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January 26, 2007
From the time of his conversion in August 1935 until his death in January 2007, Dr. Tom Malone gave himself devotedly to the Lord and to His ministry. He never faltered in his strong stand. He was faithful until his last breath. Now the great preacher, so beloved by so many, is gone. We tried to honor him while he was living, and it is right that we should still salute him in his death. We extend our heartfelt sympathy and pray the Lord to give His comfort to Mrs. Malone and her family. May every one of us who knew and loved him, as well as all who were taught or otherwise influenced by him, step up to the plate with faith and fervency to do the Lord's bidding with a Malone-like devotion. Could it be so that the legacy of this wonderfully used servant of God would be played out again in the lives and ministries of thousands of others yet at the task. May the blessing that rested upon Tom Malone be cast like the mantle of Elijah upon thousands of young Elishas who are now coming forth to serve the Lord. Early in the first hours of Sunday morning, January 7, 2007, Dr. Tom Malone made the crossing across eternity's divide and entered the heavenly City. Although Mrs. Malone had called me on Friday to tell me she thought the end was approaching, I was still not ready for the call that came in the middle of the night announcing his death. By all standards by which such things are assessed, there is a unanimity of opinion in fundamental circles in regard to Tom Malone. He was a giant of Faith during this past century. From both those who knew him from a distance and those who knew him up close, the testimony is the same: This was a great man! At the request of Mrs. Joyce Malone, I prepared the material for an ovituary. Here is a portion of that material. Dr. Thomas Lloyd (Tom) Malone, 91, graduated to Heaven on January 7, 2007. Pastor emeritus of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Pontiac, Michigan and founder of Midwestern Baptist College (Pontiac), Dr. Malone, one of America's best known and beloved Baptist preachers, had been in declining health for the past five years. A graduate of Bob Jones College, he also earned a Ph.D. (cum laude) at Wayne State University of Detroit. After two brief pastorates in the Detroit area, in 1942 Dr. Malone founded the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Pontiac which he would serve as pastor for more than fifty years. For over thirty years of that time, the church was recognized to be among the one hundred largest churches in America. In 1954 he founded Midwestern Baptist College. In its fifty-three years, the college has trained and graduated many hundreds of preachers and Christian workers who serve faithfully in churches around the world. For more than fifty years, Dr. Malone was one of the most sought-after pulpiteers in the world. He was featured regularly on almost every national platform in independent Baptist circles and was a regular guest in the pulpit of every large fundamental church in America. He was a master craftsman in the preparation of sermons and a prince of preachers at the time of the sermons's delivery. Dr. John R. Rice often referred to him as "perhaps the greatest pulpiteer of his generation." A member of the Board of the Sword of the Lord Publishers since 1958, he also authored a dozen boks, which have had a worldwide circulation. As a private pilot, he was credentialed with a twin-engine instructor rating. He is survived by his wife, Joyce, to whome he was married for sixty-seven years, as well as one son and two daughters. There are also eleven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. The funeral was held in the Lakin Chapel on the campus of Midwestern Baptist College in Pontiac on Wednesday, January 10, 2007. Officiating ministers were Dr. Nick Crow, Dr. David Carr, Dr. Todd Vanaman, Dr. John Hamblin and Dr. Shelton Smith. In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Dr. Malone may be made to the Midwestern Baptist College's scholarship fund. Let me sincerely suggest two things that I hope you will do. (1) Check the Sword Web site (http://www.swordofthelord.com/) for pictures and further details about Dr. Malone and the funeral service. (2) If you do not yet have the Sword-published biography of Dr. Malone, let me urge yout to get it promptly. It is entitled: Tom Malone: The Preacher From Pontiac. It is, of course, available from us here at the Sword of the Lord. A number of preachers have told me it is one of the very best biographies they have ever read. By way of reflection upon life and ministry of this good and godly man in the funeral message, I made note of several exceptional things. I said, (1) He was a master craftsman of sermons! If you will study his works, you will see the work of someone who knew how to put a sermon together. He built Bible messages that had a cause and reached into the human heart. (2) He was a master pulpiteer in preaching! He not only knew how to construct a sermon, but he also knew how to communicate what he had constructed. He never trivialized the pulpit. He stood up, he opened up the Bible, he opened his mouth, and he spoke up boldly yet with compassion. (3) He was a master ambassador in soul winning! He didn't lose his way in the maze of duties that were upon him. He took to the streets, he knocked on doors, and he won people (lots of them) to Christ! (4) He was a master practitioner of New Testament-style church growth! There were no fads, no trends and no jumping on bandwagons with him. He was a Book-of-Acts local-church enthusiast. He loved Emmanuel Baptist Church, and he loved the city of Pontiac. He gave himself very generously to both. (5) He was a master educator! He was not only well credentialed himself, but he also took seriously the matter of discipling and mentoring young people for the Lord's work. (6) He was a master at shepherding! Just talk to the folksat Pontiac who called him "Pastor", and you'll find that he was a loving, caring, giving shepherd to his flock. (7) He was a master among men who drew every breath of his life acknowledging the Master to whose mastery he was yielded, the King of Kings, teh Lord Jesus Christ! He lived a long life, he served the Lord well, and he touched a lot of us in the process. I shall ever be grateful for the priviledge that I had so often to preach alongside him and to call him my friend.
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