Benny and Marilou Proffitt
God gave Benny a dream and a vision to reach the next generation for Jesus Christ. God used Benny’s 30 years of experience as a youth pastor, high school teacher and basketball coach to form a ministry that became First Priority.
Since 1985 when the first group of First Priority students formed in Irving, TX to 1990 in Birmingham, AL where a city implemented the strategy until today, Benny has poured his life into fulfilling this vision that God birthed in him. He returned to Nashville in 1995 to launch First Priority of America. Since then, he has spoken and done training in over 1,000 US cities.
In 2010 Benny and Marilou launched First Priority Global. They have traveled, trained and launched First Priority on 5 continents. He has appeared on ABC, CNN, TBN and numerous other radio and TV talk shows. He had a feature article in Time magazine. He has authored books and training manuals that share his passion and vision for reaching the next generation.
Benny and Marilou have 3 married children and 9 grandchildren. They live in Thompson Station, TN. In 2023 they celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary.