Milton Gardner

Friendly Baptist Church in Tyler bid farewell to its former longtime pastor, the Rev. Milton Gardner, at a funeral service and celebration of life Feb. 9.

Gardner, 93, died Feb. 2 in Longview.

He was pastor of Friendly Baptist Church for 28 years from 1963-91. After his retirement, he served as interim pastor at 12 other churches.

Born Jan. 18, 1925, in Swenson, Texas, Gardner was the youngest of three sons born to Ward and Effie Mae Gardner.

After high school, he served as a Navy pilot during World War II.

After the war, Gardner attended Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene and received a master’s degree in economics. He taught at Texas Wesleyan College while attending Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth.

In 1963, Gardner began his pastorate at Friendly Baptist Church, which at that time had about 50 members.

“It was a struggling little church,” recalled the Rev. Royce Dodd, former youth minister at Friendly. “It probably would have died without him.”

Under Gardner’s leadership, Friendly grew to a membership of more than 700.

“He was gifted in the area of ministry,” Dodd said. “I don’t know of any man who had a greater spiritual influence on my life and the lives of so many others. He modeled for me what a genuine Christian pastor should be. He was the most gracious, humble, godly man I’ve ever known.”

Friendly Baptist’s current pastor, the Rev. Pat Alvey, was hired by Gardner in 1984.

“He led by example,” Alvey said of Gardner. “He walked in faith. He loved the Lord, he loved talking about the Lord, and he radiated joy in the Lord. People were drawn to find that joy for themselves.”

He also was a powerful example to the young pastors who worked with him and learned from him, Dodd and Alvey said.

“He taught us to be out in the community and in homes, in hospitals,” Alvey said. “He taught us to be out where the people were, encouraging them, sharing their lives, consoling them. In hospitals, he always had a Scripture reading and a prayer, but he also told us, ‘Don’t stay too long. These people are sick and they need to rest.’ He just seemed to know what everyone needed.”

Dodd said he has a master’s degree, but learned more from Gardner than he did in his master’s program.

“He had the greatest mind I’ve ever known,” Dodd said. “He was brilliant, but it was never about him. It was always about the Lord. Even now, when I have to solve a problem, it’s almost always something I learned from him. He knew every aspect of ministry and administration.”

Under Gardner’s leadership, Friendly Baptist Church thrived, becoming a well-known member of Tyler’s faith community. But its pastor’s greatest legacy might be the men who, inspired by his example, became pastors.

“There’ve been dozens who entered the ministry because of him,” Dodd said. “And they’ve stuck with it. I’ve been in ministry for 40 years, been pastor of several churches, and it’s because of him. He was our mentor. He was our Paul, and we’re his Timothies.”

Alvey agreed.

“We’re the church the Lord used him to build,” he said. “All the men who went into the ministry because of him, the people he brought in through baptism, the people who’ve given their lives to Jesus. It’s a testimony to the power of his witness.

“And he never stopped,” Alvey said. “He started a Bible study in the assisted living facility where he lived the last months of his life. He worked for the Lord until he simply couldn’t anymore.”

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