My good friend, Dr. Avery Willis, was a hero to many and a champion fighter for those who were lost.
Avery was the retired senior vice president of the International Mission Board and the creator of the MasterLife discipleship series. That series has currently sold more than 2.3 million copies in English and has been translated into 68 languages. Through his life, as well as this series, Avery taught us how to live with the plight of the lost on our hearts, souls and minds. On Jan. 7, 2010, he was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia.
BrantI’ve not seen a braver fight to live – not a fight for himself, but for the lost of this world. “The lost” was a common theme and motivating factor for all he did. Avery, faithful to his Savior to the core, lived every day with the lost piercing his heart.
It was for the sake of the lost that Avery and his wife Shirley surrendered to missions. After pastoring for 10 years, they served 14 years as missionaries in Indonesia. It was for the sake of the lost they both returned to the U.S. to create awareness and hunger for the lost souls in this world and to motivate Americans to live and think differently. It was for the sake of the lost that I nominated Avery to be the president of the IMB in 1993 when I was a trustee. Although Avery was a high contender for that job, Dr. Jerry Rankin proved to be God’s man to lead us during these past 17 years. God, however, guided Dr. Rankin to appoint Avery as senior vice president of the IMB, placing him over all the missionaries. In his hospital room, Avery recently told me that he knows without a doubt that God planted him exactly where He wanted him.
As a trustee of the IMB, many of us referred to Jerry Rankin, Avery Willis, and Tom Elliff as our “dream team.” Tom Elliff (another contender for the president’s position) was elected SBC president that next year, and in a “God Trek” adventure, these three led us into areas of the world with the highest concentration of the lost. Dr. Avery Willis served for 10 years as vice president overseeing the missionaries.
Avery retired in 2004, but he quickly established the International Orality Network (ION) and served as its executive director. He started this ministry for the 4 billion oral learners in this world who haven’t heard or don’t understand the written “words of life.” Although Avery felt we must address the lost in North America, he was always quick to point out that we in America have much light and exposure to the gospel – unlike many parts of the world where people live in darkness. Avery quoted stats that would raise the hair on anyone’s head. “The U.S. is 6 percent of the world’s population, yet 97.5 percent of the money in the offering plates stays here. That leaves a mere 2.5 percent to get to the rest of the world.”
For the sake of the lost, Avery set out on a mission to change those numbers and percentages. He was elated when on June 15, 2010, the SBC voted by a 3-to-1 margin to approved the recommendations of the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force. Although weak and frail, he was in Orlando to be a part of that resolution.
Avery saw a parallel between the church’s struggle with discipleship and the leukemia he battled. Learning that red blood cells transport oxygen, white blood cells fight viruses and bacteria, and platelets enable blood to coagulate, Avery painted the perfect analogy. “What happens in leukemia is an abnormal development in the DNA so that the body produces large numbers of immature cells that don’t fulfill their function,” he explained. “They don’t carry oxygen, fight disease, or clot. In the same way, churches are producing large numbers who aren’t carrying out the functions God intended them to.” Avery, along with the Great Commission Resurgence Task Force, is calling out Baptists to reprioritize their lives for the lost.
As Avery’s health declined, he used his energy to continue his ministry for the oral majority and the lost. Throughout his suffering, treatment and pain, he never tired of doing all he could for the lost.
Another spiritual giant has left his mark on this world. Yes, he taught us how to live, but he also taught us how to die – always concerned for the lost. After he was diagnosed with cancer and attention gathered from many across our world, he again turned our focus to the lost. “In the midst of your concern for me, I want you to compare my situation with the 4 billion oral learners who are lost.” He also taught us that retirement only comes when one graduates to heaven. The final touches on his last book written with Mark Snowden, “Truth That Sticks,” were completed during his hospitalization. There has even been talk of making a book from what he posted on his Caring Bridge website while he was dying. More than 45,000 visits have been logged on his site.
He was a faithful husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Many of his children and grandchildren have followed in his footsteps. In addition, many people and missionaries have told me that the words he wrote were the catalyst that opened their hearts to serve God on the mission field for the sake of the lost. Yes, he was also a spiritual father to thousands, including me.
In his last months, his computer became his window to the world as he continued to minister to those around him. Among his last words were:
“The time that God has ordained for me will happen. He has prepared for me a place and will receive me. This is the new creation that I look forward to experiencing and all He has been preparing me for all these years. PTL!”
– Brant is a former trustee of the International Mission Board.