Ligonier Ministries joins with Christians around the world in thanking God for the life and ministry of Rosemary Jensen (1929–2026).
As the founder of the Rafiki Foundation, Rosemary labored joyfully to provide education and Christian discipleship to children, pastors, and communities throughout Africa. Her work was marked by a settled conviction that the greatest need of every person is to know God’s Word.
This commitment to the truth and life-changing power of Scripture led to Rosemary’s decades-long friendship with R.C. Sproul and Ligonier.
In 2001, Rosemary joined us at the Ligonier National Conference to reflect on how God uses His Word to bring His people to faith, transform their lives, and send them out into faithful service. Later, she wrote an article for Ligonier reminding Christians to live with values fixed on eternity, deploying our gifts and talents to further God’s everlasting kingdom.
Dr. Sproul shared Rosemary’s desire to see the church anchored in sound theology, with pastors well equipped to proclaim God’s Word faithfully for generations to come. This shared vision brought about a now-global outreach, Study Bibles for the World, gifting the Reformation Study Bible to the church where the need is greatest and faithful Christian teaching is least available.
Rosemary wanted 100,000 people throughout Africa to receive study Bibles before she died. In the Lord’s great kindness, she lived to see her vision achieved, with more than 114,000 Reformation Study Bibles distributed throughout the continent as of the end of May 2026.
Ligonier’s chairman, Dr. W. Robert Godfrey, shared these remarks following Rosemary’s death:
“By faith, Rosemary Jensen stopped the mouths of lions—at least metaphorically. She did so in her engaging way, making friends of many kinds and in many places to help her in her work of serving Christ. She was a clear-minded visionary seeking ways to encourage as many people as possible to study the Bible so they would know Jesus and grow stronger in faith. Unlike many visionaries, she was also a practical builder. She got things done at remarkable speed, whether producing Bible study materials for adults and children or building orphanages and schools where children could live, grow, and learn the Word of God.”
Chris Larson, Ligonier’s president, wrote this of Rosemary:
“I was brought into friendship with Rosemary because of her friendship with Dr. R.C. Sproul, a friendship that went back decades. Certainly, Rosemary cared deeply about missions, but never missions untethered from sound doctrine. She loved the church and wanted to see theologically faithful pastors strengthened, equipped, and encouraged to preach the Word of God with courage and conviction. She also cared deeply about the next generation of Christians, that they would be grounded in Scripture, formed by sound doctrine, and prepared to serve Christ faithfully in their own day. The Lord used Rosemary's faith to strengthen mine, and I praise God for her life and ministry.”
“God’s Word at Work.” Rafiki’s motto embodies the faithful testimony of Rosemary Jensen. Her confidence in Scripture and her devotion to serving others still bears fruit as God’s truth goes out to the nations.
