Biography
Ralph Meredith Riggs was born in 1895, in the United States, in a family of modest means. He grew up in a Christian home and was converted in his youth. He was drawn to the Pentecostal movement in its early years, and he received the baptism in the Holy Spirit as a young man. He felt a call to the ministry and was ordained in the Assemblies of God. He was a man who was gifted as a preacher and a writer. He served as a pastor in several churches, in the Midwest and the South. He also served as a teacher in Bible schools.
He was a man of learning and discipline. He studied the Bible with care and was a clear thinker. He was a student of theology and a defender of the Pentecostal doctrine. He became a leader in the Assemblies of God. He served on the executive presbytery and held a number of posts in the denomination. He was a good administrator and a wise counselor. He had a reputation for fairness and for a quiet manner. He was a man who held to the Scriptures and who treated others with respect.
In 1953, he was elected as the general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, the highest office in the denomination. He served for six years, until 1959. During his time in office, the denomination was growing and was taking a greater place in the American religious scene. It was a period of expansion and consolidation. He guided the organization through a time of change. He worked to maintain unity and to hold to the doctrines of the movement. He also dealt with the relationship of the Assemblies of God to the wider evangelical world. He was a participant in the National Association of Evangelicals, and he supported cooperation with other evangelicals, which was not always welcomed by those in the Pentecostal movement.
He was a prolific writer and a faithful teacher. His best-known book is The Spirit Himself, published in 1949, which is a study of the person and work of the Holy Spirit. It was written as a Pentecostal doctrine of the Spirit, and it is regarded as a classic. He also wrote The Path of Life, a study of the Christian life, and a number of other books. His style was plain and clear, and it was marked by careful attention to the Bible. He wrote articles for the denomination's magazine, the Pentecostal Evangel. He was also a regular speaker at conferences and Bible schools.
He was a man of gentle spirit. He was devoted to his wife, Lillian, and to his family. He suffered the loss of a number of friends and of a child. He bore it with faith. He was criticized at times by those in the movement who thought that he was too cautious or too ready to accept the views of other evangelicals. He sometimes felt the pressure of the office. He took the burden with patience.