Bio

Bill Taylor retired as director of Network Partnerships of LifeWay Church Resources, a division of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention in August, 2005. In this role, Taylor works with 42 state conventions, 1208 associations, six Southern Baptist seminaries, and approximately 5,000 Christian educators.

Previously, he was director of the Sunday School Division and the Bible Teaching/Reaching Division. Currently, Bill is serving as Senior Strategist for Disaster Relief of the North American Mission Board, with the following assignment, Christian Educators-On Mission. He is also the president of Bill Taylor & Associates, Bill Taylor and Associates. In the role, he works with churches and pastors across the United States.
Prior to his employment at LifeWay in November 1994, he was executive pastor of North Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix, Arizona. Earlier, he served as minister of education and administration at Prestonwood Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas; University Baptist Church, Coral Gables, Florida; Roswell Street Baptist Church, Marietta, Georgia, and First Baptist Church, Lafayette, Louisiana. During his tenure at the Prestonwood Baptist Church, the Sunday School was recognized as the fastest growing Sunday School in the nation, 1983-87.

He received the bachelor of science degree from Howard Payne University, Brownwood, Texas; a master’s of religious education degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth; and a doctorate of humanities degree from Dallas Baptist University. He was adjunct professor at the School of Religious Education at Southwestern Seminary where he taught “The Teaching Ministry of the Church.” The Free Will Baptist Bible College in Nashville invited Taylor to present a series of lectures during its first weeks of school in the fall of 2004.

Taylor was the 1993-94 president of the Southern Baptist Religious Education Association. He has served as trustee of LifeWay Christian Resources and Howard Payne University in Brownwood, TX. He has held a variety of positions in the denomination as special worker, Sunday school director, and conference leader and plenary speaker in national conferences.

Taylor represented LifeWay Christian Resources in providing leadership for ministers of education during the period of 2001-2006. He developed CENews, a bi-monthly electronic newsletter that is received by 4000 Christian educators along with 90 regional meetings, and MEET M.E. ACROSS AMERICA. In January, 2005, he conducted the largest gathering of MEs at an event called ME Boot Camp 2005 at Ridgecrest, NC, the first advanced training specially designed for ministers of education.

The faculty of the School of Educational Ministries, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, honored Taylor in 2004 with its Distinguished Service Award in Christian Education.

LifeWay honored Taylor in 2005 by placing a picture of the 20th Century Sunday School leaders in the historical section of Sullivan Towers at LifeWay. The picture includes B. W. Spilman; Arthur Flake; J. N. Barnette; A. V. Washburn; Harry Piland and Bill Taylor.

He has been a contributor to several publications such as Outreach, Sunday

School Leadership, Adult Leadership, Growing Churches, and The Sunday School Leader. He is the author of 21 Truths, Traditions, and Trends, The Power to Change Lives, Sunday School for a New Century and Ten Best Practices. He also produced the following Video Series: Growing Your Sunday School in the 90s; Teaching to Make a Difference; Growing Your Sunday School in the 20th Century; and 21 Truth, Trends and Traditions.

Taylor has also served as consultant to such churches as Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis, TN; First Baptist Church, Dallas, TX; Two Rivers Baptist Church, Nashville; FBC of Naples, FL; FBC of Jacksonville, FL.

Bill and his wife Rose have been married for 43 years. They have two sons: Billy is an architect and lives in Orlando, FL with his wife, Wendy. Brent is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Carrollton, TX and he is married to Allison. They are also the proud grandparents of five grandchildren.