RICHMOND, Va. — Avery T.
Willis Jr., creator of the MasterLife discipleship series and former mission
board executive, died Friday morning, July 30, after a seven-month battle with
leukemia. He was 76.
The retired senior vice president of the International Mission Board (IMB) was
known for his passion for missions, discipleship and making the gospel known to
“oral learners.”
“My dad graduated to Glory early this morning,” Willis’ son Randy wrote in a
statement. “This is not a time to mourn as those who have no hope … This is
the time to celebrate a life.
“I thank each of you that have visited, called, written and prayed over his
past seven months,” Randy Willis added. “Your words of encouragement meant so
much to him and to all of us. What a privilege to hear of the lives he impacted
during his 76 years. May that influence extend through the generations.”
In January 2010, Willis was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia.
He leaves behind his wife Shirley, five grown children, 15 grandchildren and
one great-grandchild.
Friends regard Willis as a man committed to the Lord’s work — 14 years of
mission work in Indonesia with the Foreign (now International) Mission Board,
later stepping into the role of senior vice president for overseas operations
in 1993. He wrote and contributed to numerous books and materials, including
the MasterLife discipleship series and “Biblical Basis of Missions.”
Willis was a key proponent of Bible storying — orally telling stories from the
Bible as a method of discipleship and a simple, effective way to communicate
the truths in the Bible.
“His passion for engaging unreached people groups led in directing orality
strategies among multiple mission agencies,” said Jerry Rankin, IMB president.
“It would be impossible to comprehend this side of heaven the extent of global
evangelization that will continue to sweep the world because of Avery’s
witness, leadership and influence among Southern Baptists, national Baptists
conventions around the world and other Great Commission partners.
“His walk with the Lord was authentic,” Rankin added. “His faith was
contagious. His vision unlimited. To participate in a planning or strategy
session with Avery was to be challenged beyond the ordinary and to catch a
vision of possibilities characterized by the power and providence of God.”
Thom Rainer, president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, described Willis
as “a Baptist statesman par excellence.”
“His contribution to the cause of missions and missions education will have
sustained impact for generations to come,” Rainer said.
“I remember with gratitude the value of his ministry to my own life, especially
through MasterLife and his insightful book, ‘Biblical Basis of Missions.’ He
will be missed by all, and my prayer is that the Lord raises up others to
continue where he left off, for the cause of global missions and Kingdom
growth.”
Willis was born on Feb. 21, 1934, in Lepanto, Ark. He received a bachelor of
arts degree from Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee and master of divinity
and doctor of theology degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
in Fort Worth, Texas.
Willis served as pastor of Center Point Baptist Church in Wilburton, Okla.,
from 1954-56; Sunset Heights Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, from 1957-60;
and Inglewood Baptist Church in Grand Prairie, Texas, from 1960-64.
Following his years as a pastor, he and his wife were appointed as missionaries
by the Foreign Mission Board, serving with their children in Indonesia from
1964-78.
Avery Willis, retired senior vice president of the International Mission Board and creator of the MasterLife discipleship series, continued training new generations of Southern Baptists in discipleship until his death July 30 after a battle with leukemia. |
Willis devoted the first six years of his mission service to evangelism and
church planting. He spent the next eight years with the Indonesia Baptist
Theological Seminary. He was a professor at the seminary for two years and its
president for six years, during which time he wrote the MasterLife series of
discipleship handbooks that eventually were translated into more than 50
languages and used in more than 100 countries.
After missionary service in Indonesia, Willis served for 15 years with the
Baptist Sunday School Board (now LifeWay Christian Resources) in the adult
discipleship department.
Longtime friend and former president of LifeWay James T. Draper Jr. described
Willis as “God’s gift to Southern Baptists.”
“I have known Avery Willis for more than 30 years,” Draper said. “When I
struggled to have a plan to help disciple converts in our church, it was on the
back of an envelope at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport that Avery … explained
the basic concept of MasterLife.
“It was under his supervision that ‘Experiencing God’ was released in the early
1990s,” Draper added.
“It was my privilege to call him friend and partner in ministry and to serve
with him at LifeWay for several years before he [returned] to the International
Mission Board.
“His influence is truly global.”
Willis returned to the IMB in a vice presidential role in 1993 and retired in
2004. At the “Amsterdam 2000” conference on evangelism, Willis realized the
need for discipleship materials for oral learners. Seventy percent of unreached
people groups are functionally illiterate, and the majority of people in the
world either cannot or will not read.
Willis worked with eight Bible storytellers to develop audio recordings of 400
Bible stories.
In 2004, Willis helped organize the International Orality Network, which
focuses on oral learners. He also helped develop a Bible storying-based
discipleship program for American churches that has been piloted by Real Life
Ministries in Idaho.
Despite his leukemia diagnosis in January 2010, three months later Willis
launched DNA 21: Discipleship Revolution, a conference at New Orleans Baptist
Theological Seminary to teach church leaders how to start Bible storying
discipleship in their churches.
During the past year, Willis also worked with Mark Snowden, lead storying
trainer for the North American Mission Board, to write the book, “Truth That
Sticks: How to Communicate Velcro Truth in a Teflon World” to be released by
NavPress.
Morris H. Chapman, president of the SBC Executive Committee, said Willis “embodied
the ‘faithful servant’ with his passionate pursuit of reaching the lost and
teaching the saved. His lasting legacy will not be just the ‘orality’ strategy
of storytelling the gospel that he championed abroad and at home, or the MasterLife
resources found in church classrooms. His enduring heritage will be the lives
changed because his love for Christ stirred his heart to reach one more soul.
Southern Baptists will miss his leadership and service. He was a wonderful
brother and colleague in Christ.”
David W. Whitlock, president of Willis’ alma mater, Oklahoma Baptist
University, where the Avery T. Willis Center for Global Outreach has been
established, described Willis as “a marvelous servant of God with an unmatched
passion for global missions. At his core he was simply a man who truly loved
and served the Lord, and only heaven will reveal the true impact of his life.
You could not be with Dr. Willis for even a few minutes without hearing his
passion for reaching those in our world who have never heard the name and
message of Jesus.”
Paige Patterson, president of Southwestern Seminary, said the campus “has lost
a dear friend and certainly a worldwide figure in missions and discipleship
with the homegoing of Avery Willis. Because of his discipleship materials,
Avery would be as close to a household name among Southern Baptists as any
other figure. A loss of a man like this would leave a crater in Southern
Baptist life were it not for the fact that he has so effectively filled his own
crater with the thousands that he has discipled. God bless you, Avery Willis.
Enjoy heaven til we join you.”
Willis’ funeral arrangements are pending. In lieu of flowers, he had requested
that donations be made to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International
Missions or the International Orality Network.
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Provided by the International Mission Board communications
staff. See a video tribute.)