The work of God through the life of Prof. Willard McMillan (1924–2005) had so many facets that it will be difficult to chronicle them. A lesser-known aspect of his model and ministry is his service on the RPCNA Board of Education & Publication, which oversees the Reformed Presbyterian Witness as well as Crown & Covenant Publications. Dr. McMillan served on this board for 12 of the past 25 years, most of that time as president. He served during many of the watershed decisions of that era.

I first knew Dr. McMillan as professor of Bible for the humanities courses at Geneva College (Beaver Falls, Pa.). Entering Geneva as a lifelong Presbyterian, but not a Reformed Presbyterian, I was casually suspicious of a denomination that distinguished itself from mainstream presbyterianism. Without question, Dr. McMillan is in the top tier of those who modeled a life and belief that melted my suspicion and helped me see a denomination that was much more life-giving than the stereotypes of our student conversations. He is no doubt one of the best ambassadors the RPCNA has ever had.

The qualities that endeared him to so many at Geneva also made him an invaluable member of a church board. He had rock-solid convictions that somehow issued forth in a gentle and winsome spirit. He was so servant-oriented that he was an ideal leader. He never traded compassion for clarity in times when a tough decision had to be made. Yet, during the most tangled or tedious discussions, he knew exactly when to crack a joke so perfect that a room would erupt in laughter and the tensions immediately vanish.

When the time would come to ask his individual counsel on a matter, we knew we’d receive reliable wisdom. In a job where one has to weigh divergent opinions as well as eternal truth, an editor needs counselors like that.

In battle, there are some mighty warriors who, when fallen, leave a gap so large that several warriors are required to fill it. Willard McMillan seems to me to be such a warrior in the spiritual battle. But I know the God he knew. I know the God who supplied all his need, through so many trials over so many years, is also able to supply all that we need. Thank You, God, for Willard McMillan.