Renowned Baptist leader and church-planting specialist Reginald “Reggie” McDonough passed away on Dec. 24 at the age of 88.
McDonough became one of the top Southern Baptist leaders while traveling the globe, teaching Christian church planters the importance of strategic planning in building and maintaining congregations for the Glory of the Lord.
Born to Gladys and J.C. McDonough in 1936 in Mt. Vernon, Texas, McDonough attended Mt. Vernon High School and later enrolled in East Texas Baptist College in Marshall, Texas. After graduating college, McDonough served as Minister of Music and Education for several churches in Louisiana and Texas before he was called to join the Baptist Sunday School Board in Nashville, where he became the Director of the Church Administration Department. He went on to receive a Doctorate of Education from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. McDonough authored several books. His works included “Growing Ministers, Growing Churches”, “A Church on Mission”, “Working with Volunteer Leaders in the Church” and “Keys to Effective Motivation.”
Throughout his career at the Sunday School Board, McDonough donated his free time to the Baptist Foreign Mission Board, working with Missionaries in the South Pacific, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, South America, and Africa. He said that the Lord led him to understand how he could change lives and how his life would also be changed.
McDonough went on to serve as the Executive Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee.
In 1987, McDonough became the Executive Director of the Baptist General Association of Virginia. His accomplishments were again acknowledged by many awards. After retiring in 2002, McDonough became Associate Pastor of Fairfield Glade First Baptist church where he coordinated and supervised the building of its modern Church building, a legacy that will stand for years to come as a memorial to his work, both locally and across the globe.
McDonough is survived by his two children, Michael McDonough and Teri McDonough Meister; three grandchildren, Ian McDonough, Michael and Matthew Meister; and two great-grandchildren, Ivy and Logan McDonough; and sisters, Evelyn Cole and Myrna Wright. B&R
