The Life and Ministry of William Payne

The Life and Ministry of William Payne

Roger Fellows

Grace Pastors’ Fellowship.  April 8, 2024

To many of you, Bill Payne is just a name. He passed away 27 years ago, in 1997, at the age of 59, so, few here would have had any personal contact with him. However, I imagine that all of you will have heard his name, and most would understand that he was the dominant figure in the history of the Reformed Baptist movement in Ontario (and to some extent in Canada), in the last three decades of the 20th century.

I probably knew Bill as well as anyone outside his immediate family, and I had the privilege of working with him for about 25 years. We had a happy relationship, and never had a cross word or major disagreement in all those years. Bill had by far the greater gifts, yet I believe we complemented each other.

Early years

Bill was born at Knowsley, just outside Liverpool, and as a result would be known as a ‘Scouse’ in Britain. Bill never lost that distinctive Liverpudlian accent. He entered this world on April 16, 1938, the third son of Thomas Lamb Payne and his wife Hannah. There was some religious influence in his early years, as Hannah’s father was a lay preacher, but apart from going to Sunday School at an Anglican church for a while, there was no real contact with the gospel or even any meaningful religious connection. 

Bill’s great love while at school was soccer, and he dreamed of a professional career in that sport. Those who were at the early Carey or Pastors’ Conferences will remember that if a game was organized, Bill would be there still showing considerable ability.

While Bill was in his teens, one of his friends, Malcolm Fenton, was converted. This had quite an impact on Bill, and when his own mother started accompanying Malcolm’s mother to church, Bill wondered what was going on. Eventually his mother persuaded him to go with her, and for the first time in his life, he heard the gospel that he himself would preach later with such clarity. The church was Calvary Baptist Church in Liverpool, and the pastor was A.E. Chillington. Bill drank in the message, and kept going back to hear the Word of God preached. He also began to read and study the Bible for himself. After a few months Bill came to a heart experience of the truths he had heard preached by Pastor Chillington. He was nearly 17 when he was converted.

From the beginning, Bill immersed himself in the Lord’s work at the church, attending every possible meeting, and looking for ways to serve the Lord. It was not long before he was giving his testimony in meetings, and demonstrating a gift for public speaking. When he was 18 he had his first speaking engagement outside his own church. He addressed a nurses’ fellowship in Liverpool. Hetty (later his wife) told me of the amusing conclusion: he did not know how to finish properly, so he simply said, ‘That’s your lot’, and sat down!

Under the faithful ministry of Pastor Chillington, Bill grew in grace and developed his own gifts. Bill always had a great love and respect for the man who was his spiritual father.

While at Calvary Church, Bill met Hetty Stephenson, who was later to become his wife. Hetty had attended Calvary for most of her life, and was converted when she was 13. Both Bill and Hetty had a desire to serve the Lord in a full-time capacity, and together they developed a deep interest in work among Muslims in the Middle East. However, before they could take further steps in this direction, Hetty had to complete her nurse’s training, and Bill had to do two years in the army—National Service, which was required of every able-bodied man in those days. The army is always a stiff test of a Christian’s resolve to stand firm for the Lord, and Bill was equal to the challenge—with the Lord’s enabling grace. He was not ashamed to kneel down by his bed to pray in full view of a barrack room of unbelieving soldiers. Bill spent his military service in Essex (Spurgeon country!) and found a pastor there who encouraged him in his walk with the Lord. The desire to go to the Middle East never wavered, and there were further opportunities to preach. Bill also began to study Greek with a view to entering Bible school.

On returning to Liverpool, Bill took a job in a bank while waiting for Hetty to finish her training. They were married in August of 1959. Together they continued to seek the Lord regarding training for the mission field. While still in the army Bill was considering attending Spurgeon’s College, but Pastor Chillington advised against this because of the liberal tendencies of that school.

About that time, Dr. Slade, the pastor of Jarvis Street Baptist Church and President of Toronto Baptist Seminary, came to speak at Bill’s church. At the close of the service Dr. Slade said he felt there was a young man there who was interested in training for Christian service, and invited him to speak with him afterwards. Hetty had not been able to attend the meeting and Bill told her about it later. They were interested in Christian training, but not in Canada! Their initial reaction was to reject the idea, and they tried to put it out of their minds. However, the Lord had other ideas, and just six weeks later they were on their way to Toronto to attend TBS.

They arrived at the seminary eager to learn, but soon found they had some problems with the doctrines taught there. One was with eschatology. Pastor Chillington had been a premillennialist—a typical pretribulational dispensationalist. Bill and Hetty had never heard any other view, and the amillennialism taught at the seminary seemed heretical. They even gave serious consideration to returning home. However, they were teachable. They were impressed by the godliness of those who taught them, especially Dr. Adams and Dr. Fletcher, and decided to stay and learn with an open mind. It was not long before they were convinced of the amillennial view.

The other problem area was Calvinism. This was also new to Bill and Hetty. Dr. Fletcher was the professor of systematic theology, a godly man, and a convinced Calvinist. Again, Bill and Hetty were patient, and eventually came to accept the doctrines of grace as biblical.

During Bill’s first year at seminary, he was called to the pastorate of Central Baptist Church, a small congregation in Toronto. Bill preached twice every Sunday and also took the mid-week prayer meeting. This was valuable experience for him and added greatly to the training he received at the seminary. Amazingly, despite the heavy load, his academic standing never faltered, and Bill was top student each year.

Throughout the four years of seminary, the vision for missions never left Bill or Hetty, and in their final year they began to give serious thought to finding a missionary society with which they could work. A representative of the Bible Baptist Fellowship came to speak to the students at chapel one day, and, after talking to the man, Bill and Hetty applied for a one year course with the mission in Missouri.

