarence reached the third grade, finally settled in Maryville, Tennessee, when he was eight years old. Life in the Sexton household was turbulent, and Clarence's parents divorced when he was twelve. Two years later, on Easter Sunday morning, his father, Preston Thomas Sexton, died. Clarence's mother, Ruby Lee Sexton, had a profound influence on his life. As a single parent, she reared the four children, often working multiple jobs. Clarence was forced to be the man of the house, looking after his brother and sisters. Meanwhile, Mary Evelyn Rogers was born into the home of Alvie and Lucille Rogers in Maryville, Tennessee, on December 19, 1949. When she was only five years old, Evelyn's father, a Baptist preacher, was killed in an automobile accident. He had been visiting a church family who had recently lost a loved one. After the death of their father, she and her older brother Charles were reared by their godly mother, Lucille Rogers Caughron. When Clarence was fourteen, he began attending the First Baptist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. On a Wednesday evening, after a youth choir practice, the director, Don Brakebill, asked Clarence if he was a Christian. Realizing that Clarence was lost, Mr. Brakebill took him to meet the pastor. A short time later, Dr. J. William Harbin led Clarence Sexton to trust Christ as his own personal Saviour. Beginning his freshman year, Clarence decided to transfer from Maryville High School to Everett High School. In God's sovereignty, this decision brought Robert Davis, the principal of Everett High School, into Clarence's life. Upon learning that Clarence's mother had the sole responsibility of rearing her children, Mr. Davis, a godly Christian man, promised to help her. Mr. Davis kept his promise. His influence had a tremendous effect upon Clarence's life. Decades later, Mr. Davis revealed to Clarence that he had prayed for Clarence and continues to pray for him every day. While attending Everett High School, Clarence was the starting halfback on the football team for four years, eventually becoming team captain. It was also at Everett that he met and fell in love with Mary Evelyn Rogers. They were married on February 15, 1967. The newlyweds began attending Forest Hills Baptist Church and God began a powerful work in Clarence's heart.