Gilbert "Gil" W. Stafford (December 30, 1938 – March 30, 2008) was an American scholarly and pastoral leader in the
Church of God Movement (Anderson,
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
). He was well known inside and outside his church group for his enthusiastic teaching and preaching. Stafford taught systematic theology for many years in the Anderson School of Theology and worked as the speaker for the formerly Christian Brotherhood Hour (CBH), later changed to
Christians Broadcasting Hope. Additionally, he contributed in the field of Christian scholarship offering many books and articles from a Wesleyan-holiness perspective. His most substantial work was
''Theology For Disciples'', published in 1996.
Stafford was born in
Portageville, Missouri
Portageville is a city in New Madrid and Pemiscot counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 2,942 according to the 2020 Census.
History
A post office called Portageville has been in operation since 1873. The community takes its ...
, on December 30, 1938, to D.C. and Orell Stafford. He graduated from
Mt. Carmel High School in 1956 and Anderson College in 1961. Believing God wished him to be a minister, he enrolled in the
Anderson University School of Theology in 1960.
In 1962, he moved to the Greater
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
area in
to work as a pastor for the Malden Church of God. Stafford received his
Master of Divinity
For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...
degree at Andover Newton Theological School, along with his
Th.D.
Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiva ...
from
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
in 1973.
Dr. Stafford began work at the Anderson University School of Theology
as professor of systematic theology in 1976. He eventually served the seminary in the roles of associate dean and dean of the chapel. He played a major role in developing Anderson's Doctor of Ministry degree before his retirement in 2007. Dr. Stafford died from cancer in the spring of 2008.
Among the many articles and books he wrote or contributed to some are ''Vision for the Church of God at the Crossroads'' (2002), ''Church of God at the Crossroads'' (2000), ''The Life of Salvation'' (1979), and ''Living as Redeemed People'' (1976).
References
Gilbert Stafford
*https://www.amazon.com/Theology-Disciples-Systematic-Considerations-Christian/dp/0871626748/ref=sr_1_5/103-2510743-1375004?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208325921&sr=1-5
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stafford, Gilbert W
1938 births
2008 deaths
American Christian clergy
20th-century American clergy