As the school year came to an end, there were two notable events in their lives. Hetty gave birth to their first child, Mark, but then just three days later they received news of the death of Bill’s father. Immediately after graduation they went to England and remained there for most of the summer. When they returned they went to Missouri, but found the time there quite difficult. Although some parts of the course were helpful, they felt they didn’t fit in to the evangelical culture they found there. The biggest heartache was a growing realization that their views on eschatology were going to be a problem. At one point they had been assured that their views wouldn’t be a hindrance, but it finally came down to the question of whether they could sign the mission’s premillennial statement. After much prayer, study and heart-searching, they saw that they could not sign it, and so they were unable to serve with the Bible Baptist Fellowship. This seemed like a major setback. They had been sure that this was God’s will for them, but now the door had closed. What next? Where now? They did not have enough money to go back to England, so they packed up their few possessions and returned to Toronto. That was in December of 1963. Bill was able to get a number of temporary jobs to provide for their basic needs, and there were opportunities to preach, but this was a time when they sought the will of God for their future. As the months passed, Bill had a growing conviction that he should seek an opening in the pastoral ministry. He never lost his interest and burden for the Muslim people, but it was as a pastor that Bill would find his life’s work and ministry

In July of 1964 he was called to be pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Burlington. The Lord blessed his ministry, and during the eight years he was there, the church grew steadily, and the old building became too small. The church bought land a little north of the Queen Elizabeth Way, and erected a commodious new structure. Despite the growth and encouragement, the Lord took Bill and Hetty through some difficult times in their own experience. Their second son, John Charles, was born in October 1965. The baby had Down Syndrome as well as serious heart problems. He lived for only six months, and the many trips back and forth to the hospital stretched the family to the limit. God doesn’t make mistakes in the way he deals with his children, and while the episode brought many tears, it also taught Bill and Hetty many valuable lessons, and prepared them to minister with greater compassion to those who went through trying times. In 1967 the family was completed with the addition of Stephen.

During the years at Calvary, Bill began reading the Puritans. It was then that he gradually came to realize that being Reformed or Calvinistic was far more than holding the five points. The Puritans were men who applied the truths of God’s sovereignty to every part of life, both personal and ecclesiastical. It would affect not only the truth preached, but the worship and evangelism of the church.

My first real contact with Bill was at a meeting of the students and alumni of TBS in March of 69. Bill gave a paper entitled, What Today’s Preachers can Learn from the Puritans. I actually wrote a report of it for the TBS magazine, The Seminarian. Bill was already very enthusiastic about the Puritans.

Many church members are willing to subscribe to the doctrines of grace in theory, but when they are applied, there is often opposition. So it was at Calvary Baptist in Burlington. As Bill sought to apply the reformed faith to church worship, there were quite a few who set themselves against these reforms. The opposition increased until Bill was forced to resign from the church in the fall of 1972. So ended the first main phase of his pastoral ministry.

Among the members at Calvary, many were indignant at the way in which their pastor had been treated. They wanted Bill to continue as their pastor, and although when he resigned it was without any intention of splitting the church, Bill soon saw the need to begin a new work that would meet the spiritual needs of those who had either been converted under his ministry, or whose spiritual lives had been deepened through his preaching and counseling.

Trinity Baptist Church

On October 8, 1972 a small group gathered in the home of John and Wilma Haughie in Burlington for morning and evening services. The following Wednesday a similar group met at the same location to put the new church on a formal footing. The name Trinity Baptist Church was agreed upon, and Bill Payne was asked to be the pastor.

For the next Sunday, October 15, the congregation rented facilities at Trefoil Lodge, and during the next three years or so they met in three different locations in the Burlington area. As the church grew there was an increasing realization that they needed their own facilities. Early in 1975 they were made aware that the Zimmerman United Church on Appleby Line was standing empty. With the Trinity congregation coming from a number of directions it seemed an ideal location, and the purchase was negotiated for $30,000. They already had a building fund of $23,000, and with a special offering were able to raise the remaining money for the purchase. Renovations and an extension were necessary, and it was with great joy and gratitude to God that they moved into the building in February of 1976.

The congregation grew steadily and in 1987 a further addition was made to the building. The auditorium was also redesigned to increase the seating.

A growing congregation and a larger building are always encouraging features in the life of a church, but the story of Trinity is far more than physical growth—it is the story of people growing in spiritual maturity and in love towards one another. It is the story of sinners being converted, and of backsliders being restored. It is the story of people being prepared for service in the kingdom of God. Underlying all this is the faithful preaching of the Word of God, and a shepherding of the flock with love and compassion.

Bill’s pastoral ministry

Reading through the book produced for the 25th anniversary of the church, one is impressed by the many testimonies of those who so appreciated the consistent, faithful ministry of their pastor.

The preacher

Bill did not set out to impress people by his eloquence, even though he was a fine preacher: rather he sought to build people up by the steady exposition of the Word. In a day when few pastors were committed to faithful exposition of the Scriptures, Bill was convinced that this was what God’s people needed. His ‘standard fare’ was consecutive exposition of books of the Bible, though Bill was not a slave to this, and varied his ministry by including topical preaching or sometimes taking isolated texts. Doctrinally Bill was unashamedly a Calvinist, and yet he was not one to beat a drum or play an instrument with only five strings. He was balanced in his preaching, declaring the whole counsel of God, and while he was gracious in his application of the Word, he never hesitated to deal with passages or subjects that were challenging or controversial.

Reading the testimonies of those who sat under Bill’s preaching for many years, it is evident that his preaching instilled in them a love for the Word and for sound doctrine. His ministry, while intellectually stimulating was never merely academic. His concern and his prayer was to see lives changed by the preaching. Despite the fact that a few left the church disaffected, one is impressed by the large number of people who stayed at Trinity for many years, and whose lives were greatly influenced by Bill’s preaching. Several went forth from the church to Seminary, and are now serving the Lord in various parts of the world.

Bill was devoted to God’s Word and read it much, but he was also a great reader of other books too. As already mentioned, he was a great lover of the Puritans. He would often quote from Watson, Owen and others. He had a particular love for John Owen, and did what few of us have done—read Owen’s sixteen volumes right through, covering 25 pages a day. Later in his ministry he told me that he was reading through them a second time! Bill’s reading was not confined to theology—he loved history, both religious and secular, and this would provide him with many illustrations. He had a great admiration for Winston Churchill, but his real hero was Oliver Cromwell. 

Bill’s doctrine

As already mentioned, Bill was unapologetically a Calvinist. He came to embrace the doctrines of grace while at TBS, though initially his adherence to these truths was largely intellectual. It was when he began to read the Puritans, that he came to see that these doctrines have very practical implications, and will affect every aspect of life, both personal and ecclesiastical. As we have seen, it was when he sought to apply the Reformed faith to church life and worship, that he experienced opposition at Calvary Baptist Church in Burlington: opposition that led to his resignation, and then to the founding of Trinity Baptist Church.

