Asbury Theological Seminary

 

Dr. George G. Hunter, III

George Hunter

 

 


Distinguished Professor of Evangelism and Church Growth

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George Hunter was a fish out of water the summer of '62. As a young seminary student, he spent eight weeks sharing his faith with "Muscle Beach" surfers, beatniks, and body builders. They thought he was from another planet; church jargon made little sense to them. That experience sent Hunter on a lifetime quest that has placed him among the world's leading authorities on communicating the Gospel to secular people. A coveted speaker, Dr. Hunter has led seminars for more than 30 denominations in more than 20 different countries. He has authored ten books, including To Spread the Power: Church Growth in the Wesleyan Spirit (1987) How To Reach Secular People (1992), Church for the Unchurched (1996), The Celtic Way of Evangelism (2000) Leading and Managing a Growing Church (2000), Radical Outreach (2003), and Christian, Evangelical and . . . Democrat? (2006) - all with Abingdon Press.

Dr. Hunter has served The United Methodist Church in a variety of ways, ranging from pastor to executive for the Board of Discipleship's section on Evangelism, a role in which he oversaw the evangelistic program for the denomination's 38,000 churches. He is the co-founder of the American Society for Church Growth and founder of The Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education. He is married to the former Ella Fay Price and has three children: Gill, Monica, and Donald. "Muscle Beach" impacted Hunter in more ways than one. He still lifts weights "religiously," and competed in three bench-press contests after turning 50. After claiming first place in one, his kids labeled him "Elvis Press."

Hunter came to Asbury in 1983, to serve as founding Dean of the E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission and Evangelism; he served as Dean for 18 years. In 2001, Hunter was named Asbury Seminary's first Distinguished Professor.