LeRoy Kopp
LeRoy Kopp was a Kansas-born minister whose career moved through United Brethren ministry, early mental health crises, doomsday preaching, religious publishing, Foursquare evangelism, Angelus Temple leadership, radio ministry, and eventually the pastorate of Los Angeles Calvary Temple, where he became an important promoter of William Branham's healing campaigns; through his role in Pentecostal revival networks, defense of faith healers, connection to Angelus Temple and Foursquare circles, establishment of a school and Bible institute, and position as chairman of revival efforts at Calvary Temple, Kopp became a significant West Coast bridge between earlier revivalism, healing evangelism, Branham's public image, and the media culture that helped produce Twentieth Century Prophet.
LeRoy Kopp was a minister from Brown County, Kansas. In 1914, shortly after marriage, he became mentally ill. He was sent to a sanitarium, but physicians had a difficult time keeping him under control. He'd escape, get thrown in jail, and return again to medical supervision.
He was a minister in the United Brethren Church, the denomination Branham appears to have been affiliated with when he married Meda Broy. LeRoy Kopp was ordained as pastor while still in high school. By 1915, he was out of mental supervision once again, and started working as an evangelist, and apparently, it paid well. Shortly after starting his ministry, he purchased the Hamlin Reporter and announced that he would be changing the direction of the news that was published. He stated that he did not approve of the news that was published in the Hamlin Reporter, and he said, "If we continue printing the Reporter, we will not advertise anything but what we feel is honest and upright, and will not even insert news which we feel is of a degrading sort.” In 1916, he started preaching a “doomsday” version of Christianity.
LeRoy's religious newspaper was not well respected, and competing newspapers let him know about it. They said that he was right — judgment was coming — just not in the way in which he claimed. Not long after, LeRoy moved to Auburn, Nebraska. He and his family auctioned off part of his belongings, packed up, and left town.
This was first of a series of moves and changes in his life. LeRoy moved to Los Angeles, joined the Four-Square Gospel, became an evangelist, and moved to Wichita. As part of the Pentecostal movement of the 1930's, LeRoy held speeches defending the "faith healers”. Before long, he was touring the country holding revivals. By 1936, LeRoy rose through the ranks to become the vice chairman of the Angelus Temple Evangelists.[1] About the time Roy E. Davis and William D. Upshaw moved to the San Bernardino area, LeRoy started broadcasting on the radio.
In the late 1940's, LeRoy became pastor of the Los Angeles Calvary Temple. He added a grade school, and the United Fundamentalist Bible Institute. This would be the host of multiple Branham campaigns in Los Angeles. As chairman of the revival committee, LeRoy was in the perfect position to promote the “prophet”.