Bill’s Calvinism was positive and gracious. There was no harshness in his preaching, and though there was some opposition, there was really no ground for it except with those who resisted the truth of God’s sovereignty.

The pastor

Bill was an excellent pastor. Wilf Ball told of some occasions when he accompanied Bill on pastoral visitation. He spoke of Bill’s obvious compassion for those he visited, but also of his great skill in using the Scriptures to address the various spiritual needs he encountered in the congregation. One man who had temporarily left his wife told of how Bill once ran after him, held him by the arms and pleaded with him to fight the good fight of faith and go back to his family. Thankfully, the man did just that.

Many others have testified of the spiritual help they received from Bill, both from his preaching and his pastoral care.

Just to be at the 25th anniversary of the church only four months after Bill’s death, left a powerful sense of how much he was loved and missed by his congregation.

I believe a good measure of a pastor’s appeal, if I can use that word, is seen in how he relates to children. Some men may be great preachers but are out of touch with the young ones. Bill loved children, and it was evident, to see him in his own church or at family conferences, that the children loved him. One would think that with all the responsibilities of a pastor, Bill could not find time to work with the children’s groups, but Bill made the time, and for virtually all his ministry at Trinity, he and Hetty were involved with the mid-week Children’s Club (8-12’s).

Bill was also a pastor to other pastors as we shall mention later. Many were the occasions when other pastors shared concerns with Bill and were greatly helped by his counsel and sympathy.

The fellow-pastor

I have included here some reflections of Carl Muller who worked as Bill’s Assistant (Associate) for several years. It gives us further insight into the character of the man he worked with. According to Carl, Bill was:

A man of humility: Thomas Brooks, one of Bill Payne’s beloved Puritans, said that ‘he who is little in his own account is great in God’s esteem.’ Bill, then, must have been great in God’s esteem. The man I knew was a man of rare humility. He knew his power, he understood his influence, and he was aware that he could control a room, but he knew at the same time his place before the Holy God. When I first began to work with him, as his assistant, he took me out for coffee and said that should I notice any problems with him or his ministry, I must be sure to tell him. That is the measure of the man. He was a servant who checked his ego at the door. A few years into my work as his assistant he began to refer to me as his associate. I was nothing of the sort, of course, but he was humble enough that he saw nothing untoward in referring to me that way.

A man of principle: I believe that he loved me, and I know that he was unfailingly kind to me, but he would not put up with any nonsense. He would not tolerate any sin, even from his ‘associate’. We were driving somewhere and talking about something, and I began to steer the conversation in the direction of what, to my mind, were the questionable practices of a fellow pastor. ‘I don’t want to hear any gossip,’ he said. Awkward silence. Point taken. Lesson learned, I hope. And then we went on to something else.

A man of devotion: Bill was devoted to his family. I recall a photograph of him dressed up like Santa Claus, wielding a light saber, and flashing a grin which lit up the room. This was all for the delight of his family. I also recall tears. Every family passes through deep waters, and Bill’s family was no different. Bill cared deeply and passionately for his family, and his occasional tears bore eloquent testimony to the fact. Bill was also devoted to his church family. When I started work as his assistant, he sat down with me and told me about the people in the church. He knew them all, very well. Here was a shepherd who had run his hands through the fleece of each one of the sheep. There were no thirteen Edwardsean hours in the study, far away from the people. He was a pastor who knew his people, and he told me of their tendencies, strengths and weaknesses. He expressed his delight in some, and he warned me about others. Some of them broke his heart and others made him marvel. But he knew and loved them all.

A man of humour:  Bill didn’t take himself too seriously. He was not too righteous to laugh at himself. Not too pious so that he couldn’t enjoy a good joke. On my desk is a saying in calligraphy, ‘why pray when you can worry’. It used to be on his desk. When I see his face now, it is a smiling face. Though not one to take himself too seriously he took the things of God seriously indeed, and was passionate about the service of His Lord. So much so that once, having had to stop a service because of heart issue, and while being driven to hospital in an ambulance, his main concern was that his (life threatening) heart condition had ruined the service! A caricature of him as Bugs Bunny, drawn by a colleague, had pride of place in his study. The Reverend Payne was never too proper for a good chuckle.

A man of strength: in a room full of strong men, he was invariably the strongest, but he wielded that strength with grace, humility, humour, and the precision of a surgeon. Once when a preacher was, with excessive zeal, urging a group of pastors that they should all get rid of their televisions, he said, ‘oh no, this is the year the Leafs are going to win the cup’. The comment put the young zealot in his place, eased the tension in the room, and accomplished both with grace and humour. 

A man of weakness: for instance, he was forgetful. But he knew it. The tragic flaw of many who are larger than life is that they do not see their own weaknesses. He was self-aware and knew his flaws. Like his hero, Oliver Cromwell, he saw himself ‘warts and all’. And so, with the casual settledness that is born of humility, he would ask me, every single week, as he drove me home, ‘alright now, where do we turn?’

A man of vision – Bill was a man of Issacher and understood his times. He saw that in the reformed movement, we needed a fraternal, a family conference, a magazine, a fellowship of churches, and he led his partners in ministry in addressing these and other needs of the day. He saw that our church needed to expand its facilities, and at his behest we embarked upon a lengthy process which issued in the construction of a brand-new building. He seemed, so often, to be one step ahead of us.

A man who cooperated: Bill could, and would, work with others. Whilst a leader of men, a pastor for pastors, he could work on a team. And he made lesser men like me feel valuable, appreciated, and confident that we could make a contribution. I was at my first pastors’ conference. During a break I noticed that several prominent pastors, including Bill and the conference keynote speaker, were sitting at a table. To my chagrin, Bill called me over to join them. It was an unpleasant experience, terrified as I was that I might have to say something and thus give evidence that I didn’t belong. But I did learn that day about teamwork, about drawing young men in and making them feel valuable, about ensuring that each member of the body is given opportunity to contribute.

