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Lipscomb family mourns the loss of Prentice Meador Jr.

Kim Chaudoin | 

Lipscomb University lost a great minister, teacher and friend today with the passing of Prentice Meador Jr. following a brief illness. Dr. Meador held the Batsell Barrett Baxter Chair of Preaching and was a member of the Lipscomb board of trustees.

Visitation was held Friday, Nov. 28 from 3 to 6 p.m. in Lipscomb University’s Ezell Center chapel, located at One University Park Drive, Nashville. A celebration of Dr. Meador’s life was held Saturday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. in Collins Alumni Auditorium on the Lipscomb campus. Click here to view a recording of the service.

Click here to see President L. Randolph Lowry's message about Prentice Meador

For more than 40 years, Dr. Meador was an influential preaching minister serving large churches in California, Illinois, Missouri, Washington, Tennessee and Texas. Most recently, he completed 19 years as senior minister at Prestoncrest church of Christ in Dallas.

“Prentice was a passionate teacher, telling our students the Story of Jesus. This semester he was working with his wife Barbara to help our nursing students place their challenging work in the context of faith. He was a gifted communicator who saw teaching as an avenue through which lives of young people could be touched and transformed. He did it well,” said L. Randolph Lowry, president of Lipscomb University.

“His ministry was not always in churches; sometimes it was on the campus of a major state university, on a nationally syndicated television show or in the hostile environment of Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Wherever God called him, he took the message of Christ and ministered to those who were there.”

Dr. Meador wrote for several publications and authored several books in the field of religion, including Walk with Me, Genesis: The Great Story, Promises to Keep and Stories That Astonish: The Parables of Jesus. In 1992, Dr. Meador became managing editor of 21st Century Christian magazine. Meador earned his bachelor’s degree from Lipscomb University in 1960 and his master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Illinois, Urbana, in 1961 and 1964, respectively. He taught communication at UCLA, the University of Washington, Missouri State University, and Abilene Christian University. In addition, Dr. Meador was a member of the Chancellor’s Council of Pepperdine University and a clinical member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.

“On behalf of the entire Lipscomb University board of trustees, I want to extend condolences to Prentice Meador's family, friends and colleagues. Prentice's lifelong service as a minister of the gospel and his pursuit of scholarship served him well as a member of our Board. He brought beneficial insights to so many issues -- but particularly those issues related to our students and their spiritual growth and well being. We will miss his positive, uplifting attitude and his wise counsel,” Hilton Dean, chairman of the Lipscomb University board of trustees.

Dr. Meador was a mentor to ministers across the country.

“Nearly 40 years ago Prentice Meador became and he continues to be an inspirational preaching mentor to me – as he has been through the years to countless others. What an honor and blessing for Lipscomb to have had him on the board these past few years and actually ‘home’ and on the faculty this past year. The impact of Prentice’s life and ministry is incalculable and eternal,” said Walt Leaver, vice president for university relations.

Dr. Meador was also a long-time member of the Abilene Christian University board of trustees.

"Prentice was a dear friend of many years," said Dr. Royce Money, ACU president. "We worked together in ministry, and also in our association together at ACU. His loss is a great one for the kingdom on earth, but a great gain for the kingdom of heaven. He was one of the most extraordinary and effective ministers of the gospel I have ever known. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family during this difficult time.”

Since 1999, Meador has conducted more than15 lectures on C. S. Lewis and his writings, including presentations in England and Russia. He has lectured on Lewis’ work at Lipscomb and Pepperdine Universities and led a lecture series called “The Curious Life of C. S. Lewis—Man behind Narnia” for a Princess cruise. He also led a tour to Oxford University entitled “A Week with C. S. Lewis.” This study was presented by Abilene Christian University in 1999. As part of this tour, Meador and his wife led reflections on the works of Lewis each morning at Oxford. He has taught a course at Lipscomb focusing on the life and works of Lewis.

Dr. Meador is survived by wife, Barbara; son, Mark (Shelli) Meador; daughters, Kimberly (Doug) Conder and Loriann (Scott) Richardson; ten grandchildren; and a sister, Linda Meador.