Dr. William Ward Ayer
1932-1936, Organizational
Development
William Ward Ayer was born on November
7, 1892, in Shediac, New Brunswick, the youngest of ten children. Following the death of
his mother when he was only 5 years old, Dr. Ayer experienced a difficult childhood. After
completing the eighth grade, he went to work in the printing industry, eventually becoming
an apprentice.
On December 31, 1916 Dr. Ayer's sister
persuaded him to attend a Billy Sunday meeting in Boston where he gave his life to Christ
and immediately felt that he was being called to preach.
Dr. Ayer graduated from Moody Bible
Institute in August 1919. Later he took a liberal arts course at Lincoln College in
Atlanta, Illinois and attended Northern Baptist Seminary in Chicago. Dr. Ayer received two
honorary degrees, a Doctor of Divinity, from Bob Jones College in 1937 and a Doctor of
Humanities from Hyles-Anderson College in 1975.
Before Dr. Ayer came to our congregation,
he had held several highly successful pastorates in the United States. These had been in
Mason City, Illinois (1918 - 1919), Atlanta, Illinois, (1920 -1922), Valparaiso, Indiana
(1922 - 1927), and Gary, Indiana (1927 - 1932).
His work at Philpott Tabernacle began in
June, 1932. His Induction Service was held on June 14. His ministry, during the difficult
social and economic times of the 1930s, was high-lighted by vigorous "Organizational
Development". He summed up his goals for the church in 1933 at the Annual Meeting as
being to "Deepen Spiritually, Organize Efficiently and Finance Satisfactorily".
The weekly general budget in 1934 was
$178.64 per week. In order to stay within this budget it was necessary to cut salaries. In
addition, it was decided to discontinue lighting the sign on the roof and to consolidate
the mid-week meetings to one night to decrease the hydro and heating costs.
It was during this time that Philpott
Tabernacle assumed responsibility for the Bartonville Mission. Originally Mr. John
MacKenzie and Mr. Thompson had begun this work by visiting the families in the area and
starting a small mission over a hardware store. These two men also helped with erecting
the first building to house this Mission. This work grew so much, that these men felt that
it required more attention than two laymen were able to provide. Pastor Titcombe and later
Mr. John Reid were put in charge of this work.
Through Dr. Ayer's efforts, the Christian
Fellowship Club was formed. Many parents have reason to be thankful for his institution of
the Junior Church programme, a programme which has continued, aided by many faithful
workers, throughout the years.
In 1936, Dr. Ayer accepted a call to
Calvary Baptist Church, New York. He conducted an immense radio network programme. In fact
William Ward Ayer's voice was heard on the radio for 41 years. Following his retirement in
1950, Dr. Ayer broadcast a weekly half-hour program MARCHING TRUTH, which was heard in
many parts of the United States until June 1968. He made many international speaking tours
in America, as well as to the British Isles, Central, and South America.
In 1947 William Ward Ayer was ranked third
in a radio survey to determine New York's most influential citizen. Cardinal Spellman and
Eleanor Roosevelt were first and second in this poll.
In 1978, Dr. Ayer was inducted into the
National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He had been a Founder and the First
President of this organization and had written its Code of Ethics.
For more than 35 years, Dr. Ayer was a
member of the Board of Trustees for Bob Jones University.
Dr. Ayer was the author of nine full
length books including, God's Answer to Man's Doubts, These Men Live, The Greatest
Questions Ever Asked, Marked Men, Questions Jesus Answered and What Goes on Here. He
continued his active writing ministry until his death through his MARCHING TRUTH
publication. God's Man In Manhattan, is Dr. Ayer's biography written by Mel Larsen.
Mrs. Lucille Ayer, who played an active
role in the music and teaching ministries at Philpott, passed away in 1967. Dr. Ayer's
second wife Barbara Schofield, had been his executive secretary since 1953.
Dr. Ayer went to be with Lord on November
18, 1985 after nearly 70 years in the pulpit.
- Dr. Peter W. Philpott, 1896-1922, Solid Bible Teaching
- Rev. James MacFarlane, 1923-1926, Evangelism
- Dr. Hottel, 1926-1928, Christian Education
- Dr. Louis Talbot, 1929-1932, Love
- Dr. William Ward Ayer, 1932-1936, Organizational Development
- Rev. Donald Mackay, from 1938 to 1943, Pastor
- Dr. Peter Hoogendam, 1943-1956, Bible Teaching
- Rev. Alex B. Stein, 1957-1975, Outreach
- Dr. Arthur Paterson Lee, 1976-1979, Brotherly Love
- Rev. Lewis H. Worrad Jr., 1981-1992, Bible Teaching