He was exemplary: my life and ministry has been ‘a poor attempt to imitate the man’. God deliver us from slavish imitation of any individual, but in so many ways we would be wise to walk as he walked. For instance, be balanced (his favourite word it seemed), preach with simplicity, clarity and organization (he set the standard), always make application in the sermon (that’s what separates the men from the boys, he would say), work hard (he probably worked too hard, and for a man with a family medical history like his, that was playing with fire – but what an inspiration he was). Trying to follow the example of a man like this has its pitfalls. During the first year after his death, as the pastor of ‘his’ church, I tried to be him. It nearly drove me from the ministry. Thankfully I was helped to try to be like him, without trying to be him. I think my ministry was the better for it.

Pastors’ meetings

While Bill’s chief concern for the last twenty five years of his life was his own church in Burlington, he had a wider vision too—for the Reformed cause in Canada and even further afield. For about two years before I knew Bill, a group of pastors committed to the doctrines of grace met monthly for mutual edification. The venue alternated between Calvary Baptist Church in Burlington when Bill was still there, and Emmanuel Baptist Church in Milton, where Clayton Coles was the pastor. Different men would take turns presenting papers, or sometimes they would listen to tapes by influential men of God such as J.I. Packer, Martyn Lloyd Jones or Rolfe Barnard. The papers or tapes were always followed by lively and helpful discussions. The first meeting I attended was in February 1970, and I was rarely absent after that. The numbers never seemed to get above 15–20. Pastors in southwestern Ontario sometimes complained about the distance to the meetings. To accommodate them we held the meetings the following year in Tilsonburg where Lambert Baptist was then pastor. Numbers didn’t increase, so we moved the venue back to Burlington, then to Toronto. The meetings were always profitable, and the fellowship sweet. Bill’s contribution to these meetings was always significant, whether he was delivering the paper or participating in the discussions. There was no official structure or status in the group, but Bill and Clayton Coles gave leadership. Those were days when there seemed almost a concerted effort within the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches to get rid of any who were convinced Calvinists. About the same time that Bill was forced out of Calvary Baptist, Leigh Powell had to leave Melrose Baptist and others, for example Bruce Schnurr also had to move. Still others were finding that they were ‘marked men’ by the Fellowship hierarchy. That would include myself. The monthly meetings were particularly blessed times for those who were in the throes of battle.

As well as the regular meetings, a number of conferences were arranged at Burlington and at Kenmuir Baptist Church in Mississauga where Ross Lyons was pastor. I didn’t have any personal involvement in the planning of these early meetings, but obviously Bill would be very much at the heart of things. It was at these conferences that we were exposed to such men as Al Martin and Roger Nicole.

In the summer of 1972, it was felt that there was a need to put the pastors’ group on a firmer footing. July 31, 1972 could be considered a significant day in the history of Reformed Baptists in Ontario. Four pastors—Bill Payne, Leigh Powell, Gord Rumford and myself met to make plans for the future. Leigh Powell was appointed chairman, I was asked to be secretary/treasurer, and we agreed on the name: Fellowship for Reformation and Pastoral Studies—regretted ever after—not that there was anything wrong with the name—just its length! For years few have ever called it anything but F.R.P.S. or just Frips, though more recently it has become known as the Grace Pastor’s Fellowship. The monthly meetings were planned a year at a time. Each year we tried to balance the subjects between theological, biographical or historical and practical. As the name suggested we wanted the meetings to be Reformed in their theological emphasis, but pastoral in nature so as to be helpful to those who were pastors. Most of the papers were given by our own circle of men, but once or twice a year we would invite speakers from outside our group, and sometimes we could take advantage of notable speakers who happened to be in the area for other meetings.

We determined as far as possible to have the papers in printed form. The speakers were asked to provide copies of the papers—usually at their own expense! We didn’t have the funds to do otherwise. We also arranged for a subscription list so that those who couldn’t attend the meetings could have the papers mailed out to them. Several copies were sent overseas so we did have a slight international influence. I remember Erroll Hulse saying that he thought the papers were of a very high standard.

The location of the meetings still moved around, but from 1975 on, the regular location became Royal York Baptist Church in Toronto where John Bonham was pastor. Incidentally it was John Bonham who kept bugging me until I started attending the early meetings.

In 1978 Bill became chairman of the FRPS, and from then on was the unquestioned leader of the group.

Most who attended were Baptists—certainly the ‘Founding Fathers’ were, but we were never a Baptist group as such. We deliberately avoided the term in the name of the organization, and were happy to welcome a number of Presbyterian pastors as well as some from other denominations. For a number of years, we enjoyed the fellowship and contributions of Gerald Cressman, a Pentecostal pastor from Elmira, who attended regularly until he moved to a position in Saskatoon. It was good having those of different ecclesiastical persuasions, and while there were differences of opinion, those differences rarely caused any animosity. I can only remember one or two occasions when there was any heat in the discussions, and I believe that the rarity of such problems was due mainly to Bill’s wise and gracious chairmanship. I think we were fairly open with those who were of different persuasion, and sometimes invited them to present their views. John Macleod, a staunch Presbyterian, was asked to speak on the nature of the church. I recall the lively debate when he maintained that heretics should still be put to death! Gerald Cressman, the Pentecostal was asked to speak on the gifts of the Spirit. That also created lively discussion, and poor Gerald was hard pressed, but it was all done in a good-natured way.

It is encouraging to see that the regular monthly pastors meetings continue almost unchanged in format, though the location has changed from time to time, for a variety of reasons.

 

Conferences

Bill had a vision for the Reformed movement in Canada and felt that we should do all we could to promote it. The monthly meetings were useful, but they were geared towards pastors, although anyone was free to attend. Bill suggested that we arrange meetings that many more could attend. As already mentioned, conferences were held earlier but they were not regular. From 1975 to 79 we held three day conferences in Toronto, though the 1978 conference was cancelled at the last minute due to internal problems. That was the same time that Bill took over as chairman. At the first of these conferences Bill gave an unforgettable series on The Intercession of Christ.

