Lausanne Movement

Avery T. Willis, Jr. is an international speaker, leader, author and conference leader.  He serves as:

• Executive Director of the International Orality Network
• Ambassador at Large for the Avery T. Willis Center for Global Outreach, Oklahoma Baptist University
• Chairman of the OneStory Partnership Advisory Board
• Member of Table 71, a strategic alliance of the largest evangelical mission agencies
• Member of the Steering Committee for the Church Planting Congresses sponsored by the  Bill Bright Billion Souls Initiative

He served as pastor of three churches in Oklahoma and Texas for ten years before serving with his wife, Shirley, and their children as missionaries to Indonesia for fourteen years. He may be best known for creating the MasterLife discipleship materials in Indonesia while serving as the President of the Indonesian Baptist Theological Seminary. During the next fifteen years it was translated into over 50 languages and used in over 100 countries while he led the adult discipleship department for LifeWay Christian Resources.  He then served ten years as Senior Vice President for Overseas Operations of the International Mission Board overseeing the work of 5600 missionaries in 183 countries. 

He holds a BA degree from Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, Okla., and the M.Div and Th.D degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. He has received honorary doctor’s degrees from Oklahoma Baptist University and Southwest Baptist University, Bolivar MO.  His writings include:

• MasterLife: Discipleship Training, Vol. I and II (Nashville, Baptist Sunday School Board, 1980).  Translated into 52 languages. Revised with Kay Moore in 1996.
• MasterBuilder: Multiplying Leaders (Nashville, Baptist Sunday School Board, l985). 
• Disciple's Study Bible (assoc. editor and developer and writer of Life Helps, 1988)
• BibleGuide to Discipleship and Doctrine (Nashville, Baptist Sunday School Board, l989) a study guide for the Disciple’s Study Bible
• Indonesian Revival:  Why Two Million Came to Christ (Pasadena, William Carey Library, l978)
• Biblical Basis of Missions (Nashville, Baptist Sunday School Board, 1979);
• On Mission with God, LifeWay and B & H 2001 with co-author Henry Blackaby, 
• Following Jesus: Making Disciples of Oral Learners, producing with several others 7 audio modules consisting of 53 audio CDs including 400 Bible stories, Progressive Vision, 2003. 
• Lead Like Jesus Co-authored with Ken Blanchard, Phil Hodges, and Lee Ross (Thomas Nelson/J. Countryman 2003)
• Authored or co-authored five seminary textbooks in Indonesia
• Wrote "Contextualization of Theological Education in Indonesia," chapter in Vergil Gerber (ed.) Discipling Through Theological Education by Extension (Chicago, Moody Press, 1980).

He currently lives in Bella Vista, Arkansasw ith his wife, Shirley.  The love of their lives is their five children and 15 grandchildren who are dynamic Christians.