wfn.org | ABCUSA: GEORGE YOUNGER DIES

[RICH.SCHRAMM@ecunet.org]

AMERICAN BAPTIST NEWS SERVICE 
Office of Communication  
American Baptist Churches USA 
P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851 
Phone: (610)768-2077 / Fax: (610)768-2320 
Web: www.abc-usa.org
Richard W. Schramm, Director 
 E-mail: richard.schramm@abc-usa.org

GEORGE YOUNGER, NOTED PASTOR, HISTORIAN 
AND DENOMINATIONAL LEADER, DIES
 The Rev. Dr. George D. Younger, noted American 
Baptist executive, pastor, historian, educator and 
community leader, died Nov. 21 after a long illness. He 
was 75.
 Younger served as executive minister of the 
American Baptist Churches of New Jersey, one of 34 
regions within American Baptist Churches USA, from 1976-
1992.  Under his leadership the region established new 
churches and missions, focusing in part on churches to 
serve recent immigrants from Haiti and Central America.  
As executive minister he was active in national leadership 
roles within the American Baptist Churches USA.
 He was on the Executive Commission of the New 
Jersey Council of Churches (1976-1991) and was president 
(1989-1994) of Project Read, Inc., a literacy project in 
Newark.  He also was on the board of Navesink House, an 
American Baptist retirement community in Red Bank, N.J., 
for 20 years.
 Younger long was active in urban ministries work, 
notably in leadership at the Metropolitan Urban Service 
Training Center in New York City (1968-1972), as 
executive director of the Urban Training Center for 
Christian Mission in Chicago (1972-1976) and as pastor of 
Mariners' Temple in New York City (1955-1966).  While at 
Mariners' Temple he helped found Mobilization for Youth, 
a pioneering anti-poverty agency.
 He was the editor of Foundations: A Baptist 
Journal of History and Theology from 1957-1968 and was 
on the Management Council of The American Baptist 
Quarterly, the Society's current journal.  Younger was 
named Honorary Life Member of the American Baptist 
Historical Society earlier this month during meetings of the 
American Baptist General Board. 
 Younger was program associate in the American 
Baptist Home Mission Society's Division of Evangelism 
from 1966-1968, where he focused on issues of housing 
and urban planning.  He authored four books on urban 
ministry: The Bible Calls for Action (Judson Press, 1958); 
The Church and Urban Power Structure (Judson Press, 
1963); The Church and Urban Renewal (Lippincott, 1966); 
and From New Creation to Urban Crisis: A History of 
Action Training Ministries 1962-1975 (1987). 
 He served as adjunct professor and taught Baptist 
history, theology, polity and ecumenism at Union 
Theological Seminary (1986-1999), New Brunswick 
Theological Seminary (1987-2001), Drew Theological 
School (1991-2001), and Princeton Theological Seminary 
(2001).  He recently received the New York Theological 
Seminary's Award for Distinction in Ministry. 
 From 1970-1983 Younger was the North American 
representative on the Urban-Industrial Mission Working 
Group of the World Council of Churches and traveled and 
preached extensively in the developing world, including 
Zaire, Thailand, Hong Kong and Myanmar.  He also 
recently had been serving as the representative to the 
United Nations for the Baptist World Alliance, an 
accredited NGO composed of some 42 million Baptists in 
116 countries.  
 His wife, Dr. Dodie Younger, has served leadership 
roles with American Baptist Women and Church Women 
United, among other organizations.  He also is survived by 
a daughter, Judith Anne Laspesa, and three sons, Dana 
Reed Younger, Stephen Peters Younger and Samuel Hill 
Younger.  Condolences may be sent to the Younger family 
at 333 Elmwood Ave., Apt. J321, Maplewood, NJ 07040-
2429.
 Memorial services are planned for 10:30 a.m. 
Saturday, Dec. 8 at the First Baptist Church of Westfield, 
170 Elm St., Westfield, N.J. and 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9 
at the Riverside Church, 490 Riverside Dr., New York City.

WFN1126A.TXT
 -0-