Pastors conferences

While these conferences were well attended, we still felt the need to minister more to pastors in particular. From 1980 on we held annual pastors’ conferences. The first was held at Westboro Baptist Church in Ottawa where Jim Clemens was the pastor. After that we met at Camp Shalom near Cambridge. I think we were there for 17 years altogether, before moving to Heritage, then to the Faith Mission Centre near Campbellville, and then back to Camp Shalom, which is ideal for small conferences. Whether you consider it a sad point or an advantage, the conferences were small, never attaining a registration above 25 or 30, though others would come in for some of the meetings, especially in the evenings. Drost Lodge at Camp Shalom has four dormitories each with eight or nine beds off a central room which also serves for the meetings. The compactness of the facilities made for great fellowship and we had many blessed times.

We often wondered why so few attended. It certainly wasn’t for lack of good preaching. Looking over the list of speakers is like a ‘Who’s Who’ of Reformed leaders: John Reisinger, Herbert Carson, Jack Graham, Al Martin, Thom Smith, Don Carson, Mariano DiGangi, Stuart Latimer, Don Garlington, Geoff Thomas, Tom Wells, Stuart Olyott, Henry Krabbendam, Palmer Robertson, John Armstrong. One would anticipate that a much larger group of pastors would want to hear such men, but it seems that many were unwilling to identify with a group who were unashamedly Calvinistic in their beliefs. However, we had fine conferences year after year. In a small group everyone soon gets to know everyone else.

Bill placed his stamp on the conferences. His cheery voice was often heard around the building. He had a great sense of humour, and in a gathering of pastors was wont to let his hair down more than usual. Shrieks of laughter would usually be heard from his dormitory well after bed time. But there was another side too. Several of the pastors came from very discouraging situations, and Bill was always available with a word of encouragement or wise counsel.

Another advantage of small numbers was found in the discussion times held after each day session, and in a special meeting usually held on the last afternoon. All could take part, and there was opportunity for anyone to submit questions for the speakers to answer.

Because of the small number registering for these conferences, we were limited in being able to provide honoraria for the speakers.  In fact only the main speakers would receive any remuneration.  In the case of those speakers coming from Europe, we needed them to come for two or three weeks so that we could have them speak at several of our churches, with each church contributing towards the speakers' expenses.  The result of this for the conference was that the day sessions were usually taken by our own men.  Experienced pastors like Bill were always heard with profit, but the situation also gave opportunity for some of the younger men to develop their gifts.  It is a bit daunting to speak to a group of pastors, however small.  Pastors are a critical bunch, and expect much from those who address them.  It is valuable experience then to put people in that situation, and hopefully the senior pastors among us were gracious in seeking to encourage these men.  Certainly Bill was a great source of encouragement to those starting out in the ministry.  He was a pastor’s pastor and many were the men young and old who were helped by his ministry and advice.

One final bonus at these conferences was in the great meals.  At the early pastors' conferences the staff at Camp Shalom cooked the meals, but to cut costs and increase the quality of the food, some of the pastors' wives agreed to do the cooking.  From then on we were royally dined.  Super-spiritual men will say we gather primarily to feed the soul, but there is no doubt that excellent food and good humour add a great deal to a conference.  These were both in abundance at the pastors' conferences. Arrangements for meals have since changed.

Family Conferences

Both the Payne and Fellows families had attended some of the early Reformed Baptist Family Conferences at Harvey Cedars in New Jersey. These events were organized by the Reformed Baptist Association, a group of seven churches in the north-eastern U.S. Al Martin and Walt Chantry were the two leading figures among them, and as they were insistent that everything be done under the auspices of a local church, Walt Chantry’s church in Carlisle Pa. sponsored the conferences. Al Martin was usually the main speaker in those days, and we were exposed to some powerful preaching. About 500-600 attended and they were rich times. At first we almost felt lost in the crowd, but gradually we got known, and later, both Bill and I were invited to speak at the conference.

It was inevitable that sooner or later one of us would say, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to have something like this in Canada?’ I can’t remember who said it first, but it was probably Bill. Anyway, we began to see what could be done. After looking at a number of sites we decided on Camp Shalom. I have actually got out of chronological order by speaking about pastors’ conferences first, but we actually held the first Family Conference a year before the first pastors’ conference—in 1979. Camp Shalom was chosen because of reasonable prices and also because of its good location. We had contacts in New York state and Michigan as well as our Canadian contingent, so Cambridge seemed a suitable venue.

At the first conference, Walt Chantry spoke on The Riches of God’s Glorious Grace. It was TULIP in disguise. In the early years we followed the pattern of the Harvey Cedars conference by having two morning sessions. The first year Bill repeated and enlarged his series on The Intercession of Christ.

The conference was a great success. We had about 50 that first year and the numbers grew steadily to about 100 by the fifth year in 1983. We always had a good U.S. contingent and this gave an international flavour. Fred Huebner, then a pastor in New York state, brought a group each year, and contributed to the conferences by speaking on occasions, and also by bringing an ever-increasing supply of books at bargain prices. We also had some great international sports contests. The Americans usually beat us at baseball, but at table tennis, Bill and I managed to remain undefeated in doubles competition.

After the first two years we felt that having two morning sessions was too taxing mentally, as most men feel they have to preach for an hour! We changed the format to one session with a discussion period.

In 1984 we moved to a new location—the Lambton Centre at Forest near Sarnia. Numbers dropped slightly the first year, but thereafter steadily increased to over 200, stretching to the limit the facilities at Lambton. In 1994 the conference was moved again, to Maple Grove at Thamesford near Ingersoll. Bill and I with our wives and a few others were involved in evaluating the new site and deciding to move, but it was in that year that my wife and I returned to Britain, so we were not involved in the conferences again until we moved back to Ontario in 1999. After the move, numbers grew to about 400 and in 2006 we moved to Braeside Pentecostal Camp near Paris, maintaining the numbers at about 400. One important point in the choice of venues was to be able to combine cabins with camping facilities, so as to accommodate a variety of participants.

The family conferences have been times of rich ministry and precious fellowship. In the early days, much of the credit, humanly speaking, belonged to Bill Payne. After we had together arranged the programme and contacted the speakers, Bill did most of the organizing of the conferences, though he was ably assisted by people from his own church. In the early years Don Wheaton was Camp Director, and for many years Mark and Merry-Lynn Hudson carried a heavy load in handling registrations, arranging accommodation and taking care of finances.

