Rafiki Foundation founder Rosemary Jensen dies at 2026

By AI, Created 3:46 PM UTC, June 02, 2026, /AGP/ – Rosemary McEachern Jensen, founder of the Rafiki Foundation and former Bible Study Fellowship leader, died May 31, 2026. Her work helped expand Christian education, Bible distribution and training programs across ten African countries.

Why it matters: - Rosemary McEachern Jensen helped shape Christian education, Bible study and church training across Africa for decades. - Rafiki Foundation says her work reached thousands of children, widows, pastors and church leaders across ten African countries. - Her death closes a long chapter for an organization built around her vision for Scripture-centered service and education.

What happened: - Rosemary McEachern Jensen died on May 31, 2026, after a life of ministry and leadership. - Rafiki Foundation announced her passing on June 2, 2026. - Jensen founded the Rafiki Foundation in 1985. - Jensen also served as General Director of Bible Study Fellowship after founder Wetherell Johnson.

The details: - Jensen and her husband, the late Dr. Robert T. Jensen, served as missionaries in East Africa starting in the late 1950s. - Their work helped found the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Tanzania. - During Jensen’s 20-year leadership of Bible Study Fellowship, the organization grew to 971 classes worldwide and nearly 250,000 people engaged in Bible study. - Rafiki grew from an initial vision into a network of Training Villages across ten African countries. - The villages support classical Christian education, Bible study, orphan care, teacher training, community outreach and the marketing of widows’ handmade crafts. - Rafiki says thousands of children and widows benefited from the programs and from teaching rooted in the doctrines of grace. - Jensen’s focus on African partnerships equipped more than 30 denominations and more than 35 seminaries with Rafiki Bible study materials, Bibles and theological resources. - Rafiki says that work laid a foundation for discipling millions of Africans. - Karen Elliott, Rafiki Foundation’s executive director, said Jensen remained engaged with the organization until weeks before her death and served as a mentor and friend. - Jensen was a member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. - She was the only woman on the Alliance’s founding council. - Jensen wrote Praying the Attributes of God and Living the Words of Jesus. - Jensen edited Humble Heroes, a collection of biographical sketches of African church leaders. - In retirement, Jensen founded the Rosemary Jensen Bible Foundation. - That foundation, with Crossway Publishing and Ligonier Ministries, helped distribute more than half a million Bibles through Rafiki across ten African countries. - Jensen also served on the board of Rafiki Classical Academy. - Students there knew her as “Grandmama Rosemary.” - Jensen is survived by three daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Between the lines: - Jensen’s influence extended beyond one ministry because she tied education, theological training and local church partnerships together. - Her leadership style appears to have combined institutional building with personal involvement, including visits to Rafiki in her final weeks. - The scale of Bible distribution suggests Rafiki’s mission has become more than a village-based program; it is also a continental network for church support.

What’s next: - Rafiki says tributes to Jensen will continue in the coming weeks. - The organization plans to press ahead with the mission Jensen helped define. - Rafiki’s work in Africa will continue through its Training Villages, educational programs and theological resource distribution. - More information about Rafiki is available here and more information about Rosemary Jensen is available here.

The bottom line: - Rosemary Jensen leaves behind a ministry footprint that spans missions, education, Bible study and Christian publishing, with impact across ten African countries and beyond.