During the conferences when Bill was still with us, he was often seen at the different camp sites talking with the people. He was always available for a casual chat or for more serious counsel. He was as much at home talking with children as he was with adults. Of course, Bill’s own ministry at the conferences was eagerly anticipated. His expositions were clear and understood by the youngest Christians, as well as appreciated by the mature believers. When sporting activities were arranged, as they generally were, Bill was always in the thick of things. Whether it was soccer, volleyball, baseball or cricket, he would take part enthusiastically, although somewhat limited after his heart problems.

One of the highlights of the family conferences came to be Talent Night, usually held on Wednesday evening after the regular meeting. Individuals and groups would display their skills in singing, instrumentals or in poetry. Some of the items were serious, others were hilarious. Usually the climax of the evening was a piece that Bill had ‘discovered’ in a book of ancient Chinese poems. These poems were of course written by Bill himself and invariably brought the house down. Here is one brief example not published in the book that Trinity put out for the 25th anniversary. It followed an afternoon of competition between the under 30’s and the over 30’s, known as the Golden Oldies.

The Golden Oldies strode with power onto the field of battle,

No longer would they tolerate the young ones boasting prattle,

The bats they boomed, the balls they flew, the young ones were amazed,

They left the baseball diamond astonished and so dazed.

So on to volleyball they went, the Oldies confident,

And through the air they wildly flew and bang—the ball they sent

Over that net with marvellous aim until—no need to say,

The young went further and yet more into sad disarray.

And then as I pondered on this amazing Oldie team,

Like Bunyan many years ago—I woke—it was a dream.

Bill was actually a skilful poet as is seen in the many hymns that came from his pen. This would be a good time to speak of Bill as an author.

Bill as an Author

Bill was skilled with the pen as well as with the tongue.  He produced a number of pamphlets, initially to help his own church members, but they were circulated much more widely than that. Pastor, What is the Difference? explained in plain terms the doctrines of grace compared to both Arminian and Hyper-Calvinistic views. Faith of our Fathers examined the downgrade of doctrine from the times of the Puritans and Spurgeon to the present.  There were several others too. In the Memoir produced for the 25th anniversary, Leigh Powell included a list of Bill’s publications. Bill also produced many papers for the FRPS meetings and conferences, and contributed articles to a variety of Reformed magazines. 

Some of Bill’s Bible studies in the doctrines of grace were published by Joshua Press in 2001 under the title: Life Transforming Truths.

Another of Bill's visions was for a distinctively Canadian periodical.  The culmination of this was the appearance of the first edition of Reformation Canada in October of 78.  It was published four times a year, and Bill was the editor from its inception until the final issue in 94 when Bill had major heart surgery.  It featured articles by Bill himself and others of the Canadian group of pastors.  Sometimes it was frustrating getting people to come up with articles, and it was necessary to put in reprints of other authors.  I helped Bill as associate editor almost from the beginning, and somehow we managed to keep it afloat.  Paid subscriptions never rose beyond 250, but we usually produced 700 copies, most of which were sent out free to individuals and churches.  From time to time, it was necessary to appeal for financial help from our readers, and without fail the Lord moved some to help out.  We never went into debt, although once or twice we were perilously close.  Until one is involved in the regular production of a magazine, and experiences the pressures of meeting production deadlines and raising money, it is hard to appreciate how much is involved in such a venture.  When you add this to Bill's other responsibilities in his own church, the Sovereign Grace Fellowship, preaching at other churches and conferences, and teaching at Toronto Baptist Seminary, his work load was more than most of us would be able to carry.  Whatever Bill did he did well, and did it to the glory of His beloved Lord and Saviour.

One other aspect of Bill's penmanship that I mentioned earlier was hymn writing.  It was another area where he was gifted.  I remember him telling me once that he had written about 100.  Some were used in his own church in Trinity Praise, and other churches have included some in their supplementary hymn books. I give one sample here:

Come my soul and let us praise Him,

He who reigns enthroned above;

Full of truth and grace and glory,

And His name to us is love;

He is worthy of our praises,

His perfections none can share,

Let us praise him, let us praise Him,

And His greatness now declare.

Come my soul and let us praise Him,

For our sins He bled and died;

And our all-sufficient Saviour

Is our Jesus crucified;

Oh the fulness of His mercy!

Oh the richness of His love!

Let us praise Him, let us praise Him,

Ransomed by His precious blood.

Come my soul and let us praise Him,

None with Him can e'er compare;

Safe shall I be in His keeping,

All His glory I may share;

Jesus you alone can save me,

All my trust in you must be;

Oh receive me, Oh receive me

In your grace so rich and free.

Bill as Seminary Professor

Bill taught at TBS from 1978 – 93, though he had been a correspondence course tutor for several years before that. His subjects were Homiletics and Pastoral Theology. After talking to a number of his former students it is clear that his classes were keenly anticipated and much enjoyed. One reason was that they did not require as much reading and study as most other classes, so they gave the students an opportunity to relax somewhat after such courses as Systematic Theology or Greek. Another reason was the helpful and practical nature of the classes. I include some comments given to me by Dale Nevelizer:

As a student at TBS I looked forward to what I called the ‘Payne Days’; that is, Bill's classes in Homiletics and Pastoral Theology. In Homiletics, Bill would spend the first hour in class lectures dealing with sermon construction, delivery, and reviewing sermons of the past. The second hour was given to student preaching and critiquing in Greenway Chapel. Bill's Pastoral Theology class covered the whole range of pastoral duties, practical and personal matters as well as shepherding and counseling the flock. The two words that Bill emphasized to us for pastoral ministry were ‘balance’ and ‘flexibility’. Bill's passion for Calvinism was second to none, and yet he was willing to use other terms if it would better explain and avoid unnecessary controversy. In this Bill was a ‘Compassionate Calvinist’, who would far rather teach the doctrines of grace with enthusiasm and a smile on his face, than with a bully club. Bill also saw the need for humour to lighten some of the stress in pastoral ministry. Although he warned against being ‘the pulpit jester’, yet he encouraged a warm and even humorous approach if it drove home a point. Bill's humour at the Pastors’ Conferences was a much-needed tonic for battle-wearied pastors. It helped me to relax and even to diffuse potentially explosive situations. Bill's leadership seemed to flow from his personality. He was my spiritual and pastoral mentor. I often find myself wondering ‘How would Bill handle this situation?’

 

With his ever-increasing workload and declining health, Bill felt he should give greater attention to the church, so in 93 he resigned as Seminary professor.

International influence

While most of Bill’s ministry was relatively close to home, his gifts became widely recognized, and he was invited to conferences outside Ontario. A number of times he spoke at conferences in the Maritimes, and was frequently invited to the U.S. There were conferences in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New Hampshire, California, Ohio, and Michigan, and he spoke in churches in several other states including Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, South Carolina, Illinois and New York. Almost certainly this list is incomplete. In Britain Bill spoke at the Carey Conference at least once.

Because of his health, Bill had to decline several opportunities to speak overseas, including invitations to South Africa, Jamaica and the Philippines. He was able though to accept an invitation to speak at a WEC conference in Switzerland.

The Sovereign Grace Fellowship

One other important venture that Bill spearheaded was the Sovereign Grace Fellowship. The churches pastored by the sovereign grace men enjoyed fellowship to some extent, and the family conferences would be attended by people from quite a large number of churches. Some of these churches, like Trinity were independent; others were involved in different denominations. Some of course were not Baptist churches, and we rejoiced to have fellowship with those of other persuasions. However, Bill felt a need for a more formal fellowship of Reformed Baptist Churches, and so it was in 1983 that the Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Baptist Churches came into being.

Before looking at the SGF it might be useful to look briefly at the history of Calvinistic Baptist Churches in Canada.

Following the evangelical awakening of the 18th century, Calvinistic Baptist churches multiplied in the U.S. The Philadelphia Association was an influential group, and from these churches evangelists were sent into Canada.

It appears that the first Baptist Church to be formed in Canada was in Nova Scotia. A church was formed through the preaching of Ebenezer Moulton in 1763. Whilst Moulton was essentially a Baptist, it seems that not all the members were of this persuasion. In 1778 a new work was organized with several of the original members included. This was distinctively Baptist, and Moulton was also involved. This church was a vigourous work and within the next hundred years some 20 daughter works were started.

In 1794 the first Baptist church in the Province of Quebec was begun in Sawyerville by a missionary from the U.S. In the middle of winter a hole was cut in the ice of a nearby lake and 15 people were baptized.

The first Baptist Church in Ontario seems to have been formed near Kingston in 1796 also by missionaries from the U.S.

There was not only influence from the U.S. — other men were sent from Scotland. From the church of the Haldane brothers (Robert and James), in Edinburgh, some emigrated to Canada and were responsible for the establishing of Baptist Churches in the Ottawa Valley. One of the most significant leaders at that time was Daniel McPhail who had been converted under the Haldanes. He became known as the Elijah of the Ottawa Valley. His ministry extended from around 1830 to the 1870’s. Genuine revival seems to have accompanied his ministry: hundreds were converted through his preaching, and many churches were established.

The growth of Baptist churches in Canada in the 19th century was steady. In 1848 the Regular Baptist Union of Canada was formed. They held to closed communion, and it can be reasonably assumed that most of the churches were Calvinistic.

In 1888 the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec was started. By 1900 there were 520 member churches, but it was not long before it was severely affected by Liberalism. There were some voices who protested loudly against this tendency, the most vocal of which was T. T. Shields the pastor of Jarvis Street Baptist Church. In 1926, as a result of these protests, Shields was censured by the Convention and expelled. Many evangelicals then withdrew from the Convention, and Shields was the leader in forming the Union of Regular Baptist Churches of Ontario and Quebec in 1927. While some within this group were Calvinistic, the chief distinctive was a stand against Liberalism. Shields it seems did take a Calvinistic stance, although one does not often find these truths declared in his sermons.

By 1930 there were 89 congregations in the Union, but a good many churches while withdrawing from the Convention did not join the Union because of the militancy of

T. T. Shields, mainly in his strong anti-Catholic stance. In 1948 there were divisions within the Union and these eventually led to the formation in 1953 of the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches in Canada. While all these churches were evangelical, not many were Calvinistic, and in reality, pastors taking a consistent Calvinistic position were generally opposed by the leaders of the FEBC. One of those who was earmarked and labeled as a ‘Hyper-Calvinist’ was Bill Payne.

Thankfully within the Fellowship there were some who did boldly proclaim the Doctrines of Grace. I tried to get information about the 50’s but was not too successful. One significant figure was John Reisinger. John of course was an American, and was pastor at Long Branch Baptist Church (a Fellowship church) from 1959 to 65. John was the means of several men coming to the Doctrines of Grace. Jim Clemens was his assistant for a few years. He in turn influenced his brother Les. Ron Matthews was converted under John Reisinger’s ministry in 1959 and later took the doctrines of grace to the mission field in Colombia. Another pastor who came to see these truths in the 50’s was Bruce Schnurr. He was brought to the position through reading L. S. Chafer’s Systematic Theology at London Bible Institute. In 1970 Bruce was forced to resign from his church because of his Calvinistic preaching. Bev Ward was another pastor who came to embrace Reformed theology in the 60’s. He was influenced by reading papers from a Puritan Conference. He later ministered in B.C. Then there was Ross Lyon who pastored Kenmuir Baptist for several years until 1970. He also preached these truths. He was followed by Gord Rumford who was there from 1970-75 and was one of the Founding Fathers of the FRPS. Gordon was also influenced by John Reisinger. One other man who perhaps did not preach the Doctrines of Grace loudly, but was nevertheless supportive of those who did, was Bob Brackstone. He was pastor at Chatham for many years and was a great encouragement to people like Bruce Schnurr, and also to Bill Payne. Don Whiteside was another man who was Calvinistic and was a missionary with the Fellowship in Colombia.

The 60’s were difficult days for Calvinistic pastors within the Fellowship. Ironically Reformed men within the Convention had less opposition for the simple reason that there was no statement of faith by which to judge them. The Convention embraced Liberals and Calvinists alike. Loyalty to the Convention was more important than a doctrinal position.

As we have seen, sovereign grace pastors were joined together in strong ties of love and unity of doctrine, but there was no official body to unite them. Bill Payne felt this keenly and sought to bring together those pastors and churches who were committed to the Doctrines of Grace. This came to fruition in 1983 with six founding churches in the Sovereign Grace Fellowship. It was a loose-knit organization that permitted membership of churches with ties to existing denominations, as long as they were not affiliated to the World Council of Churches. A few more joined later, but I don’t believe the number ever exceeded ten. While different men held the position of Chairman, Bill was the recognized leader of the group until his death. Since Bill’s departure we have sought to put the SGF on an even firmer footing, and so it was that in 2001, a constitution was adopted by nine churches and the first convention was held that Fall.

The Sovereign Grace or Reformed Baptist movement is still small but there are encouraging signs of growth and we trust that we, and especially the younger pastors can build upon the foundation laid by Bill Payne and others.

Let me attempt to draw a couple of lessons from what we have seen. Looking back it is legitimate to ask why the growth of the Sovereign Grace movement has been so slow, and numbers so small. Why can we only draw a handful? (The family conferences have obviously been an exception). Quality of ministry is not the reason: as we have already noted, we have had a very high standard of ministry at pastors’ conferences.

One reason has been the reluctance of people, particularly pastors to be identified with the movement for fear of being labeled ‘Hyper-Calvinists’. That was due in part to the hostility shown by the Fellowship hierarchy to Reformed men within the Fellowship. My own church in Bowmanville was in the Fellowship, so I was well aware of that hostility. Since returning to Canada in 1999 I have not had very much opportunity to sense the climate in the Fellowship, but from what I have seen, I get the impression that there is not as much hostility these days, and I can suggest a reason for this. Often when people come to embrace the doctrines of grace it brings a radical change in their ministry. I have heard it described as a ‘second conversion.’ Pastors who change their theological position, wonder why they haven’t seen these things before, and they also wonder how anyone else can fail to see them. Consequently there was in the early days of the movement a tendency to beat the drum of Calvinism in an unbalanced and sometimes a belligerent way. I heard of one situation where a pastor’s Calvinistic preaching had caused deep division in the church. A mediator was brought in and asked the pastor how long it took him to see the doctrines of grace. He replied, ‘Several years’ (I forget the exact number). One of the deacons in the church then spoke up,’ It took you several years, yet you expect us to see these things in a few months.’ I think this aggressive teaching of the doctrines of grace, and an imbalance in the preaching of some, was a cause of hostility against the position. It is important not only to preach the doctrines of grace, but also to exhibit the grace of the doctrines. Bill Payne was certainly one who was balanced and gracious in his preaching, but because of the harshness of a few, he was the recipient of some of the hostility generated against the movement. If all Reformed pastors had followed Bill in his balanced approach to Calvinism, there might well have been less hostility, though it will never be entirely absent in this life, and Bill did experience opposition to his attempts to apply Calvinism in every area of church life.

Another accusation against the Reformed pastors was the neglect of evangelism. Perhaps there was some justification for the charge. Sometimes when men come to see the glorious truths of God’s sovereign grace, they are so taken up with them that they do not preach with as much evangelistic fervour as they should. Some also find it difficult to reconcile God’s electing grace with the free offer of the gospel. Of course one reason why some were accused of having no love for the lost was because they didn’t give altar calls. I recall giving a well known pastor some reformed books and pamphlets, one of which was by Al Martin. I suggested to the pastor that Al would be a good speaker to invite in for special meetings. He asked a single question: ‘Does he give altar calls?’ When I said that he did not, he replied, ‘Then we don’t want him around here!’ He then launched into a tirade against those who had no love for the lost. My defense of the evangelistic nature of Al’s preaching was lost in a torrent of abuse.

Bill did not give ‘altar calls’, and he wrote a pamphlet entitled, Why I do not use the Invitation System, but his sermons were often evangelistic, and contained fervent invitations to come to Christ. He certainly believed in the free offer of the gospel and made that very clear in his preaching. That is another area where we need to emulate our departed brother. As we all know in theory, Reformed truth and evangelistic fervour are not opposed. Church history gives many examples of great preachers and missionaries who were both committed Calvinists and zealous evangelists. We need to follow Bill in demonstrating both sides in our own preaching.

In recent years I have seen much more mellowness among Reformed pastors. We need to be gracious and warm in our preaching of Reformed truth. We also need to be wise in the way in which we introduce Reformed theology in situations where it has not already been widely embraced. Some time ago, I was speaking with a young pastor who was about to start a new pastorate in a church that was not entirely committed to Calvinism, though it had enjoyed a sound biblical, essentially reformed ministry for many years. He was planning to begin his ministry with a series on the ‘five points’, and I urged him not to at that point. It is far better to introduce the doctrines of grace gradually during regular exposition, rather than to introduce them topically at an early stage in one’s ministry. Sadly, he ignored my advice, and the advice of others, and went ahead with his series. In a few months the church was so fractured that it was forced to close.

I am convinced that the Reformed pastors who are around today are much more fervent in their evangelistic preaching than some pastors were in the 60’s and 70’s, and without doubt, Bill Payne showed many the way not only by his own preaching, but also by his teaching in the seminary.

I trust that with a more gracious and balanced preaching of these truths, and a compassionate and zealous preaching of the gospel to the lost, the movement will grow, and that the glorious doctrines of sovereign grace will commend themselves to many and build strong churches with a fervent evangelistic spirit.

Conclusion

I have drawn some lessons throughout this paper, but let me briefly summarize the ways in which Bill’s ministry was an enduring example for us:

1.      He was a faithful preacher and expositor of the Word. Quite prepared to tackle difficult and controversial topics, but doing that in a gracious manner. He was also zealous in his evangelistic preaching.

2.      He was a loving pastor to his people, greatly appreciated by adults and children alike.

3.      He was balanced in his doctrine, never going to extremes one way or another.

4.      He was a pastor’s pastor. A great encouragement to those facing either doctrinal or personal problems. He always found time to help others.

5.      He was a leader in the Reformed Baptist movement, yet was always ready to enjoy fellowship with those of other evangelical denominations.

6.      He was an effective author. Although his writings were not voluminous, they are helpful. His hymns are particularly helpful with sound, God glorifying words and good poetry.

May Bill’s life and ministry be an encouragement, a challenge and an example to us all.